In Part One of this series, we discussed the care and feeding of corals’ symbiotic dinoflagellates (Symbiodinium species, or zooxanthellae.) To recap, corals (as are all living things) are composed of proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, and ash (non-volatile, inorganic substances such as metals.)…
It is difficult to overstate the importance of water m0tion in a reef aquarium, and the last decade or so has seen many advances in technology of water moving machines. One of the latest devices, Maxspect’s “Gyre Generator” is a pump that has re-thought how to move water in an aquarium.…
This series is a much needed update to articles originally prepared in 1991, and published in Freshwater and Marine Aquariums (FAMA) in 1993 and 1994. At that time, the necessity of feeding by marine invertebrates was a hotly debated issue.…
While visiting a fish store during a recent trip to the mainland, I saw products claiming to hasten “cycling” of marine aquaria. I was intrigued by the possibility, purchased the products, and began formulating a testing protocol.…
Abstract
Zooxanthellae within stony corals (Porites sp.) were exposed to LED-generated light of differing spectral qualities and photosynthetic efficiencies were determined. Red light (631nm and 657nm) was most efficient, followed by Violet (peaking at 400nm and marketed as ‘UV’), Blue (420nm), and White (433nm and phosphors).…
Have you ever wondered why you’re unsuccessful in the husbandry of certain corals? Perhaps you’ve emulated the aquarium of a friend or one you’ve seen in a shop. Every detail has been copied.…
How time flies. It has been seven years since I wrote a product review on the first commercially available LED lighting system (PFO’s Solaris). That article created a lot of controversy, and blogs & billboards were alive with opinions on LED lighting.…
Any serious aquarist knows that maintenance of a successful aquarium requires a fair amount of time and effort. And most would acknowledge that, from time to time, constraints on our ‘free’ time make us prioritize other things.…
I recently authored an article that examined the spectral characteristics of natural sunlight and how water depth of only two inches altered light quality. Selection of the shallow depth was deliberate – the scope of the associated experiments was to examine the maximum amount of each color (spectral bandwidth) that fell upon corals (for instance, were corals receiving more red light in an aquarium than in nature?).…
So, you have shelled out a week’s pay for a really nice ‘chalice coral’ (Echinophyllia spp.) and you’re wondering if it will keep its beautiful colors. This article can assist you in your quest and help you understand how lighting and water’s physical qualities can affect your new coral.…