Newsletter Articles

[JamesL]

My wife publishes a newsletter for a couple of neighborhoods here in Hays county. She asked my if I would be interested in writing articles about fish keeping. So I have been writing articles for it, and decided I would post them up here also.

They are mainly targeted at people looking to get into the hobby, so most people on this site probably won't get much out of them... but new people might.

[JamesL]

Who has not heard a child screaming this at the top of their lungs? You hear it in pet stores, in supermarkets, department stores, heck even on air planes. And for those that have no idea what these kids are talking about, you must not be a movie fan. Nemo, an ever-so-cute little orange with white stripes clownfish, was popularized by Pixar's blockbuster Finding Nemo film in 2003. This little fish has been catapulted into stardom, with his face adorning everything from cereal boxes to bicycles. But how much do you know about clownfish?

Nemo represents a wide family of saltwater fish lumped together under the clownfish name. Specifically, Nemo is a Percula clownfish, Amphiprion percula. But there are many more types of clownfish, and their colors span orange, black, pink, and red. They get their name partially from their bright colors, but also from the way they swim, swaggering back and forth. All clownfish are born as males, and as they mature a dominant fish becomes a female. If that dominant fish ever dies, then another male makes the transformation to become a female.

But their talents extend beyond being able to switch genders. Clownfish are one of the only types of fish that have formed a symbiotic relationship with anemones (some damselfish can also). What is an anemone you ask? To put is simply, it is a basic animal with many tentacles whose sole goal in life is to capture and eat things. Each tentacle contains millions of stinging cells that help the anemone to sting and capture their prey. The clownfish uses the anemone as protection by hiding between it's tentacles. So how does the clownfish avoid being stung? While not fully understood, the most common theory is the clownfish secretes a special mucus which prevents the anemone from stinging it. The anemone benefits from the relationship by getting bits of food that the clownfish does not eat.

Even before the hit movie came out, clownfish were a favorite of saltwater tank keepers. So what does it take to keep these (and other) fish? Well, that is for another article. But till then, "just keep swimming".

[JamesL]

In the last article we explored the fascinating world of clownfish. But what does it take to keep these, and other saltwater fish, in your own home? To better understand the needs to keep these creatures in a tiny glass box, we first need to understand what their natural environment is like.

Saltwater fish come from the ocean which is, well, saltwater. The ocean has very distinct zones with some being tidal, deep water, open water, and reef. And each zone has different life that lives in it. Sharks, whales, and other large fish like the wide open water to swim and hunt for food. These obviously make bad candidates for home living, as we just can not provide the needed space for them to flourish. Deep water contains the fish of nightmares: long toothed, big googly eyed creatures. These are only seem on nature programs, due to trying to bring these creatures to the surface generally results in death. They are adapted to the vast pressures the ocean puts on them at the depths they inhabit. If you scuba dive, you understand that coming from deep water requires much caution to prevent gas build up in the blood stream. Tidal areas are those near the shore line which get battered by the incoming waves. Creatures that live hear are normally really hardy, as they have to endure not only the pounding surf, but also exposure to air when the tide goes out. Some creatures here do make their way into the saltwater hobby.

The main spot in the ocean where we see the most life, and the most suit- able creatures to keep at home, are the reefs. Reefs inhabit the shallower (between 5 to 40 feet) sections of the ocean. Water is generally very clear here, thus allowing lots of sunshine to penetrate the water and sustain those organisms (corals) which depend on the light. The corals provide both shelter and food for many a fish. The diversity of life on a reef is truly staggering. In a very small section, you can find hundreds of animals living in harmony. This is why a reef is the best suited to be recreated in a smaller setting, such as an aquarium. We can easily re-create the shallow water, intensity of the light, and habitat for corals and fish.

So letʼs start with the key element: the fish tank itself. They come in all shapes and sizes, rectangular being the most common. While glass has been the old stand by in aquariums for a long time, acrylic has offered the ability to produce unique shapes such as spherical. The size and shape really boil down to personal preference. The key take away is generally to go with the biggest tank you can afford and have space for. The thought behind this is the more water you have, the more “buffering” capability the aquarium has in case some- thing goes wrong. Think of it this way. Say you pour a cup of bleach into the ocean, what is going to happen? Most likely nothing, as the bazillion gallons of water dilutes that bleach into nothingness. Now pour that same cup of bleach into a small bucket is water. The bleach stays concentrated, thus killing anything in that bucket.

Now to the second important part: water. Is it more complicated than just taking table salt and adding it to water? Very definitely yes. Creatures, such as corals, extract minerals out of the water to grow and survive. Table salt does not contain these needed minerals. You could go down to the ocean and take buckets of saltwater and add it to a tank, but this has itʼs own issues such as unwanted parasites and pollution. Thank- fully there is an easy solution. You can buy specialized salt, which you mix with water and presto!, you have saltwater that has the needed minerals in it to sustain sea life. There are many brands, all with their own merits.

And the third very key part to a saltwater tank is light. As mentioned before, reefs are located in very clear shallow water. Most are located near the equator, thus get very intense sunshine. This is important to recreate in the home if you plan on keeping corals (they contain algae inside them which uses the light to produce food for the coral). Again, manufactures have you covered with multiple options ranging from compact fluorescent to metal halide bulbs. I will save the discussion on what is needed for a later article.

So you have your three key elements: tank, water, and light. Next step is to put it all together and add fish ... but hold your seahorses! You didnʼt think it would be that easy did you? In the next article we will look into what it takes to go from brand new tank to ready for life. Till then, keep an eye out for sharks.

James has been keeping saltwater fish on and off for over 15 years. He has worked at various pet stores along the way, fueling his love of fish.

[JamesL]

So now you know the basics of what life is like out in the big blue ocean (you *did* read the last article, didn't you?). Armed with this information, you are still gung-ho to capture a mere slice of this in your own home. As mentioned previously, it is a bit more complicated than adding the salt to the water. To successfully keep a saltwater tank you must become a junior chemist.

Chemistry? Yuck! Well, that is my reaction when I hear the word chemistry. I hated that subject to no end while in college. But fear not intrepid fish keepers, you just need a little chemical know-how to keep things alive. In the simplest tank, where you are keeping just saltwater fish, you need to become familiar with 4 chemical measurements: pH, ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate. The first, pH, is the simplest. It measures the acidity/alkalinity of the water… the acidity-what? To keep things simple, basically it is important to keep the pH at a stable reading in your tank. And thankfully, this is done pretty much automatically with regular water changes. Now the next three work in conjunction in what is known as the Nitrogen Cycle.

You might have heard of people "cycling" their saltwater fish tanks. This term is derived from the nitrogen cycle, which means they are establishing the tank so it can support life. The nitrogen cycle starts with ammonia. Ammonia is caused by things decaying in the tank. This could be from a dead animal or from the waste products of live animals. More than a trace amount of ammonia is lethal to life in a fish tank, so it needs to be dealt with. Thankfully, nature provides a bacteria that loves to eat ammonia. This bacteria converts ammonia into nitrite, which brings us to the second stage in the nitrogen cycle. Well guess what, nitrites are also lethal to fish tank inhabitants also. Those initial bacteria don't seem so nice now, do they? Well, this is where nature steps in yet again. There are another type of bacteria who's sole purpose in life is to convert nitrites to nitrates, the last stop on our trip along the nitrogen cycle. Pretty convenient, wouldn't you say? And thankfully, nitrates are not harmfully to tank life as long as they don't get too high. The most common way to keep nitrates in check is regular water changes (this is where you remove a small portion, say 20%, of the water and replace it with new). With this method you are physically removing the nitrates with the old water. This whole process of the nitrogen cycle generally takes around 30 days. The nitrogen cycle can be kicked off by adding what is known as "live rock" or adding starter bacteria. After you have established your bacteria colonies, fish and other inhabitants can be slowly added.

So now you have graduated from saltwater chemistry 101. Those wishing to keep corals need an extra lesson in monitoring calcium, magnesium, iodine, and other elements. Testing for most things is pretty easy, with the added bonus of you getting to look like a mad scientist complete with vials and different colored liquids.

I just want to take a brief moment to mention that these articles are meant to pique your interest in keeping saltwater fish. They are in no manner fully complete on what needs to be done. Magazines, books, and people who already own saltwater tanks are all great resources of information. And of course there is the internet. A combination of the internet and real life people people is the Austin Reef Club (which I am a member of). Their web site, http://www.austinreefclub.com/, is great place for beginners to advanced aquarists to hang out. They also offer monthly meetings where you can go visit some of the fantastic fish tanks located in the greater Austin area.

James has been keeping saltwater fish on and off for almost 20 years. He has worked at various pet stores along the way, fueling his love of fish. His first saltwater tank was a small 5 gallon custom tank. Today he maintains a 75 gallon mixed reef and saltwater tank.

[JamesL]

This whole time we have been talking about how to set up a saltwater tank. But we have not talked about one very important decision which prompted you to delve into this adventure: what do you plan to put in it? This actually will influence the aquascaping (landscaping done underwater) and equipment needs.

If you are wanting to keep sharks, whales, dolphins, or sea turtles at home… well, then you are heading down the wrong path. All of those creatures need much more space than we can provide them. Leave them be in the oceans and public aquariums. And before you think I was being too comical with that last statement, shark eggs do show up for sale. Some actually hatch, and it is possible to keep them alive in a home aquarium for a short time. But most grow too big for home aquariums.

Octopi also show up for sale. They normally have specialized requirements of cold water (something hard to do down here in Texas, but possible with a water chiller), and a very well sealed aquarium. They are escape artists, and will find a way to squeeze through the smallest hole, or push open lids. They normally do not last long in captivity, expect when kept by experts who have studied their exact needs. Also put eels into the category of being master escape artists. Even though they need water to live, they still try to make a slither for it across the waterless floor.

So what does that leave you… well, lots of choices. To simplify we will break down choices into Fish Only, Reef, and Specialized Care. For the fish only option, you are basically looking to see bright colored fish swimming around in a tank. Fish only setups work great for aggressive fish that either like to re-arrange the rock work (such as triggers), or eat other fish (such as lionfish, eels, groupers, etc.). The plus side with fish only tanks, is lighting is not a critical element, thus you do not need to invest in expensive fixtures. One downside to aggressive fish only tanks is that eating live food tends to make the tank messy, thus keeping up with water quality is important.

Reef tanks are probably some of the more commonly kept tanks these days. They consists of a mixture of both corals and fish. These type of tanks give you the most diversity of life, as you have the fish swimming and darting in and out of the rock work. Plus you have corals growing, opening, and swaying in the current. These type of setups require different specialized lights depending on the type of corals being kept.

And finally you have what I call specialized care tanks. Seahorses are a good example of this. While they are harder to keep than most fish, it is possible. They need specialized care in that they can not be kept with fast or aggressive fish (who would eat their food before hay can get it). They also can not be kept with most corals, as the corals would sting them. Seahorses require places to hitch, so they need some no-stinging branching corals or thin rocks to wrap their tails around. Most people dedicate tanks exclusively to them.

As you see, there are many choices on what to fill your box of water with. It all comes down to personal preference on what you would like to see swimming around in your tank.

James has been keeping saltwater fish on and off for almost 20 years. He has worked at various pet stores along the way, fueling his love of fish. His first saltwater tank was a small 5 gallon custom tank. Today he maintains a 75 gallon mixed reef and saltwater tank and is a member of the Austin Reef Club, http://www.austinreefclub.com/.

[Chrispar]

Nice articles. That should definitely help before someone decides to take a leap.

[JamesL]

In this fifth installment of the fine art of saltwater tank keeping, we turn our attention to the amount of time you devote to said tank.

As with all hobbies, interest varies from time to time. You are super in to it one week, and then another you are distracted by something else. Fish tanks are no different. In the beginning you are all gun-ho: reading as much as you can, researching the newest and coolest equipment, playing mad scientist with test kits to check the water parameters, window shopping for what new fish/coral to add, keeping a regular water change cycle, etc. But as the tank matures and you will generally find that you start slacking off. A missed water change here and there. Weekly water parameter checks become a thing of the past. Fish get fed every couple of days.

Well, I am here to tell you that is this is A-OK.

New fish tanks require all of that attention to get them up and running. But a mature tank kind of takes care of itself. Oh sure, you still have to feed the fish, do some water changes, and the algae generally does not scrape itself off the inside of the glass. But a mature tank gives the the freedom of sitting back and enjoying your hard work. Seeing corals grow and flourish gives one a since of accomplishment. Plus, as the corals grow out, the tank takes on a more "natural" look. I personally love seeing small little corals I have purchased grow into larger ones (oh yeah, take lots of pictures along the way to help see the changes).

But beware of this idle time. If you do not have another hobby or activity taking up the extra time, you might start getting antsy. And this, much to a significant others chagrin, generally turns into upgrade fever. You start looking at a larger tank to set up. Or possibly start looking into setting up another tank (speciality tank such as seahorses anyone?). Here, I really have no advise for you .. as each person has to deal with these tendencies in whatever way suits them best.

In short, I am just trying to emphasize that keeping a saltwater tank is not all work. There is definitely lots of enjoyment you, your family, and friends get out of it once it is up and going.

[JamesL]

Up to this point, we have been talking about how to set up a saltwater fish tank in very general terms. In the last article, Ebb & Flow, I mentioned how sometimes a person might get the itch to venture out and try something more difficult. Well, I must admit, I have the itch to try a more unique type of setup: a seahorse tank. I have always been fascinated by these oddities of the sea, and feel that enough information is now available on their husbandry in which I could successfully keep them. As mentioned previously (or I hope I mentioned it), a key to any successful saltwater tank is lots of planning. So with that in mind I plan on using this, and forthcoming articles, to explore what it will take to keep these fascinating creatures.

This first article will simply go over what I think I already know about seahorses, and what I envision a tank setup for them to be. As the articles progress I will see which of my assumptions hold up, and which do not. So onward with what I "think" I know.

It is a given that seahorses live in saltwater. In the wild, they live in the shallower part of the ocean where "grasses" grow. Due to their slow/poor ability to swim, they tend to hang out on branches and grasses using their flexible tail. Their slowness also makes it so that they can not be kept in an aquarium with any "fast" fish/crabs/shrimp that could eat their food before they even get a chance. There are other fish (such as pipefish - a relative of the seahorse) that can be kept with them. Also, stinging corals (such as sea anemones) are probably a no-no as they could potentially catch and eat seahorses. They also do not like strong currents in the water.

My ideal tank would be long, but shallow in height (sometimes called a breeder tank). This might be the first challenge to my plans, as I have heard that seahorses actually like tall tanks. I was thinking the long tank as I would also like to keep pipefish with the seahorses. I don't really see the tank as being "large" in volume, probably something between 20 and 40 gallons. I would like to aquascape the tank as naturally as possible, thus my thoughts are lots of live saltwater plants, with minimal rock work. Since corals are not really planned, lighting does not need to be intense, just something to keep the plants alive and growing.

So were to go from here? Well, now it is time to dig for more information. The local Austin Reef Club has multiple members who keep seahorses, thus I will be pestering them. And of course there are the fine local fish stores to ask. Then there is the internet. While it is a wealth of information, and mis-information, the generally agreed go-to spot for seahorse information is Seahorse.org.

So I have a lot of researching to do before this adventure can really take off, but learning is part of the fun.

[JamesL]

Like I mentioned in the above article, I really do plan on pestering you folks. So if you have information you would like to share, feel free to speak up here.

[+ACampbell]

I have kept dwarfs in the past and I am happy to answer any questions about them. As you know, I am in the "set up" phase for my new SH tank. I think you ideal tank would be tall. When seahorse breed, they swim up, thus height is a necessity. From my research I believe 25" or taller is desirable.

[JamesL]

I have kept dwarfs in the past and I am happy to answer any questions about them. As you know, I am in the "set up" phase for my new SH tank. I think you ideal tank would be tall. When seahorse breed, they swim up, thus height is a necessity. From my research I believe 25" or taller is desirable.

Great, I will definitely be looking for your insight as you build out your tank.

Ok, so I understand the need for height for breeding... but I wonder if they would be "unhappy" with a long tank if breeding was not in the plans.

[+dapettit]

James,

Robin received her ponies in March. She keeps them in a 10 gallon tank (a no-no according to all the forums). We feed twice a day (sometime once if we have a late morning start). Our temp has swung from 72 -80 degrees depending on the time of year (again another non-no). Robin was more concerned about them eating than anything else. And they've been eating like "horses" out of the gate. So what am I getting at? If you buy tank raised ponies they are really more resilient than what you read (at least in my case).

The key to all this is buying tank raised ponies from a reputable breeder. Oh I research the heck out of Seahorses!

I know of 2 other folks on the forum who are currently raising ponies - Derry and Whit. Robin and I would be glad to share our antedoctal insight, too.

Dave-

[JamesL]

James,

Robin received her ponies in March. She keeps them in a 10 gallon tank (a no-no according to all the forums). We feed twice a day (sometime once if we have a late morning start). Our temp has swung from 72 -80 degrees depending on the time of year (again another non-no). Robin was more concerned about them eating than anything else. And they've been eating like "horses" out of the gate. So what am I getting at? If you buy tank raised ponies they are really more resilient than what you read (at least in my case).

The key to all this is buying tank raised ponies from a reputable breeder. Oh I research the heck out of Seahorses!

I know of 2 other folks on the forum who are currently raising ponies - Derry and Whit. Robin and I would be glad to share our antedoctal insight, too.

Dave-

Great info Dave! It is good to hear that they are not as "sensitive" as most people think. It is funny how a lot of the "no-no's" actually work for people (like Mama keeping ponies with anemones ). I will definitely pull from your guy's experience also as I continue my research.

[chatfouz]

Big thing is flow. Dead spots are good, or at least in my experience. They like to play in the stronger flows and chill in the slower. Mine loved rock work as rocks were great breeding grounds for pods. The grape vine stuff i forget the technical word, those are great!

Tall is always better than long, especially if you want to breed them. A trick when feeding, get an abalone shell and turn it upside down. Stick a thin air tubing into the one of the holes and the other end out of the tank. This way if you defrost your frozed mysid in a cup and use a syringe you can inject the shrimp down the tube neatly into the little bowl. With a few weeks my seahorses were trained that whenever I tapped on the glass they knew they were going to be fed and would go to the dinner shell for food. IT was quite fun!

be careful about tank mates. seahorses are the slowest things in the ocean. so they are the opposite of aggressive feeders. they stare at food for a long time before eating. Pipefish can be dangerous to keep with horses. Or at least i have read a lot of horror stories of wild caught pipes with captive bred horses. I had good luck with the kellogi's you see cheap around town, but on seahorse.org there are a lot of people who have had problems with them dying very quickly.

Also be very very careful about intakes. Seahorses have an amazing almost magical ability to get stuck to them. Even the slow 10 gal HOB. they swim by and get sucked to the side and stay there till they die. I suggest adding a sponge or guard anything to protect them. Believe me my last horses it was a constant battle keeping them out of the 10 gal HOB filter...

Good luck and very jealous!! I miss my horses

[JamesL]

Big thing is flow. Dead spots are good, or at least in my experience. They like to play in the stronger flows and chill in the slower. Mine loved rock work as rocks were great breeding grounds for pods. The grape vine stuff i forget the technical word, those are great!

...

Good luck and very jealous!! I miss my horses

Yes! Even more great info! Never thought about having some down spots, but makes sense. And the rock work was actually something I was wondering about.

Thank you for the great tips!

[Laura]

Oh James...I never go into this section of the forum!! Never even knew it existed...I need to get out more!!!

The only ponies I keep are tank-bred, tank raised, from my reputable breeder. The ones I keep in stock are the erectus. There are now several members that have my ponies and so far, all are doing well!! As far as they tell me:lol: I did have 2 pair of reidi one time and all they did was breed and have babies every other week!! I tried my darndest to keep them alive, but was told it is near impossible. So my breeder recommended erectus because they are easier to raise because the mortality rate of the fry is lower due to their larger size. I have broken every rule that you can google when it comes to my ponies. But then, I am making my own rules and it works!! I have had them in tanks ranging from 14g to presently a 55g. I have every kind of soft coral...just no nems...well, I'm lying, I do have a large rock nem now. I did hear from one of my customers telling me that they have more issues getting into overflow boxes and either getting trapped or losing their lives. I have had no issues with powerheads, Koralias or any of my HOB's. They just swish away with the flow to a calmer area. If they get stuck on a Koralia, they are strong enough to get off. Now don't go using the MaxiJet 3000!!! I did have my pairs waiting for me every morning in the same spot at the same time, waiting to be fed. They watched for me!! Even my ponies today hear the dinner bell. They see you and follow you!! You can train them to eat in an oyster shell. I'll post pix of my new arrivals tomorrow and pleas ask all the questions you want James...I talk to my breeder regularly and she has ALL the answers as to what works best for her.

Take care and thanks for guiding me here,

Laura

[JamesL]

More great info... thanks!!

[JamesL]

Before being able to pick out a tank, we first must decided what is going to live in it. The type of seahorse (or ponies for slang) will dictate the equipment needs. Seahorses range in size from two grains of rice end-to-end to over 1 foot in length! Needless to say, I don't think I will be keeping the 1 footers.

So now that we knocked out the large side of the scale, lets look at the small side. Dwarf seahorses compromise the tiniest of the ponies. You would think something so small would get eaten frequently by larger prey, but these guys are masters of disguise. They tend to live around particular types of sea fans. They have evolved to look just like the sea fan itself, so when they are motionless, they blend right in. Their small size, bright colors, and unique markings makes them great candidates for the home aquarium. The down side to them are they only eat live food and need to be fed multiple times a day. This can be a real challenge for those who do not work from their home.

So that leaves us in the middle range. While there are multiple species, the most common is called Hippocampus erects. You have probably seen these in pet stores. While not the bright colors as dwarf once, they tend to have a lot of personality. Even to the point of recognizing you and knowing when it is time to be fed. Their large size not only helps make them more visible, but it also helps if you plan on breeding them. They produce larger offspring, which are easier to raise.

Speaking of breeding, for the mid-sized seahorses there are two sources: wild caught or captive bred. Wild caught tend to be cheaper in cost, but normally only eat live food. Captive bred ponies generally are eating frozen food, thus making them much easier to keep. So the moral is, buy captive bred from a reputable dealer.

So what to keep? I think for starting out, the mid-size ponies are the way to go. This will help shape the equipment needs.

I would like to extend a thank you to Andrew, Gabe, Dave, Derry, Madison, and Laura from the Austin Reef Club for the pictures and sharing their wealth of knowledge.

James has been keeping saltwater fish on and off for 20+ years. He has worked at various pet stores along the way, fueling his love of fish. His first saltwater tank was a small 5 gallon custom tank. Today he maintains a 75 gallon mixed reef/fish saltwater tank and is a member of the Austin Reef Club, http://www.austinreefclub.com/.