Simply the Best

With the end of the year approaching, I want to give thanks to the company's that supply me throughout the year. I get people from around the world looking at my blog on a daily basis. Many people come looking for information regarding the companies that I purchase from.

The people that represent these companies are professionals in customer service and they are why I continue to purchase from them. These are listed in no particular order.

Princeton Huang and Steve Ruebens of Innovative Lighting Solutions have grown their aquarium lighting business into a major supplier in the year that I have been buying from them. From their website and eBay sales to the support that they have given to local reef clubs, Innovative Lighting Solutions are doing it right! Innovative Lighting Solutions is located in Palo Alto, CA. Look for the their exhibit at the Western Marine Conference 2006 in Sacramento.

Jeff Turcheck owner of LifeReef Filter Systems, Morrison, CO, celebrates his 21st year in business supplying the hobbyist with expertly designed and expertly fabricated aquarium products in 2005. If you are interested in Jeff creating a fool-proof working system, contact him well in advance of your needs, he usually has some items in stock but production times can run 6-8 weeks.

Leng Sy owner of EcoSystem Aquarium provides unique products that simply work. I use Fish Solutions and the Garlic Elixir in all of my clients' prepared fish food. A client had an angelfish, tang and butterfly that were affected with the hole in the head disease and lateral line disease, knowing that the diseases can be attributed to copper use, stray electrical current in the water or from vitamin C deficiency, and are curable, I discontinued the use of copper, added a grounding probe and started using Leng's Fish Solution. All fish have regained their tissue and are healthy. Leng will be a speaker and EcoSystem will be an exhibitor at the Western Marine Conference.

Mark Hanson owner of Algae Free from Madison, WI, makes absolutely the finest aquarium cleaning magnets in the industry. Mark created a custom made magnet for me earlier this year for a very thick acrylic aquarium. You can find his products for sale through many of the on-line suppliers.

Once my product leaves one of my many wholesalers in the Los Angeles airport area it is in the hands of Southwest Air Cargo. I have heard plenty of horror stories about air cargo issues, but Ron & Jamie at Reno's hub take great attention to my deliveries. The employee's in Reno care for the health of my animals, always ready to call me upon arrival (if I am not there waiting!) but also doing their best to place my cargo in a stable environment. And...They love my Leonberger Monty!

Reef Nutrition™ Marine Live Feeds are produced by Reed Mariculture, the world's largest producer of marine microalgae concentrates for aquaculture. Randy Reed, co-owner of Reed Mariculture/Reef Nutrition recently spoke to the Marine Aquarist Roundtable of Sacramento (MARS) and introduced some of their new products. I am now stocking Tigger Pods (Jumbo sized copepods), Macro Feast (Red Gracilaria), Roti-Feast (Marine Rotifers and eggs) and Phyto Feast Live (Concentrated Microalgae). Reef Nutrition's Phyto Feast Live in my opinion is the best micro algae for the aquarium hobbyist. There are other's available, but none as concentrate as Reef Nutrition's. Reed Mariculture also supply algal feeds and zooplankton to universities, marine ornamental growers, and over 500 fish, shrimp, and shellfish hatcheries in 67 countries around the world. Randy Reed will also be a speaker and Reef Nutrition will be an exhibitor at the WMC 2006.

I subscribe to Coral Magazine for many of my clients. Valerie Tann, Publisher's Assistant, has diligently seen to my subscriptions allowing my customers not to miss an issue. Coral Magazine is the best aquarium publication for saltwater enthusiasts. Coral is entering their third year of publication and has stressed many of their articles on the preservation of the marine environments.

Eric Caamano, owner of Frag Farmer dot com and Central Aquarium located in Upland, CA, has been more than a supplier of some of the best coral pieces coming out of Los Angeles, but also a friend. Eric has always been available to chat and give advise not only about my business but in support of the Western Marine Conference. If you're a hobbyist and came across my site in a search for Frag Farmer, I highly recommend that you subscribe to his newsletter for up to date inventory lists. Frag Farmer will also exhibit at the Western Marine Conference.

4200 pounds of Carib-Sea Aragamax Sand came from John, Sales Rep., and Custom Aquatics this year. Custom Aquatics has been a supporter of MARS through a number of group buys, including purchases of bulk carbon, TDS meters and refractometers. Customer service has been the pinnacle of Custom Aquatic since its inception. They have always and will always emphasize the customer.

Genesis Systems International, Plumas, CA, have the capabilities to provide the most complete naturalistic ecosystem solutions for private residences and commercial properties. From design through project completion, they work to make your dreams a reality. GSI specialize in aquarium construction, along with naturalistic ponds & waterfalls, planted terrariums, aviaries and custom reptile & amphibian habitats. Jon Valdez, Owner and Brian Hayes, Engineer, are working with me in making D's aquarium a perfect piece of art. They also have a 650 gallon room divider aquarium in progress in Arrow Creek, Reno, NV.

There are a few people that I don't have logos or website links to that have been instrumental in the growth of my business. Shelley Fallon and Fallon Multi Media, Kings Beach, CA, has been doing all of my marketing from the onset. With my photography and advertising background, working with me could have been difficult. But, Shelley completed all of our projects with ease and perfection. I look forward to doing more work with Shelley. Soon!

Chris Wirth, Blue Planet Water Works, Vacaville, CA, has just started the construction for DeWayne's filtration system in Incline Village, NV. With Chris' knowledge and craftmanship, this aquarium is going to be incredible.

Bayside Aquarium Supply is Marine Depot's wholesale division located in Anaheim, CA. Greg, Sales Manager, supplies me with ESV's B-Ionic Calcium/Alkalinity Buffer's. Some of my customers have termed ESV's product as "liquid gold" because of the excellent results with coralline growth.

Happy Holidays and I look forward to another great year in 2006.

Mickey's Milestone

The town of Truckee is losing a great asset this week when Mike Mickey and his mother Rose Mary close up their over 20 year old business, Mickey's Pet Stop & Laundermutt. With the loss of Bill Mickey, Rose Mary's husband, and various other challenges, the time has come to close.

I met Mike over 15 years ago while he was still in high school and running the Tahoe City store. Mike would do hands on presentations to teach local school children about the many animals he kept. It was then that I rekindled my childhood interest in fishkeeping.

Mickey's has sold thousands of fish, reptiles and soft furry animals over the years. The Laundermutt has cleaned and trimmed many Tahoe-Truckee dogs and has sold what must be more than a million pounds of quality dog food. It was on many an occasion I overheard parents telling their children they were at the Truckee zoo.

Mike has big plans for the future. As a Reno resident, he plans to continue to use his retail knowledge and open the best aquarium store in the area.

Mickey's has supported my business for many years and I look forward to seeing Mike's plans come to fruition and continuing our excellent business relation/friendship.

DeWayne's 225 (Under Construction)

I have a great project under construction for a new client, DeWayne in Incline Village, NV. "D" has been working vigorously on his beautiful home with woodwork restoration, a home theatre complete with a three wall mural and a new 225 gallon reef tank. The aquarium will be located near his entry way/staircase and pool table.


I am working with Genesis Systems International and Brian Hayes, Engineer, for the construction of the acrylic aquarium and aluminum stand. GSI constructs natural environments for the animals of the world in Graeagle, CA., about an hour north of Truckee.

The filtration will be constructed by Chris Wirth, Vacaville, CA owner of Blue Planet Water Works. Chris worked as an engineer for San Franciso's Pier 39 Aquarium of the Bay for five years before going out on his own. His knowledge for proper reef filtration and his creative acrylic construction will make D's aquarium a museum quality showpiece unsurpassed by none in the Tahoe area. Chris will be constructing the sump/refugium including a RO/DI water top off reservoir equipped with an electronic float switch, protein skimmer, phosban reactor, calcium reactor and the 4-way Ocean Motions surge device. (Below is the original drawing, the aquarium size has since increased on the top side to 48 inches.)

Ricardo and Miguel Contreras of Contreras Finish Carpentry, Carson City, NV, will construct and finish the canopy and stand skins to match D's existing cabinetry. The Contreras Brothers have been working in the Northern Nevada and Lake Tahoe Area producing fine quality finish work for a number of years.(Here is a photo of the work they did for my clients Chuck and Cindy. They not only did the aquarium woodwork, but the faux finishing, lacquering and painting throughout the entire home.)

I will be adding many more photos and information on the construction of D's aquarium in the weeks to come. I plan to have water in the aquarium by early February, pending construction.

North Lake Tahoe AYSO: Yellow Lightning Bolts

Sierra Saltwater Systems sponsored this girls under twelve soccer team coached by DeeDee Driller. DeeDee did a fantastic job coaching the girls and improvement was noted every week. DeeDee is also the North Tahoe AYSO Allstar Team coach. She will then have a few weeks off before she starts coaching childrens ski programs at Squaw Valley USA. Sponsoring a team is a great way to give back to the community and support local youth. Sierra Saltwater Systems also donated and maintains a 55 gallon aquarium located in the Bluth Learning Center at the Boys and Girls Club of North Lake Tahoe in Kings Beach. My daughter Madison is located in the front row, second player on the left.

Tri-Colored Zoanthid Polyps and Palytoxin

Skirt: Green, Fill: Orange/Violet, Mouth: Blue The often stunning colored Zoanthid polyp is a rapid growing soft coral commonly found in reefs around the world. Like most corals, they obtain much of their nutrient requirement from the symbiotic unicellular algae called zooxanthellae. As a result, these corals are usually found not far beneath the surface and in the aquarium they should be placed high under intense lighting. Zoanthids contain the highly toxic substance palytoxin. Palytoxin is the most toxic organic substance in the world, but there is an ongoing debate over the concentration of this toxin in these animals. However, even in small quantities, the toxin can be fatal should it be ingested or enter the blood stream. Pacific Island tribes actually used the toxin on spear tips to stun prey animals and enemies. I have read stories of people losing their sense of taste for twenty four hour periods, eye infections and of a dogs death from eating the polyps. There is no known anti-toxin. Propagation is possible and easy when performed carefully. I propagate underwater with rubber gloves in the aquarium because the toxin is very soluble in seawater.

The LPS Fungia Coral

The LPS (Large Polyp Stony) Fungia is an attractive short tentacle plate coral that is often found in a circular shape. Each coral is actually a single polyp with its mouth located near the center of its dome shaped body. The fungia are some of the most colorful LPS corals found in the aquarium trade. Usually found in shades of red, green and purple, they are also available in blue, brown, pink, yellow and orange. Fungia's are found on the reef slope and soft bottom free of waves and high current. Often found in large populations the family does not "sting" each other and can be found with many different species. This coral like the Helio fungia can walk the length of an aquarium, and back, until it finds a comfortable resting place. Placement of the Fungia should be taken with care because the corals movement can result in injury or death to another coral, usually never the Fungia.

Captive Bred Banggai Cardinalfish

With over 99% of all saltwater aquarium fish being displaced from the ocean, it gives me great pleasure when I am able to add a captive bred or tank reared fish to a clients aquarium. Or in Kirk and Debbie's case, three captive bred Banggai Cardinalfish (Pterapogon kauderni) born and raised by Rian and Arlan, Western Marine Conference 2006 committee members, at UC Davis. The clutch was fifty-five, one of the largest in the hobby industry. If you're looking for captive bred Banggai's, Morgan Lidster of Inland Aquatics, Terre Haute, IN, Vice President of AMDA (American Marinelife Dealers Association) is a major Cardinalfish supplier. Also in the photograph is a portion of a propagated Green Slimer SPS coral.

Tridacna Maxima: Small Giant Clam

At less than a third of the size of the true giant clam (Tridacna gigas), the small giant clam deserves its name. As an adult, it has a large shell that adheres to a rock. When open, the bright blue, green or brown mantle is exposed and hides the edges of the shell with its prominent and distinctively smooth round edges. The Tridacna maxima clam is a bivalve mollusk, referring to the two valves on the mantle.
These siphon water through the body to extract oxygen from the water using the gills, and to feed on algae. Clams are relatively hardy and well suited for the saltwater aquarium. One thing that must be kept in mind when adding a new specimen to an aquarium is that clams do not react well to being moved around. It is my recommendation that a good consideration of where you want to put your clam should be decided before placing it in your aquarium.

An excellent book available at amazon.com is Daniel Knop's "Giant Clams: A Comprehensive Guide to the Identification and Care of Tridacnid Clams". This book is the best source for information on the Tridacnid clams. The chapter on clam diseases is especially interesting, as is the information on keeping clams in the aquarium.

Daniel Knop is also the Editor and Contributing Photographer for the German magazine Koralle, Coral magazines counterpart. Coral puts out a fantastic publication on a bi-monthly basis. I subscribe to Coral magazine for my clients and they can look forward to receiving their next issue featuring Anemonefishes soon.

Keepin' It Clean

I took a photo of this Electric Blue Hermit crab for a friend today and while my hands were wet I got some shots of other important clean up animals. I removed each creature from the aquarium and photographed them in a small translucent container. I use a Nikon Coolpix 5700 digital camera and had pretty good results using the macro settings.

The Electric Blue Hermit Crab:The electric Blue Hermit crab originates exclusively from the Marshall Islands. This crab has electrifying blue legs with black banding, and its antennae stand out with its bright orange color. Both claws are close to being equal size, and are brownish green in color. This tiny crab lives in abandoned snail shells or it may resort to attacking and eating a snail so it can use the shell for its home.

The Electric Blue Leg Hermit Crab is a valuable addition to an aquarium because it will eat algae including green hair algae and cyanobacteria. In addition, it provides valuable aeration by sifting through the sand and it is reef-safe!

Pin Cushion Urchin:The Pin Cushion Urchin, Mespilia globulus, has an oval to round body covered with hundreds of uniform spines. I recommend an urchin be added to a reef aquarium upon initial set up to keep algaes from having a chance to get out of control. It generally hides in the rock during the day, at night, it comes out to graze on algae, moving about by its suctorial podia that are aligned in five doubled rows. The aquarium should include large amounts of live rock on which it can graze. Rock formations need to be stable and able to withstand the movement of the urchin wedging itself in crevices.

Polychaetes; Bristle Worms: With over 15,000 different types of bristle worms, some aquarium safe, some not, the novice reefkeeper is usually alarmed when they come across their first worm. Centipede like, their nocturnal behavior and their ability to hide in small holes or under objects allows many of them to go undetected. This bristle worm above out stretched is over six inches long. Often the populations in an aquarium can reach many hundreds or thousands, most of which are never seen. Although they have the potential for causing problems, generally small populations do no real harm in a reef system. A large population of bristle worms in an aquarium usually is a good sign of overfeeding.

Bristle worms are absolutely wonderful at cleaning up detrius, arguably better than ANY other creature in your reef system. Others may say to get rid of them, I for one have a pretty good track record for healthy tanks and feel they are beneficial.

Debbie's Montipora capricornis

I added this Sierra Saltwater Systems propagated Montipora capricornis to Debbie's 72G reef tank over a year ago and it has seen tremendous growth under the T5 lighting. The capricornis is one of the more popular SPS (small polyp stony) coral found in reef aquariums. The swirling plates of the coral are unmistakable, a familiar and appealing growth pattern. The Monti cap is easily fragged for propagation, with broken pieces readily encrusting and starting new growth. Proper flow is necessary for the coral to achieve multiple layers characteristic of this morphology. Fast growers, these corals are highly recommended as first corals for new SPS reef tank hobbyists.

This is the same coral at a much younger age. Debbie maintains near natural sea level calcium and alkalinity rates with the use of ESV B-Ionic Calcium/Alkalinity buffer system.

Heliofungia

Heliofungia actiniformis. This striking coral is located in the Design Center's 180 gallon reef tank in Reno. The heliofungia is a realitively easy coral to care for and will swell with water to allow it to "walk" to a desired position in an aquarium. This coral and all the livestock in the Design Center's aquarium is available for sale to my clients. I encourage you to stop by and say hi to Dale Vogelaar, General Manager, at the showroom and see if there is anything in the aquarium that interests you. The Design Center is located at 780 Smithridge Drive, Suite 300 between McCarren and Pecham in the Magnolia Design Center.

New Orleans: Audubon Aquarium of the Americas

With all that is happening in New Orleans, I can't but wonder what the status of the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas is. The aquarium is located right on the Mississippi River within walking distance of the French Quarter. I have been there a couple of times and can only hope that the curators and volunteers had some time to relocate the animals before Katrina arrived. If you are looking for a unique way to help out with the situation in NOLA a donation to the aquarium can be made here.

www.fragfarmer.com - Ready to Open!

I had a nice visit with Eric Caamano at his newly remodeled shop last weekend, Central Aquarium and Reef in Upland, California. Eric has added three or four new large set ups, plus a new fish/invert compartment tank. He has also added a large amount of dry goods at very reasonable prices. Look for the fragfarmers.com/Central Aquarium new website to be launched soon and if you're in Southern California, his grand opening is scheduled for September 10th. Eric is a great supporter of the Western Marine Conference 2006 and will be attending as a vendor.

Mono Lake: Brine Shrimp Everywhere!

On our recent trip to San Diego and Scripps Institute of Oceanography, we made a quick stop at Mono Lake's South Beach to view the tufa formations. I had been to Mono Lake a number of times, but never in the summer months. I was amazed at the number of brine shrimp along the shorelines. The shrimp is an ample food supply for the number of birds populating the area. Brine shrimp used in a marine aquarium has little nutritional value, but is often used to entice new additions to eat. Mono Lakes ph is over 10 and the specific gravity is an astonishing 80.8 parts per thousand (1.060 sp), where natural sea water is at about 35 ppt.

Coral Magazine: From the Editor

Kathleen Wood, Editor for the U.S. publication of Coral Magazine wrote a fantastic article about patience as a key to success in keeping reef or fish only aquariums. I subscribe to Coral Magazine for many of my customers to help them learn about keeping marine animals. This issue has a wonderful subject matter on keeping sea urchins. Urchins are fantastic additions to reef tanks. They do a great job in keeping undesirable algaes in control and even help promote coralline algae growth by releasing spores as they eat. Unfortunately, urchins can not be kept in acrylic aquariums due to the fact that they will scratch the surface of the aquarium as the eat diatoms off of the acrylic. Pick up a copy of Coral today at your local fish store. Their articles and photography are the best in the hobby industry.

Pacific Aqua Farms

I made a quick stop off at Pacific Aqua Farms in Los Angeles earlier this week to pick up some livestock on my way home from Baja California. PAF's is the worlds leader in aquacultured corals that are grown in their Fiji and Tonga locations and then shipped to Los Angeles for worldwide distribution. Walt Smith, owner of PAF will be a speaker at next years Western Marine Conference in Sacramento April 21-23, 2006.

Sea Hare: Beauty Is In The Eye of the Beholder

I have recently added sea hares to my inventory and am using them on a few clients' aquariums with hair algae problems. Hair algae grows from having high phosphates in the aquarium. Phosphates are often created from overfeeding. The sea hare is a ferocious algae eater. A sea hare will devour an aquarium's nuisance algaes until it no longer has a food source. At this time a dedicated aquarist will transfer the animal to another home.

According to The Monterey Bay Aquarium's Living Species List, each sea hare is both male and female, but they still need to mate. Dozens pile up for sea hare orgies. They mate in lines and circles: each is male to the one in front and female to the one behind, so each is both a mother and a father. Sea hares may lay up to eighty million eggs apiece. But most of these mother-fathers' eggs are eaten by predators.

The Home Show Design Center Opening NIght

EDIT 6/2007: Bob Principe was convicted of fraud and received a jail sentence. Click here to learn more about his unethical business practices. I was fortunate to not have lossed any money in my dealings with this man, but I did spend a lot of time setting up an aquarium in his showroom and lost a bit of faith in dealing with new acquaintances. I removed the aquarium before his creditors took possession of the building.



Here's a shot of myself and Bob Principe of BPTV and The Home Show Design Center... the Design Center is officially open! Although they already booked over 5 million in remodels and new home construction before their doors were open, they are now open to serve the general public as well. The Center turned out just beautiful so stop by and check it out!

See more photos of the opening night here.

Sierra Saltwater System's 90 Gallon Reef - Video

With hosting help from Minh Nguyen, Assistant Dean of Technology at UC Davis, video has arrived to my blogsite. Click here to see a short pan of my 90 gallon reef tank. This aquarium has been up and running for over six years and I use it as a holding tank for my business, mainly for corals and inverts. All corals go through a half hour Lugols Solution Iodine & Salifert Flatworm Exit dip for the eradication of the Red Planaria flatworm. Lighting is two 250 watt Ushio 10K metal halide bulbs and actinic VHO fluorescent bulbs. Filtration is live rock/sand, LifeReef sump and protein skimmer with a chaetomorpha algae refugium. (This video was filmed with a Nikon 5400 digital camera.)

New Rack Card

Shelley Fallon, Fallon Multi Media, Kings Beach, designed this great rack card. It was was printed by DynaGraphic Printing in Reno. The card is on display at The Home Show Design Center, 780 Smithridge Dr. Suite 300 in Reno, Incline Village/Crystal Bay Chamber of Commerce in Incline Village, Hiro Sushi in Kings Beach and at Java Sushi in Truckee . (Click on image to enlarge)

The Home Show's 180 Gallon Reef Tank

I recently got started on The Home Show's 180 gallon future reef tank. Over the three day weekend I will load it up with 275 pounds of Marshall Island, Kaileni and Tonga Branch rock. Some technical information: All of my acrylic work, sump, refugium, skimmer and calcium reactor was made by Jeff Turcheck at LifeReef. Lighting is the LumenArc 3 reflectors from Pacific Garden Supply and PFO & BlueLine ballasts (that will go above the aquarium) with 14K bulbs, purchased through Innovative Lighting Solutions . I believe these companies are not only the best in quality, but also surpass all excpectations in customer serivice. This project will be a showcase of my company. Look for many future posts to come!

There's No Place Like Home

It was bound to happen.... This tank raised Yellow Striped Maroon Clownfish in Chuck and Cindy's artificial reef tank has taken to the Condylactis Anemone. Cindy provided me this photo. If anyone has a nice shot of their aquarium, please send it to me and I'll add it to my blog. EDIT 5/23: Cindy has informed me that the YS Maroon has started to "feed" the anemone!

Western Marine Conference

Marine Aquarist Roundtable of Sacramento is proud to be hosting the Western Marine Conference 2006 at the Red Lion Inn in Sacramento, April 21-23, 2006. I am on the committee to bring in over a dozen of the most knowledgeable speakers in the hobby industry. Also, we are hoping to have over 25 vendors to showcase their products. I recommend all of my clients to attend.



Scheduled to attend are: Bob Fenner, Eric Borneman, Anthony Calfo, David Cripe, Leng Sy, Mike Paletta, Walt Smith and more.

Hiro Sushi

Hiro Sushi, Kings Beach. Hiro Sushi recently opened after a complete remodel. The division of the liqour bar and the sushi bar is complete with a 110 gallon reef tank. The aquarium was custom built to size by Catalina Aquariums of Sacramento.

Phyto Feast & Chiton

While dosing my display aquarium this morning with Randy Reed's Phyto Feast and Clam & Coral Diet, I came across this beautiful Chiton. Chitons come in on live rock and multiply readily in an aquarium. They graze on filamentous algae, cyanobacteria and diatoms. They are very slow moving creatures and tend to move less than a foot a year.

Fragfarmer.com & Ricordea Mushroom

This beautiful bright green and purple Ricordea Mushroom rock came from my recent visit to Los Angeles' Eric Caamano and his business www.fragfarmer.com . Eric is running a fantastic on-line/retail coral business with some of the nicest looking product in all of Southern California. He is also an active supporter to many reef clubs, including the Marine Aquarist Roundtable of Sacramento, (MARS). Eric and I will be working in the future to have some of his great suppliers tranship product directly to Sierra Saltwater Systems.

Ricordea Close Up

A close up of the fragfarmer.com Ricordea mushroom.

Green Spotted Mandarinfish

The Green Spotted Mandarinfish, Psychedelic Mandarinfish. This challenging fish to feed is a great choice for a reef aquarium, but should not be added until the aquarium has matured for at least one year. Due to the size of their mouths and the fact that they are bottom dwellers, competition for prepared food is challanging. They must have access to live prey food, cocopods and amphipods, wich live in the live rock and sand. The Mandarinfish and the Six Line Wrasse both prey on the problematic red planaria flatworms that can be introduced with corals.

Fallon Multi Media & The Home Show

Shelley Fallon, Fallon Multi Media, created this ad for me today to go into the new Home Style Magazine. Home Style Magazine is a quarterly publication that gives professional bulding industry businesses a chance to reach the everyday consumer. In partnership with Bob Principe and the Home Show,(www.bptv.tv) , KRNV Channel 4 (Reno), the Homes Style Magazine will reach over 150,000 readers quarterly. I will be setting up a 180 gallon reef tank at the Home Show showroom in Reno next month featuring what I consider to be the best equipment in the aquarium industry.