Deep Sand Beds and Refugiums

Hiro Sushi's Six Inch Sand Bed. There has been a lot of discussions lately on the bulletin boards I frequent about whether aquarium's should be set up with a deep sand bed, shallow bed or bare bottom. I have always been a huge advocate of using as deep a sand bed as aesthetically possible, using Carib Sea AragaMax sugar sized sand. In addition to a deep sand bed, I also use a refugium, live rock, high flow in the water column, a protein skimmer and calcium reactor in reef tanks. This equipment and the proper stocking of animals make a fool proof system.

Java Sushi's Five Inch Sand Bed. Installation of a deep sand bed is one of the least expensive type of filtration, and requires minimal maintenance when paired with the proper animals to do the work. The Pacific Black Sea Cucumber is an excellent sand sifting animal that does not destroy a sand bed of life. In addition, the Orange Diamond Goby, large Nassarius Sand Snails and burrowing bristle and spaghetti worms help remove sediment. They are actively consuming diatoms and promotes oxygen penetration that allows them to live in the bed.

LifeReef Refugium. A deep sand bed occupies a large amount of viewing space in an aquarium. I prefer to use a minimum of a three inch sand bed in an aquarium and then a 6-8 inch sand bed in an auxiliary refugium. This LifeReef 40 gallon refugium with chaetomorpha algae has an 8 inch sand bed that keeps nitrates undetectable in a 180 gallon heavily stocked reef tank. I also employ the use of Leng Sy's EcoSystem Refugiums in some of the smaller systems I maintain.

My Commute

I feel pretty lucky. Some days I laugh out loud when I think of city commuters. Many of my clients are 30-40 minutes away from my shop in Carnelian Bay and I am quite fortunate to see a lot of beautiful scenery along the way. Whether it's a sunset view from the east shore of Lake Tahoe, a blinding snow storm going over Mt. Rose Highway to Reno or the American Bald Eagle I recently saw hovering over the old rail-yard in Truckee, I always have a camera with me to capture the moment. The photo above is of Eagle Falls at Emerald Bay. I recently finished setting up three new aquariums in offices in South Lake Tahoe and Highway 89 just reopened after being closed most of the winter. With this year's snowpack, the falls are flowing at the highest rate I've ever seen. Today's gas prices are getting out of hand ($3.45 in Kings Beach today for regular unleaded), but with views like these, driving is priceless.

WMC Wrap Up

Speaker Anthony Calfo gave a good review of the WMC in this Reef Central post: "Kudos to the committee and the attendees that made this conference truly a success! As one that has attended and helped to plan my share of such, I can honestly say it was a very fine job for your first (re-annual ) big event. It was a yeoman's chore that the committee pulled to coordinate a 3-day event with so many participants... and it appeared to run so very smoothly.

I am certain if/when you hold WMC again you will be rewarded with even greater success.

The other regional clubs/folks especially that missed this event truly missed a good time and really should not miss the next time around. It is so important that we show support for each other (sister societies) in the pursuit of our information gathering/sharing. The late night chat sessions with wise and wiley folks like that inimitable Bob Fenner are just icing on the cake."

Jelliquarium Jim Stime of Thousand Oaks, CA has found a creative niche in today's aquarium-keeping hobby with the introduction of his Jellyfish aquariums.The "midwater zone", the area of the ocean that no longer uses daylight to photosynthesize, contains the majority of the ocean's life and is where some of the most interesting animal life can be found. Jellyfish, which mainly live in this zone, are made up of 99% water and are found all over the world, in every ocean and even in freshwater. Jellyfish collection is a difficult task and permits are limited. Jelliquarium not only sells the systems that are required to keep these animals alive, but also provide the tank raised animal. The Jelliquarium, also known as a plankton Kreisel, is uniquely designed. Water flow is introduced by a method called laminar flow. This creates a gentle flow that keeps the jellyfish in suspension. This flat stream of water acts as a boundary against the edges of the tank and creates a water flow that helps to separate debris in a manner as to not draw the jellies into the filter system and to maintain the gelatinous organisms in suspension.

FragFarmer.com and YourReef.com Eric Caamano, left, of Frag Farmer dot com, (909)931-7977, made the trip from Southern California to take a break from the day to day business and relax with friends and colleagues. After years of working out of his home, John Daakan, right, of Roseville, recently opened Your Reef, (916)786-3474, his retail store to supplement his on line sales. These gentlemen undoubtedly sell some of the best corals in the United States and also donated a good number to the WMC raffle.

Max of Mermaid Aquarium from Fremont set up a very cool seamless aquarium full of Tonga SPS colonies, clams and LPS corals. Mermaid also donated the grand prize to the WMC raffle, a $3000 retail value 100 gallon aquarium with a cherry stand and canopy. My client Debbie from Truckee was the fortunate winner!

Reef Nutrition The talk around Randy, left, and Gresham's booth was all about their new product, so new it doesn't have a name and it has not yet been packaged. The product is super cool little red algae puffs for tang feeding. Whether they label it Tangy Treats, Tang Feast, or Tribbles, it is a hot product that will keep your herbivores fat and happy.

A copy of Sierra Saltwater System's ad created by Shelley Fallon, Fallon Multi Media, Kings Beach, (530)546-9393, that ran the in conference program.

Additional vendors attending the conference were CPR, Sunlight Supply, Coral Reef EcoSystems, Piscine Energetics, Reef Frontiers, Coral Magazine, Fishbowl Innovations, Tropical Reef Oasis, Walt Smith, Liquid Life, Reefs.org, Pacific Garden Supply, Catalina Aquarium, ROWA USA, SeaChem Labs, CaribSea, and DT's Plankton Farms.

Donators included, Clams Direct, Dainichi, Innovative Lighting Solutions, Island Marine Tropicals, Ocean Nutrition and TruVu.

WMC 2006 (Not My Photo)

With just three weeks to go until the Western Marine Conference, I am really looking forward to the weekend of April 21-23.

The WMC has been on hiatus for the last five years. I and nine other members of the Marine Aquarist Roundtable of Sacramento have been working extremely hard for the past year and a half organizing what will undoubtly be the best marine aquatic conference this side of the Mississippi. With weekly meetings we have gathered some of the best speakers in the industry from Hawaii to Pennsylvania: Eric Borneman, Anthony Calfo, David Cripe, Bob Fenner, Sanjay Joshi, Scott Michaels, Mike Paletta, Adelaide Rhodes, Steve Robinson, Walt Smith, Leng Sy, and Rob Toonen.

The marine vendor marketplace boasts over two dozen exhibitors who will be displaying their goods. Some vendors plan to premiere new products at the show.

The giant raffle features a 130 gallon aquarium with stand and canopy, plus smaller aquariums, over 50 coral colonies, a ton of frags, a variety of light fixtures, skimmers, pumps, and lots of dry goods. Everyone who buys raffle tickets should be going home with something!

If you are serious about your aquarium, the $130 investment will be the best you ever made. A few of my clients plan to attend.

The last day to register online is April 15. Walk up registration is available.

Home Style : Reefkeeping

The Spring quarter issue of Home Style magazine, which is circulated as an insert in six Lake Tahoe, Truckee and Carson City newspapers, features an article by Mike Paletta on reefkeeping. Paletta is a speaker at the Western Marine Conference, being held in Sacramento, Calif. on April 21 through 23. If the accompanying photo looks familiar, it was first shown here in October 2005 and was taken in The Home Show Design Center's reef tank and was used on my Christmas card.

Getting started in keeping marine fish and invertebrates can be a very daunting task, especially if you are discoursed from doing so by misinformation. Many shops and individuals initially tell new hobbyists that keeping a successful marine tank, especially one containing corals and other invertebrates as well as fish, is impossible and they should not even try. This may have been the case twenty years ago, but fortunately, in the past decade or so, keeping marine invertebrates and fish successfully over the long term has become much easier. In addition, as long as a few things are done before getting started in the hobby, the chances for success are greatly increased as well.The first step is to read as much as possible. There are now several good introductory books on the market including The New Marine Aquarium and The Conscientious Aquarist that lay out everything a new hobbyist needs to do and plan for in order to achieve success.These books provide an excellent framework from which to start.The rules and general design laid out in these books should be followed by anyone getting started in the hobby. One of the ways by which new hobbyists get into trouble is by listening to too many sources of information and then try to incorporate all of these different opinions into their system. It is much better to follow a relatively simple plan to start and then, as success comes, add to it.

In this regard it is also a good idea to try and find a mentor to help you along the way.This can be someone whose tank you have seen, someone you have met on the internet, or even someone whose work you have read. Most advanced hobbyists are willing to help new hobbyists as long as the new hobbyist shows a willingness to learn and put the time into being successful. In terms of time, this is one of the other crucial aspects of reefkeeping that needs to be fully understood if success is to be achieved. First, the initial set up, curing and establishment of the tank is going to take time. So plan on spending a fair amount of time getting your tank established. Fortunately once a tank is set up successfully it really does not take that much time to maintain it.The other aspect of time that needs to be taken into account is that patience is absolutely essential in order to be successful.A number of years ago I made the statement that nothing good ever happens fast in a reef tank, only bad things happen fast. By this I mean that a tank will not be fully established with fullgrown corals, a complete fish population and perfectly working equipment overnight. It will take at least a year for a tank to really be fully established.Even then, a tank will still be in its infancy. The basic principles behind the establishment of a successful reef tank are actually quite simple: good water quality, proper lighting, strong water motion, and proper stocking.There are myriad ways to achieve these conditions, with no single way being perfect. For this reason there are many ways to set up a tank and be successful.The crucial thing is to find a methodology that is successful and follow it.Also, most successful hobbyists are meticulous in terms of knowing the details of their tank and in following up quickly when things start to go even a little wrong. Patience and attention to detail are what separate very successful hobbyists from those that have constant problems so keep this in mind. Cost is also not necessarily the determining factor for success or failure. Setting up a reef tank is relatively expensive. However when done properly, over the long term the cost is manageable as it should not be necessary to have to replace fish, coral or live rock in that in a stable successful system these inhabitants can live happily for decades. Right now reef tanks are the fastest growing segment of fishkeeping so this in itself should be evidence that things are getting easier and people are more successful in this hobby than ever.

Mike Paletta is the author of The New Marine Aquarium and Ultimate Marine Aquariums. He has been in the hobby for over 15 years and has written numerous articles for Aquarium Fish Magazine, Tropical Fish Hobbyist and Aquarium Frontiers.

Sierra Saltwater Systems is dedicated to providing the highest quality aquariums and services available. Locally owned and operated by professional aquarist Robert Ordway, Sierra Saltwater Systems works with designers, contractors and you to create beautiful marine environments for residential and commercial applications. An aquarium store on wheels, they offer healthy, net-caught livestock selected from around the world, hand picked and propagated corals, fresh food and supplements, top of the line dry goods and emergency service.

Visit the display aquarium at the Home Show Design Center, 780 Smithridge Drive, Ste. 300, Reno, NV, or call 530-386-1768

Snorkeling/Diving Kauai

I spent last week on Kauai with my wife and daughter where we had a great time snorkeling, scuba diving, hiking and kayaking. But, it was also the rainiest weather the island had seen in the past couple of years. It actually rained over 20 inches in a twenty-four hour period! Good thing we weren't there to golf and we had a good laugh when we heard of pipes freezing in Tahoe. Eighty degree weather and rain was not too bad, and when we were underwater it didn't bother us.

Fantasea CP4 Pro- Before we left home I purchased a Fantasea CP4 Pro underwater camera housing for my "point and shoot" Nikon 4300. It took a few snorkels to find the best settings for the camera, but overall I was pretty happy with the results. I will be buying an auxiliary flash for the camera to help eliminate the "scattering" that can be seen in some of the photos. The underwater camera also came in hand when we were kayaking.

Hideaways Beach, Princeville, Kauai- Just before the entrance to the Princeville Hotel on the north shore is a wonderful secluded beach called Hideaways. A somewhat steep descent (120 foot) with the top half being steps and a handrail, turned to a muddy and slippery rope hike to the beach. When we arrived we were welcomed by nobody except a breaching grey whale and her pup. A beautiful snorkel location with a great fish community and an occasional sea turtle.

Black Sea Cucumber at Ke'e Beach- Madison shows off one of the many foot long black sea cucumbers that we saw at Ke'e Beach. Ke'e is the farthest that you can travel by car on the north side of Kauai. The black sea cucumber is a wonderful aquarium animal that I have used for years to help promote a clean sand bed.


Seasport Divers, Poipu- www.seasportdivers.com 1-800-685-5889; Madison and I enjoyed a fantastic day with Kyle McDonald and Captain Hans aboard the Anela Kai. We did the PADI Discover Diving Program. Kyle made our first dives relaxing and safe. Seasport Divers is a multiple Rodale's Readers Choice Awards Winner. They were voted #1 on Kauai, and #5 in the Pacific and Indian oceans, and also rated as one of the 10 Best Dive Operators in the US, with a straight "A" rating. The experience that we shared with Seasport will definitely lead us on to certification and future dives with their company.

Madison shined through her pool dive and emergency training and with a little time adjusting her ears to the pressure of diving she showed no fear or trepidation in the open water. Our first dive was Stonehouse 30 to 65 feet, great site for novice to advanced divers. Named after a house that was destroyed by hurricane Iniki. You can still see some remnants of coral encrusted lawn furniture that was deposited at this dive site. Pennant and milletseed butterflies, frogfish, yellow margin moray eels, pincushion urchins and others can be found at this site. The second dive was Sheraton Caverns: The Signature dive site of Kauai. 20 to 65 feet, beginner to advanced divers, a must dive! Sheraton Caverns is on the south shore of Kauai just west of Poipu. Ancient blown-out lava tubes now consisting of gorgeous archways and overhangs is also the home to many Hawaiian Green Sea Turtles. Large whitemouth moray eels, conger eels, octopus, frogfish, spiny and slipper lobsters, shrimp, and a variety of Hawaiian reef fish all reside at this dive site. It's a dive we won't soon forget!

During our dive at the Sheraton Coves I came across this Crown of Thorns Starfish. The starfish is known to be destroying the coral population on the Great Barrier Reef. I recently watched a stunning program on the Science Channel, Predators of the Great Barrier Reef, that showed the destruction these animals create. The program will repeat a number of times March 9th - 11th, 2006. Set your TiVo's! The Crown of Thorns can spawn 65 million eggs in a single season. Here is a link to a story related to the increase of the specie in Hawaiian waters. Starfish Reef Predator Poses New Threat

The Greasy Grouper- Trying to photograph fast moving fish proved to be a bit difficult at times with my Nikon 4300, but this guy sat and posed for me for a number of photos. The Greasy Grouper prefers clear water areas on coral reefs, juveniles have been seen from reef flats and in tide pools where the adults are usually found in deeper waters. It can be found around the Indo Pacific, Red Sea, eastern African coast south to Durban to Ryukyo Islands, northern Australia to New Caledonia. The Greasy Grouper feeds mainly on fishes, crustaceans and cephalopods.

Sea Turtle at Anini Beach Park- While snorkeling at Anini Beach park we came across many Green Sea Turtles. All sea turtles are fully protected under both the federal Endangered Species Act and under Hawaii state law. These laws prohibit hunting, injuring or harassing sea turtles or holding them in captivity without first obtaining a special permit for research or educational purposes. Swimmers and divers should be aware that riding sea turtles is illegal as it puts the animals under unnecessary stress. Fines for violating these laws protecting turtles can be as high as $100,000 and may even include some time in prison. We kept a safe distance from the turtles, but this turtle didn't seem to mind Madison checking it out from above.

Princeville Hotel Tide Pools- We stayed a portion of our vacation in Princeville which has some of the best tide pools on the North Shore. We saw many urchins, gobies, butterfly fish, damsels, crabs and sea cucumbers. In the background of this photo is Bali Hai. Clever photography turned the peak into the mystical island Bali Hai in the movie South Pacific. In ancient times men would climb the 1,600 foot peak carrying spears. When it got dark, they would light the spears and hurl them toward the ocean below. The spears were designed to leave a fire trail behind, and the light show was immensely popular.

Sea Grapes?

Valonia or bubble algae is certainly rated high on the nuisance scale to the knowledgeable aquarist. Yet commonly found to be attractive to the novice. Valonia is said to be the largest single cell organism in the world. Unfortunately with the right conditions this species will multiply at an alarming rate and quickly overrun an aquarium. A critical aspect of controlling Valonia in a system is controlling the amount of free nutrients in the system (proper skimming). Valonia under normal circumstances should remain under control with the occasional bubble here and there. In high nutrient systems this algae will take advantage of the opportunity to reproduce. Removal of the algae is quite simple if you wait for it to grow to a large size with a simple twist and a pull.

Sky Blue Echinopora

This sky blue Echinopora came from Steve Robinson and my visit to ASAP, Hayward, CA. The echinopora is commonly collected in shallow turbulant current, under bright light. Although they are quite abundant in the wild, the echinopora is somewhat unseen in the hobby. Fragmentation of a mother colony is beginning in captivity with successful results.

New Year's Eve Power Outage, 60 Hours

Before



After





Future Purchase

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.