North Tahoe AYSO: U14 Girls "Double Trouble Bubble"

Coaches Justin Jelnek and Will Dawson, both from Truckee, CA, (neither one having a daughter on the team) had another fantastic year working with North Lake Tahoe's U14 "Double Trouble Bubble" girls team.
Will and Justin will have a short break until the snow flies and then they're back to coaching local youths at Squaw Valley USA's Ski Team Programs. This was my daughter Madison's final year playing AYSO soccer and ended her last game with a goal off of a penalty kick.This was Sierra Saltwater Systems fifth year sponsoring an AYSO team and I have done it all from coaching, refereeing and being involved with helping the youth girls of my area progress as teammates and reach personal and team goals.
But...I am not giving up now that Madison is done with AYSO and I have let a few parents with younger children know that I am available to sponsor their future teams. There is nothing quite like spending a sunny fall day watching kids having a blast running up and down the field and I plan on cheering any kid that gives 100 percent for a few more years! To the right is Madison celebrating with her friend Shelby Foster, this is what AYSO is all about. Madison is located in the center of the front row in the team photo.

Happy Mac: Pomacanthus maculosus

It wasn't the first time, nor will it be the last.
What to do when a fish has outgrown a clients display?
I have run into this issue a number of times and to be honest, although it is a sad day to remove a fish, it is also a great sign of success. Today I relocated (donated) a beautiful prized Pomacanthus maculosus or Yellow Banded Angelfish from Peggy and Carl's 245 gallon aquarium in Crystal Bay, NV to the John Ascuaga's Nugget Trader Dick's 5,000 gallon restaurant display in Sparks, NV. This expensive, gorgeous & hardy fish hails from the Red Sea and is very disease resistant, accepting greedily all types of fresh and prepared foods, and gets along behaviorally with almost all other species. The Angelfish was simply too large at over 10 inches to live out its life in Peggy and Carl's five foot aquarium. With the Nugget's aquarium being over forty feet long the fish will have plenty of area to swim and with their diligent engineering department and Jack Ross, aquarium manager looking after the fish, it will be in great hands. The Nugget's aquarium currently house over a hundred different fish including a Flagfin, Queen, Coral Beauty, Flame and Passer Angelfish, Yellow, Naso, Sailfin, Blue Hippo, Purple and Unicorn Tangs, Threadfin Butterfly and a variety of Clownfish, Damsels, Rabbitfish and Chromis.

Remember, you can click on any photo on my blog to see the image in its original size.

Jake Adams: Fishidea

I had the opportunity to spend a few minutes with Jake Adams at Reef-a-palooza, Orange County Fairgrounds, October 11 & 12, 2008, creator of Coralidea, a downloadable free coral identification guide to use with your PDA, iPhone or other digital device. He has just released a wonderful new addition to Coralidea with Fishidea. Fishidea is great for the hobbyist that is walking into a fish store without a particular purchase in mind. The digital reference will allow a perspective purchaser to find the difficulty of care, what an animal prefers to feed upon, coral and invert safety and other great references before they make a purchase.

Please support the companies that support Jake and allows him to make these great reference guides; Reef Nutrition, Fins Reef, Prodibio and Ecotech Marine.

From Jake's website:
10.8.8 It was about this time last year that we released the ground-breaking Coralidea free guide to corals. After a really long year of development and content production we are now very pleased to present you the Fishidea free guide to reef fish. With over 500 species including many rare and unusual species, the digital file is just at 15 Megabytes.

Whereas the Coralidea guide originally only provided a coral identification, the Fishidea guide includes Latin and common names, average maximum size in inches and centimeters as well as symbols to represent hardiness, food preference and fish, invertebrate and coral compatibility. There is a simple and intuitive english symbol legend in each fish chapter and we have also included a german translation of the symbol legend which was kindly provided to us by Rainer Schindwolf.


Download Fishidea HERE.

Download Coralidea HERE.

Jake Adams will be speaking to the Marine Aquarist Roundtable of Sacramento on November 21st with his presentation on the importance of water movement in the reef aquarium. Directions to the MARS meeting can be found HERE.

Break Time: Golfing With De At Montreux

I usually have a half a day off every other Tuesday that is spent ordering dry goods, researching, billing, cleaning my shop or picking up a livestock delivery at air cargo in Reno. But after over two years of an open invitation from my client, former Major League Baseball player, DeWayne, I decided to take the day off and join him and couple of other friends for a round of golf at Montreux Golf and Country Club in Reno, NV.

Montreux is a Jack Nicklaus Signature Design Golf Course, a private, 18-hole masterpiece that Nicklaus himself designated as one of his top five designs. The private, gated community contains some of the grandest real estate in the Reno area.

Although I have removed an aquarium from a residence in Montreux, I am not fortunate enough to have a client in this neighborhood. But then again, that might be a good thing because the time spent on the golf course was very enjoyable and if I was coming into the neighborhood more often, I would need to find a way to work on my game!. De did mention that he would like to purchase a home in Montreux. Hmmmm....

The photo on the left is on hole number 17, 464 yards, Par 4, Montreux's signature hole. A dramatic tee shot from an elevated tee about 100 feet above the fairway. You must drive it as far as possible to use a short club to approach the very narrow green. The fairway is wider than it looks and is protected on the left by Galena Creek.

THAT WAS FUN! (now back to work)

EDIT: 10/7/08 Okay... I have had a couple of emails and snide remarks about my footwear. I do not golf in sandals! (Although I have been known to wear open open toed shoes to the grocery store in the middle of winter, as long as it is not wet out!) My most intelligent daughter gave me this pair of FootJoy golf shoes (yes, with spikes!) about ten years ago as a Fathers Day gift. They are the best shoes for golfing!

Click HERE for a link to De's tank when it was under construction back in late 2005. The remodel of his home took a very long time and the aquarium was filled in March of 2008 and is coming along nicely. (I think it may be time for an updated post.)

Reef-A-Palooza October 11 & 12, 2008

I just made my reservations to attend the premier aquarium tradeshow in California, Reef-A-Palooza 2008. Reef-A-Palooza is now in its fifth year. I attended the second annual Southern California Marine Aquarium Society (SCMAS) sponsored event back when it was held in the backyard of one of their members home in 2005. I was then on the board for the Western Marine Conference 2006 in Sacramento and was exploring and networking for our conference.

I look forward to seeing and reconnecting with some of the suppliers and coral growers that I haven't seen in some time; Reef Nutrition, Eco-Systems Aquariums, Jelli-quariums, Your Reef, Coral Farmer's Market, Reef Hobbyist Magazine, Frag Farmer, Marine Depot (Bayside Aquarium Supply) and Anthony Calfo.

I recommend anyone that is either new to the reef keeping hobby, a seasoned veteran or a business person who may even have the slightest inclination to attend Reef-A-Palooza to do so. Whether you are a Southern California resident and are able to make it to Long Beach for a single day or an out of town attendee, I guarantee that you will leave with a wealth of knowledge and new contacts. I plan on spending a few days prior to the event on Catalina Island enjoying the Avalon Underwater Park.


From the Reef-A-Palooza website:

About Reef-A-Palooza:

Reef-A-Palooza (RAP) is an annual event promoted by the Southern California Marine Aquarium Society (SCMAS). Now in its fifth year, RAP can best be described as an indoor marketplace where sellers, exhibitors, and hobbyists of all types can buy, sell, trade, showcase their products to the marine hobbyist community. The main purpose of Reef-A-Palooza is to provide an enjoyable, positive atmosphere that is conducive to education and trade of both product and knowledge. As such, participating vendors range from large manufacturers, to retailers, to small livestock sellers, and participating hobbyists range from the beginner to the elite, rare-species coral farmer. It is the perfect venue to showcase new products in the marine aquarium industry as well as retail products for sale. We strive to rally a diverse range of participants into the one-day event so as to present the best value and interest to everyone involved. Considering our current bookings and the popularity of previous years, we expect 70+ vendors/exhibitors and well over 2,500 attendees this year!

Reef-A-Palooza provides the perfect venue for marine aquarium hobbyists to meet fellow enthusiasts, exchange information, and trade, and learn about new products. One of our main goals at Reef-A-Palooza, and within SCMAS, is to educate and enlighten the public with the latest knowledge in marine animal husbandry skills and environmental responsibility. For instance, SCMAS fully encourages the rapid advancement and allure of coral propagation as a viable alternative to wild harvest collection practices. As such, many of our booth vendors are local hobbyists who grow their own corals specifically to sell and trade at Reef-A-Palooza and similar events. SCMAS thoroughly encourages this type of “green commerce” for both the betterment and future of our hobby, as well as the resulting benefit to the marine environment.

Southern California is one of the most prolific areas in the world for the marine hobby in terms of retail, supply, and demographics. The density of marine aquarium hobbyists living within the greater LA and Orange County area is simply phenomenal! As such, we fully leverage this advantage by properly directing resources to proactively promote Reef-A-Palooza far in advance of the actual event. Significant effort is made to advertise the event effectively, such as posting abundant signs, distributing postcards, and providing other similar displays to various retail locations. Booth rates are extremely reasonable and affordable.

Reef-A-Palooza is focused mainly to cater to the vendor and hobbyist, rather than as an educational conference. As such, we tend to attract customers who come specifically for the purpose of buying and seeing all the different exhibitor’s booths and displays. Nonetheless, speakers, raffle drawings, and other entertainment are provided to help keep people around for most of the day, even after seeing all the booths. In addition, our promotional and marketing efforts are nearly guaranteed to attract high participation and attendance rates, and hence, heavy foot-traffic throughout the building. RAP 2008 is going to be HUGE this year due to the popularity of its venue (Orange County Fair & Exposition Center, Building #14) as well as the number of sellers, vendors, and manufacturers involved. We now have 18,000 square feet of indoor, climate-controlled space in which to make this event a resounding success. Now into its fifth year, Reef-A-Palooza has quickly gained the reputation as an event that is NOT to be missed!

Dr. Sean's 375 Gallon Reef

I recently started a very exciting new project for Dr. Sean in the Tahoe Keys subdivision of South Lake Tahoe. Dr. Sean lost his home a few years back from an electrical fire, but is rebuilding a "Tahoe One-of-a-Kind" Balinese style showcase. Sean's home is being built by Greenwood Homes of Incline Village, NV.The project is being supervised by Claude Clifton, known as Greenwoods "go to guy". Claude thrives on taking on new projects and solving difficult tasks. Installing this aquarium which is going to weigh over six thousand pounds when filled, in my opinion, is going to be challenging and I am thrilled to have Claude and his easy going manner ready to supervise the delivery. Claude's supervisor, Pat Walker is the line of communication for this project making sure that everything is going smoothly.

The aquarium will be a 3/4" Starphire peninsula tank built by Acrylic & Glass Exhibits out of Houston & Dallas, Texas. With a low iron content, Starphire glass offers a truly clear view with increased brightness, clarity, and light transmittance. AGE owner Tom Hudson has gone through numerous phone calls and emails to get this project built to exact specifications.The aquarium is being built in the wall with one side in the entryway and the other behind a palapa style bar.The dimensions will be 60"x30"x48"with three 400 watt metal halide, supplemented with VHO actinic bulbs.

The designer/engineer behind this project is Chris Wirth of Blue Planet Waterworks.Chris has some great plans for this show tank with every possible bell and whistle that is available to today's hobbyist. The most unique device that is going to be used on this aquarium is the GHL Profilux II Elite controller. This controller is specially designed for high end aquatic systems, and has many more monitoring and control points than competing controllers. It also gives the ability to dial into the system from any internet access point to check on the system, receive alarms, view historic trends, or make adjustments.This controller has standard features of lighting timers, temperature control, water topoff, salinity monitoring, CO2 dosing, LAN access, pH, ORP, Cloudy day simulation, and a plethora of programming possibilities. It also controls various wave pumps, New LED light fixtures, 1-10V dimmable fluorescent lighting, dimmable metal halide, and the optional Moon / Flash stick for moon phase changes and simulated storms.With the 48" height of Sean's aquarium, a high flow turnover rate will be extremely critical. Blue Planet Waterworks has designed the aquarium to exact specifications to accomplish the task with a large overflow box, two inch bulkheads and a four-way closed loop Oceans Motions return. Underneath the staircase in Sean's home will be the filtration room. Although it will be a tight working environment, it will certainly suffice to contain all the necessary equipment to produce a beautiful showpiece. The following equipment will be in this room; Heavy Duty ¾” x 2’ x 4’ Acrylic Sump, with refugium, T5 growth lights, de-aeration baffles, and level sensor mounts, Adjustable FRP baseplates for reservoirs, skimmer, and sump, Reeflo Marlin Return Pump, 58W Aqua Ultraviolet UV Sterilizer with wiper system, Reeflo Orca 250 Protein Skimmer,Phosphate Media Reactor, Carbon Media Reactor, Calcium Reactor, 75GPD RO/DI System, with TDS meter, test port, and pressure gauge, Automatic DI Topoff System with poly reservoir and anti TDS creep system, Plastic Rack Mount System for all filtration and reactors, 250 watt Heaters, x 3 with controller.

CLICK ON ANY PHOTO TO SEE LARGER>

2 X 16,000 Gallons = Scheels Sports, Sparks NV

An exciting new project is happening in Sparks. NV with "The Largest All Sports Store In The World" at Scheels Sports. The aquariums are being built by ICM, an experienced design/build contractor with a proven record of excellence.



There will be two 16,000 gallon aquariums, one saltwater & one freshwater. These will be the largest aquariums in Northern Nevada.

Look for more posts about this exciting new addition to the Reno/Sparks area aquarium scene soon.



If you are an experienced aquarist and looking for a job, Scheels is looking for you.

Caulerpa Invasions

Good algae, bad algae. As aquarists we sometimes battle nuisance algae in the aquarium. Diatoms, bryopsis, derbesia, valonia and cladophora's are all evasive algae. All of these algae can be difficult to control and can often be the make it or break cause for a new aquarist to continue with aquarium keeping.

But what about algae in our oceans? And worse yet, what about aquarists that have introduced aquarium algae to the ocean? It has happened and now there is a group dedicated to educating aquarists, divers, pet shop owners, boaters, anglers, harbor masters and port captains about protecting California's coastal marine life from the invasion of caulerpa seaweed.

Southern California Caulerpa Action Team, (sccat), is a committee designed to quickly and effectively respond to notifications of Caulerpa taxifolia in the Southern California area. They have efficiently eradicated two aquarium introduced invasions since 2000 in the Huntington Harbor and Agua Hedionda Lagoon south of Los Angeles.

California state law sites, it is illegal to possess, transport, transfer, release alive, import, or sell Caulerpa taxifolia, Caulerpa sertularioides, Caulerpa mexicana, Caulerpa ashmeadii, Caulerpa scalpelliformis, Caulerpa racemosa (and all varieties of C. racemosa), Caulerpa cupressoides, Caulerpa verticillata, Caulerpa floridana (California Fish and Game Code 2300).

If you are in California and have any of these Caulerpa's, please be sure to dispose of properly when removing them from your aquariums. When breaking down an aquarium with any Caulerpa in use, it is best to drain the water down a sink so it can be processed in a municipal water treatment plant. Bag and freeze Caulerpa for twenty-four hours to destroy.

Podcast: MARS 4/08; Steve Tyree - Reef Farmers

Steve Tyree presented a talk to MARS (Marine Aquarist Roundtable of Sacramento) on Friday April 18th, 2008. Mr. Tyree is internationally known for his work relating to SPS species of corals and owns and operates Reeffarmers -a distribution site for captive farmed corals. Steve has been farming and distributing captive stony corals since 1993. Back then, the captive maintainance of reef building stony corals was still considered impossible by many. Today there are literally thousands of reef aquarist around the world that are not only maintaining these corals but they are successfully farming them. Over the years Steve has managed to acquire a large collection of rare and exotic corals.

Steve showed photos of some amazing coral pieces from the best collectors in the US. Including Eric Caamano of Frag Farmers, Greg Carroll and John Dakaan of Your Reef in Roseville, CA.

They all had some very unique and interesting names. Some of my favorites included Area 51, Pastel War and Peace, Blueberry Montipora, Strawberry Patch Montipora, Seasons Greetings Montipora, Red Hot Chili Pepper Digitata, Bazooka Joe Chalice, Bubble Gum Chalice and the Miami Hurricane Chalice.

Steve is bringing back the 2008 Bay Area Coral Farmers Market,Third Annual Event,
Sunday, May 11th, 2008, 10:30 AM to 4 PM, Hilton Newark/Fremont Hotel,39900 Balentine Dr., Newark, California 94560. From the Coral Farmers website: This 2008 Coral Farmers Market sanctioned event is the third annual event run by the Bay Area Coral Farmers Market company. Coral farming and exhibiting vendors will be selling or displaying their captive grown, cultured corals or reef related products to the public. We expect over 200 total attendees. Some of the best coral farming vendors from Southern California, the Bay Area, the states of Utah, Nevada and Arizona along with farmers from Sacramento will be setting up coral displays. Farmers include aquarists, retail reef shops, online coral shops and full scale coral farming enterprises. There will also be exhibitors present who will be demonstrating and selling their products. This SW-CFM event will also feature coral auctions, raffles and door prizes throughout the day. Reef aquarists new to the captive reef market can also expect to see a fine collection of easy to keep beginner corals. Aquarists and enthusiasts can attend this one-day event by purchasing a SouthWestern Coral Farmers Market day ticket online for ($15) up to one month prior to the event. Within 1 month of the event the online ticket price is ($25) per ticket. Tickets will also be sold at the door ($30) during the day of the event, but may be limited by occupancy restrictions. We are also encouraging our farmers to bring plently of farmed soft corals along with their usual excellent farmed stony corals.

Steve's presentation can be downloaded here. Use the links on the left of the page.

To listen, click the play button below.

Palytoxin

I recently read an article, Aquarium Science: Palytoxin and You: How and Why to Avoid a Deadly Zoanthid Toxin, Tropical Fish Hobbyist, and have noticed quite a few hits to my website in search of information on this nuisance chemical found zoanthid corals, which are in most reef aquariums. Although the title of the article includes the wording "deadly", I have yet to hear of anyone dying from exposure to palytoxin.

I have a client in Zephyr Cove, NV that has many beautiful zoanthids. They have propagated quite a bit over the past three years and have taken over much of the rockwork. They look absolutely beautiful, but in turn, every two weeks after I service his aquarium I break out with a rash from the contact while cleaning his aquarium.

Palytoxin is the most toxic natural product known, it is estimated that the lethal dose for a human is less than five micrograms. Supplies are extremely limited as it is only found at low concentrations in the corals that do contain it, although this may change if a microbial source is found.

Although I have worn gloves, Coralife from Bayside Aquarium Supply (Marine Depot's wholesale division) while servicing aquariums, they are quite cumbersome and difficult to feel what I am touching while working. They are great to use when I receive a new case of live rock and I need to scrub off the decaying sponges and algae though.

The rash can be annoying for a couple of days after an outbreak, so I use a cortisone
cream. Okay, so I picked this product up one time when I was in Baja. But I know that it is 1%, the same as what one of my client's, a Doctor, gave me after my first exposure to the toxin.

I think that it is necessary to wear gloves in my line of work, but to be honest I haven't found the perfect pair. I have used these types of gloves,(photo off of an eBay ad) but they are a one time use and they only go up to my wrist.

It is really important to be careful while hands are in your aquarium. There are many occupants that can irritate your skin. Including sponges, gorgonians, hydroids and euphylias.

PODCAST: MAX (Marine Aquarium Expo) Bob Fenner 4/6/08 - 1:05:10

This is the final Podcast recording from the Marine Aquarium Expo and it's a good one! Bob Fenner is an excellent speaker. The MAX talk he presented was on reducing negative captive cnidarian interactions. What the heck is that you say? Listen and you will learn in an entertaining way. His bio from the MAX page; Robert (Bob) Fenner is a content provider to the pet-fish (ornamental) aquatics hobby and trade, dive/travel adventure and underwater natural history genres; writing, photography and videography. Though retired since 1994, he continues to produce in this field as well as consult on aquaculture and public aquarium installations.

Bob has "lived" the science, hobby and business of aquatics in the Philippines, Japan and United States. All phases; collector, wholesale, jobber, retail, design, construction and maintenance. All levels; manager, owner, hatchery worker, retail clerk, technician. Except for a stint teaching high school sciences for four years, he has worked all his life in the field of ornamental aquatics.

Academic experience includes fifteen years of college, a couple of life science degrees and a teaching credential for chemistry, physics and biology. Published works include several studies on aquatic biological and chemical questions, and an extensive book and article publishing (helped author a few books, The Conscientious Marine Aquarist, Fishwatcher's Guide to the Tropical Marine Aquarium Fishes of the World, Natural Marine Aquariums Reef Invertebrates...) and photographic background in aquatic industry and hobby fields. Have taught High School sciences and Marine Sciences and Aquariology courses at the State University, University of California levels.

Bob has been an avid aquatic hobbyist since day one and is active in hobbyist and scientific organizations. He has served on numerous Boards, judged shows and given many programs.

Helped form and run (President) of the employee-owned corporation, Nature Etc., Inc. in San Diego, started in 1973; a turn-key operation in the field of ornamental aquatics, designing and building ponds, lakes, fountains and waterfalls (Aquatic Environments), designing, installing custom aquarium systems and maintenance (Aquatic Life Services), and operating retail outlets (Wet Pets).... currently does consulting, content provision to the trade, sciences and hobby of aquaristics.

To download his talk, click here and use the link on the left.

To listen, click the play button below.



Bob also runs Wet Web Media which contains a wealth of valuable information for the novice to the advance aquarist. Check it out!

PODCAST: MAX (Marine Aquarium Expo) Marc Levenson 4/6/08 - 1:33:37

Marc Levenson, "Melev" on the web, gave an in depth talk on designing and building acrylic sumps. After his talk, I have a new found respect for the work that my acrylic fabricators do for me.



From the Marine Aquarium Expo speaker bio page; My real name is Marc Levenson, but online I'm known to many as melev. I've been in the hobby for about 10 years and my Percula clownfish (the first fish I bought) is still with me to this day. I run a website called www.melevsreef.com that is there to help hobbyists everywhere. My site started off as a single page many years ago, talking about my 29g, but then grew longer and longer. It was like a never-ending blog, until one day I started page 2 about a new project for my tank - a sump. Over time, the site grew to include additional topics of interest such as acrylic work, photography, solutions to pests, information about my tanks, lighting, feeding, and more. There is always something new being added as time permits. Now entire sections are themed so that you can stay in a particular line of thinking. I've even begun the task of translating some popular pages into other languages to reach more individuals globally.

I've been online for years, originally running a BBS called The Kingdom, run on an Atari STe back when high speed was a 2400 baud modem. That site was up for 7 years. More recently, I've been a part of a podcast for reefkeepers, www.reefcast.com which now has 25 different episodes available for download. Most of them are audio only in mp3 format but there are a few vidcasts mixed in for your viewing pleasure. We keep it casual, fun, and still cover a variety of topics to help you be successful reefkeepers.

I've been a fan of MACNA since 2002, been on the BOD for MASNA.org for over a year, then on the BOD for DFWMAS for at least 4 years. I've been the club president of DFWMAS for three of those years, working to keep the membership growing and provide interesting content both online and at our monthly meetings. I’ve also, written a few magazine articles, and was a contributing author to an e-book called Reefkeeping Basics. www.reefkeepingbasics.com

To download, click here.

Click below to listen.

PODCAST: MAX (Marine Aquarium Expo) Ike Eigenbrode 4/6/08 - 56:27

Ike Eigenbrode did a fantastic talk on electrical usage in a reef aquarium. He really broke it down and I walked away with the need to figure out exactly how much it costs to run my shop.


From the MAX website; Ike Eigenbrode is currently the VP of Marketing at Current USA, Inc. of Vista, CA. A 17-year veteran in the aquarium industry, Ike has a B.S. degree in Biology from University of Central Florida and studied Aquaculture at the Florida Institute of Technology.

While in college, Ike worked at a tropical fish hatchery as a fish pathologist worked extensively on a large scale marine fish and invert holding system. He has taught classes on numerous subjects including aquaculture system design, aquaponics and water quality monitoring systems.

Ike is also an avid marine fish hobbyist and personally has a small scale coral fragging system.

Click here to download.

Click below to listen.

PODCAST: MAX (Marine Aquarium Expo) Mike Paletta 4/5/08 - 1:27:37

Mikes topic: Factors Affecting the Coloration, Health & Growth of Captive Corals



From the MAX speakers Bio: Michael Paletta has been keeping marine tanks since 1980 and reef tanks since 1985. During the past 20 years he has written over 180 articles on marine fish and invertebrates in both the US and Europe. His first book “The Modern Marine Aquarium” is an attempt to simplify marine fish keeping for the beginning hobbyist while at the same time incorporating advances that have been made due to reef keeping. This book has sold over 140,000 copies. His second book “Ultimate Marine Aquariums” illustrates how far the hobby has come in the past 15 years. In this book are examples of just about every type of reef tank using different methodologies and technology. Michael has enjoyed speaking at over 120 marine societies and national conferences in North America, Canada, South America and Europe. Michael has appeared on both local and national radio shows to discuss the hobby and to help new hobbyists become successful. Currently Michael has 1,200 and 40- gallon reef tanks set up in his home. He has helped in the set up of over 200 tanks throughout the U.S, including several tanks over 4,000 gallons in capacity. Michael also acted as a consultant with the National Aquarium in Baltimore and the Pittsburgh Zoo Aquarium. Michael has B.S. from Dickinson College and a Master’s degree from Yale University. Michael has also been a technical consultant for several equipment manufacturers and online companies. Michael is currently employed in sales in the biotechnology field.

Link to download.

Click button to play.

PODCAST: MAX (Marine Aquarium Expo) Adam Blundell 4/5/08 - 27:07

Adam Blundell, Reef Filtration.

(I only shot off two photos of Adam, unfortunately one with his eyes closed and this one with a young Nemo fan in the foreground.)

From the MAX page.

Adam Blundell M.S. works in Marine Ecology, and in Pathology for the University of Utah. He is also Director of The Aquatic & Terrestrial Research Team, a group which utilizes research projects to bring together hobbyists and scientists. His vision is to see this type of collaboration lead to further advancements in aquarium husbandry. While not in the lab he is a presidency member for one of the Nation's largest hobbyist clubs, the Wasatch Marine Aquarium Society www.utahreefs.com. Adam has earned a BS in Marine Biology and an MS in the Natural Resource and Health fields. Adam can be found at adamblundell@hotmail.com.

Here's the archive.org link

Or, click below to play.

PODCAST: MAX (Marine Aquarium Expo) Jake Adams 4/5/08 - 34:37

This is the first of six recordings from the Marine Aquarium Expo, Orange County Fair, this past weekend. The speakers for this conference were set up outside, near the children's touch pool and the Orange County Airport is not too far from the venue. So there is a bit of background noise, but I consider the recordings information worthy enough to post. I have started posting the length of my recordings in the titles from here on out. Jake's talk was 34 minutes, 37 seconds.


This is Jake's bio taken from the MAX page. He spoke on the importance of flow in the aquarium.

Jake Adams is a professional, practicing aquarist who has been an active participant in the national marine aquarium community for over 10 years. He has been educating aquarists of a wide range of marine aquarium topics through frequent articles, podcasts and presentations around the country. He recently founded www.coralidea.com which provides a free downloadable guide to coral identification for mobile devices and home computers. Jake has a Bachelor's Degree in Marine Science and he will be returning to graduate school to further pursue research in the field of coral reef ecology.

Although aquarists may be developing a basic understanding on the properties of light, they are still very much in the dark when it comes to understanding water flow. This presentation will review some of the science on the interaction of water flow and corals. By applying the properties of moving fluids, it is possible to provide better and more relevant water flow for corals. By offering aquarists some background understanding of how water moves, I hope to encourage coral aquarists to re-evaluate water movement in their aquaria.

I have downloaded Jake's Coral I.D. information and consider it a useful source. I would recommend any hobbyist with an Ipod, PDA or cell phone to download it and bring it along to your local fish store when you go coral shopping.

To download, use this link and navigate on the left hand side of the archive.org page .

To play, click the play button below.

Podcast: MARS 3/08; Randy Reed - Reef Nutrition

Marine Aquarist Roundtable of Sacramento was fortunate to have Randy Reed, owner and marine expert Gresham Hendee of Reef Nutrition speak to our club this month. Sierra Saltwater Systems has been using Randy's products for many years. I have tried other phytoplankton, but to be honest, Reef Nutrition's Phyto Feast and Phyto Feast Live are a superior product over any other phytoplankton that I have used. A simple eye dropper test under a microscope will prove it. Using Phyto Feast in a refugium with Chaetomorpha algae will not only feed the algae, but will also feed your Copepod population and their reproduction rate will multiple if used daily.

I use Reef Nutrition's Tigger Pods to seed a new aquarium and kick start a pod population. Tigger Pods are Tigriopus califoricus and they are live animals. They were originally collected from California tide pools which go through numerous water quality changes daily which make them perfect for the home aquarium. They are now reproduced at Reef Nutrition's farm.

Randy also introduced Reef Nutrition's newest product, "Fuzzy Phytes". Fuzzy Phytes are little balls of Red Acrochaetium algae that float in the water column. Tangs especially love them.

To download Randy's talk, use the download link on the left hand side of the Archive.org page. Click HERE to go to the Archive.org page.

To listen, click play below.



If you are not a client of mine, use the STORE LOCATOR to find a supplier near you.

Future 800 Gallon: Renown Medical Center

Genesis Systems Inc., Graeagle CA, is currently fine tuning the design of Renown's Regional Medical Center's new 800 gallon display aquarium located in the lobby of the Tahoe Tower, 1155 Mill Street
Reno, NV. Renown, formerly Washoe Medical has undergone a major two and a half year reconstruction process.

Renown Health is a not-for-profit Nevada health network and a nationally recognized healthcare leader.

Renown Health is northern Nevada's largest healthcare network and includes four hospitals, eight Medical Groups, eight locations for X-Ray and Imaging, and much more.


Standing in the aquariums core is a photograph of the Genesis Systems built artificial and live reef owned by Tim & Tracy in the Arrow Creek sub-division, Reno, NV. I look forward to stocking and maintaining this aquarium soon.

Cerith Eggs

These snails lay their eggs on rocks and glass in the same zig-zag pattern that they clean with. Most don't survive but you might get lucky and have one or two live. Otherwise, they'll make good food for fish and corals. The Cerith snail is a small scavenger with an elongated spiral shell that is usually black with tiny white dots covering the entire shell. One of the most ideal scavengers, detritus eaters, and algae eaters these snails are perfect for the reef aquarium, quickly devouring detritus, uneaten food, decaying organics, fish waste, and several types of nuisance algae. Cerith Snails will often bury themselves in the sand, which will help maintain adequate oxygen levels in the substrate.

Gomez the Goby; It's All In A Name

There is a lot of love in my clients aquariums, so much so that many of the animals have their own very unique names. Some are understandable, yet at times when a client speaks of an animal by its given name, I am often confused.

Gomez, a Y Bar Shrimp Goby lives in Jennifer's 70 gallon reef tank in Glenbrook, NV.

Here is a list of some of my clients animals given names, common name and scientific names.

Gomez; Y Bar Shrimp Goby; Cryptocentrus fasciatus
Picaso; Painted Fairy Wrasse; Cirrhilabrus solarensis
Doc; Mimic Tang; Acanthurus pyroferus
Thermador; Purple Lobster; Enoplometopus daum
Scampi & Louie; Scarlet Skunk Shrimp; Lysmata amboinensis
#2; Black Sea Cucumber; Holothuria atra
Nemo; Um...Nemo? Clownfish; Amphiprion ocellaris
Blueman; Yellowtail Damsel; Chrysiptera parasema
Gumby; Blue Sea Star; Linckia laevigata
Legs; Banded Brittle Star; Ophiolepsis superba
Blue Suede; Emperor Angelfish; Pomacanthus imperator
Sponge Bob; Yellow Tang; Zebrasoma flavescens

Jennifer's 70 Gallon Reef (Click on the play button below to watch.)



Update: 2/11/08 I stopped by Creative Concepts in Truckee, CA today and discussed this thread with Lillian and she supplied me with a few additions to my list. To the left, is Regina a Green Bubble Coral. The Green Bubble Coral is a beautiful LPS coral that originates from the reefs of Fiji. It has a white-ridged hard skeleton that can be seen when the polyps are deflated. When inflated, the large fleshy polyps will cover the entire skeleton, and are neon green in color. Like many other LPS corals, they do have sweeper tentacles that can harm other corals within reach.

Regina; Green Bubble Coral; Plerogyra sinuosa
Tiny; Yellow Clown Goby; Gobiodon okinawae
Mailbox (from Blues Clues); Pin Cushion Urchin; Tripneustes gratilla
Celeste; Blue Sea Star; Linckia laevigata
Foreskin; Purple Tube Anemone; Ceriathus sp.