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.

Turbin & Clams

This beautiful and hardy Turbin Coral is surrounded by three Crocea Clams and one Maxima Clam. Natural sea level calcium and alkalinity levels, with the addition of phytoplankton and zooplankton are necessary for these animals to survive.

Chuck & Cindy's 227 Gallon Living Color Showpiece

Chuck and Cindy's 227 gallon artificial reef aquarium. This beautiful staircase showpiece was constructed by Living Color of Ft. Lauderdale, Fl. Living Color definitely has done their research and perfected the manufacturing of imitation corals. This aquarium comes with Pocillipora's, Digitata's, Fungia's, Sebae Anemone's, Sun Polyp's and more. And...they never need a calcium supplement.

Green Nephthea

Green Nephthea. This colony came from Rich, President of MARS, and has been fragged many times. The nephthea needs moderate to strong flow and small particulate foods (TLF Marine Snow, DT's Phytoplankton) should be blown across their extended polyps. They do have the tendancy to "brown" up under intense lighting, therefore this coral will soon have a new home in the North Lake Tahoe Boys and Girls Club's aquarium.

Purple Bullseye Mushroom

Purple Bullseye Mushroom Coral. This brightly colored mushroom comes from the Tonga Islands. I consider this shroom to be one of the most handsome mushrooms seen in the aquarium trade. Although a bit uncommon, fragging and sharing with fellow reefers is highly recommended.

Thing one and thing two. Actually, two Red Coco Worms. Dr. Ron Shimek recommends two daily target feedings of phytoplankton, preferably two different types.

Tridacna Derasa. This clam will grow to sizes up to two feet. Responsible aquarists should be prepared to deliver and donate outgrown species to suitable aquariums. David Cripe, curator at the Monterey Bay Aquarium has and will accept healthy donations without hesitation.

Author and coral farmer Anthony Calfo gave an animated and informative frag demonstration to the members of M.A.R.S. and B.A.R. (Bay Area Reefers) last Saturday in Dixon. He fragged a leather, favia, birdsnest, acropora and a rose anemone. The demonstration was professionally video taped and hopefully I can provide my clients with a copy to view in the near future.

A pink and green sea cucumber. This suspension feeder is a hardy aquarium tankmate. A strong water flow is necessary to stimulate a response with feeding tentacles. They commonly reproduce in the aquarium and pose little threat to a toxic spawn.

Frags and frags, ready for the bi-annual Marine Aquarist Roundtable of Sacramento frag swap this Saturday, 10/16/04.

Pierogyra Sinousa, Pearl colored Bubble Coral.

Debbie's Actinodiscus Striata, Striped Mushroom Coral. With no effort at all, these mushroom corals can multiple quickly.

Dendrophylliidae. Commonly called a cup or a turbin coral, from both the Atlantic and Pacific.

This True Percula Clownfish has taken host to a Euphyllia Glabrescens, Branching Hammer.