 Sally Jo LeRoy has asked me to take on the task of describing to you some of the responsibilities involved with summer maintenance. Each season throughout the year brings new challenges. I thank the great Lord above that my oldest tank has lived thorough more than six years of my guessing and my never giving up on what I should do next. It is not always that easy to figure out what is going wrong or what to do next. It is our hope that by sharing the following information we will save you from making many of the mistakes several of the pioneers have made along the way. During the summer months it is so important to take the time to do some daily inspections. We start the day by making certain all the power heads are working properly. Sometimes the power heads clog and when this happens the motors tend heat up and they are not providing the necessary oxygen needed for your fish. It does not take long for the tanks to heat up so be extremely cautious of this. Next we check all the heaters, but we do not remove them from the tanks even during the summer months. The reason we do not remove them from the tanks during the summer months is because once the lights go off at night the tanks could become too cool. Sometimes the heaters are faulty and they could stay on, and this can cause a horrible problem. It is important to remember to look for this problem. It never hurts to stick your hand in your tank to feel how warm the water is. You can also touch the front glass after you learn how it feels when the tank is at the proper temperature.
Some of the creative ways we use to help maintain water temperature is to shut off the lights earlier in the day. Do water changes. Remove the hood or on some of the tanks half of the hood depending on how the hood is constructed. Also sometimes just removing the reflector can cool down the tank. With the tanks that we have at GARF that have hoods we place small computer fans to blow out some of the heat. On the tanks that have sumps we place small clip fans over the sump so they are blowing directly over the water. This cools down the temperature about 5 degrees. Many of these strategically placed fans are on the same timer as the lights so at night the tanks do not cool down below 78 degrees. They are programmed to come back on when the lights come on. Always make certain that one or two power heads are adjusted so that they are breaking the water surface. I also keep all room doors shut to keep heat out and the cooler air in. You can use a fan to cool the room at night. If the tanks become too hot the corals will certainly bleach, and when this starts to happen it is so difficult to bring the tank back to health. Summer is a time to have fun with your family, go on vacation, and play outdoors. Summer is also the time we hear of many home reefs being lost because owners simply did not take the steps necessary to make certain their reefs remained stable. The few minutes you take with your reef to make sure it is stable is a price we all should be willing to commit to. You can use all the tricks to control the temperature, but if you do not take this one step further all may be lost. You should have a back up generator or battery system that will run the fans or cooling systems. It is our hope that by sharing these few pointers your reef will remain healthy. We hope you will enjoy your summer, and make tremendous memories that will stay with you for all your life time.
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Ocean warming is causing terrible trouble; Unfortunately the reefs that we keep in our home are not the only reefs in danger. Ocean warming is causing terrible trouble from the Caribbean to Australia. I have included an e-mail that I received today that talks about some of the research that is being done. At GARF we are more committed than ever to developing ways that our hobby can continue grow and thrive without taking things from the natural wild reefs.
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Dear colleagues Most of you will be aware the Great Barrier reef experienced a mass coral bleaching event early this year. This event was more severe than the event of 1998. This makes the bleaching event of 2002 the worst ever recorded for the GBR. In response to this event, the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority implemented a comprehensive survey of coral bleaching in collaboration with AIMS, CRC Reef and NOAA. A summary of this program and an overview of the bleaching event is now available on the GBRMPA web site (under "Hot Topics"): http://www.gbrmpa.gov.au/ Below is a brief summary of the results of the program: * Underwater surveys found that few reefs had completely escaped the effects of coral bleaching. However, the majority of reefs appear likely to survive the bleaching event with only minimal coral death. Extensive mortality was recorded on only a few of the inshore reefs surveyed, where up to 90% of corals were dead. * The first signs of substantial bleaching were reported in January 2002. The worst of the bleaching event was over by April 2002. * Aerial surveys found that coral bleaching was evident from the air at almost 60% of the 641 reefs surveyed. Inshore reefs were more severely affected by bleaching, as was the case in 1998. However, in 2002 many offshore reefs were also affected. * The effects of bleaching were highly variable, varying from negligible to severe, even between reefs that were similar distances offshore. Bleaching was generally most severe in shallower water, and strong patterns of species susceptibilities were generally evident across the sites surveyed. * Further surveys are planned for later in 2002 when the fate of corals that bleached during the Summer will be studied further. * Should warm water events increase in severity, duration, or frequency in the future, coral bleaching is likely to become increasingly severe on the GBR. We are continuing to analyse and interpret data collected from this event and will add additional information as it becomes available. We would like to offer special thanks to our partners in this monitoring program, especially NOAA, AIMS and the CRC Reef, and to the many individuals who submitted bleaching reports to our Online Bleaching Reporting Program. regards
Paul Marshall
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Sally Jo Headlee What I take great pride in is the fact that many of these animals have been with me for five or six years since I first glued them in the tank. All the cuttings were very small. Many were 1/2 inch and some were even as small as one polyp. The growth has been remarkable. No animal in this tank has lived on anything but Instant Ocean, Sea Chem, and my undying love. This tank has six VHO bulbs, an air powered skimmer, and an UV sterilizer. I do recommend an UV sterilizer for any tank with a valuable collection of colorful SPS corals. All of the sponges you see growing at the bottom of the tank were seeded with our famous GARF Grunge. You can also see the Reef Janitors fast at work. I would like to emphasize that it is very important, at this time of year, to not forget your tank when planning for your summer travels and time with your family. Make certain your Reef Janitors are restocked to carry the workload. You can play and they can keep your tank in balance. Algae thrive in the increased light and warmer temperatures. Check all your equipment, including lights, powerheads, heaters and so on. The reef animals need your care and concern each day. Taking just a little time each day to check the animals will go along way to assure that you will be able to enjoy the reef when you are stuck in your house during the winter months. If you need any assistance with your tank, and information about what problems to look for in the Summer you may call our office staff at 208-344-6163. I would like to make one final comment and express our deepest appreciation for all the kind letters and the support you have given us through out our many years. |
THIS IS PART ONE OF A NEW SECTION THAT WILL HELP YOU SET UP A LOW COST STABLE REEF AQUARIUM. WE HOPE YOU ENJOY WATCHING AS WE SET UP TWO NEW REEFS. WE WILL SET UP A 40 GALLON AND A 120 GALLON REEF IN SALLY JO'S OFFICE. WE WILL BE POSTING PAGES SHOWING EACH STEP WE USE TO CREATE OUR BULLET PROOF REEFS.LeRoy 10/16/02
The foundation is the most important part
Eddies sculptures do NOT introduce algae, fire worms, or any other pests to your reef.  Do not use any metal because this will cause the death of any reef tank. Keep away from metal screws, metal hoods, copper or anything metal that could leach into the tank. Make certain your new tank does not leak. Fill the tank with tap water and allow it to sit for a 24-hour period. If the new tank leaks you can return it or you can fix it, but since you paid for a new one you should get it.
Location of tank is very important I would also pick a place that you won't mind getting some salt spills, you will probably drip some glue and who knows that else. I say this because no matter how careful one promises to be it is often difficult to care for fish, rock, and corals without making a mess at some time. Keep it in a location that is close to some type of water source. You will have to add makeup water, and water changes become more important the older ones tank becomes.
This is a great family project.  Set up a little quarantine tank at the same time, this little unit can be used to treat fish or house them to make certain they are healthy before you add them to the main tank. I would also do some real serious soul searching. You need to be certain how much income you are willing to invest, not only for the initial setup but there are costs continuously. These expenses include, replacing lights, ballast, salt, supplements, fish, coral, powerheads, Uvsterlizer (these lights need to be changed) fish food, heaters, magnets, janitors, if using a RO unit membranes will need to be changed and when traveling you will have to find a baby sitter you can trust. The other self-evaluation that needs to be done is how much time you truly have to commit to this life changing experience. Remember you should be planning for years not weeks or months. Another pointer is to make certain that you do not add water to your tank from any pet store that is treating their water or using copper in their units. Water parameters: Salinity 1.023-1.025. Temperature is best if you keep it as stable as possible, (I will spend time in this article sharing ways to try and keep this controlled), it should be at 78 degrees and no higher than 82. All other parameters that we strive for are shared within the Bullet Proof reef tank articles.
The more stable you keep your tank the better
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FOR THE LAST 5 YEARS WE HAVE WORKED VERY HARD TO PURCHASE, TRADE, AND SAVE AS MANY TYPES OF CORALS AS WE CAN.
We are having a special on all of the coral cuttings. WHEN YOU PURCHASE 5 AT THE REGULAR PRICE OF $100 WE WILL GIVE YOU TWO FREE CORALS!. We will continue to provide the most current data on reef farming for both education and profit. Sometimes I forget how fun it can be to watch the Reef Janitorstm as they go about their duties. It is important to have the mixture of crabs and snails custom picked for your reef aquarium. Both Leonel and Brian are experts in algae control. You can be sure that they will choose the right mixture from GARF's extensive collection of algae eaters. The GARF staff knows that each aquarium is different and they will ask about the size, lighting, and age of your reef. Summer is the most important time to add extra janitorstm because there is more light and the reef will be a bit warmer. When you order any Reef Janitor pactm you can pick a free coral or two pounds of GARF's FAMOUS GRUNGE LIVE SAND ACTIVATOR Reef Janitors tm or call toll free 800-600-6163.
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Use this site to solve your reef aquarium algae problems, and help support our research!!!
| Many of the rare corals are offered to our members for 2 years before they are put on sale. We will soon have an E-mail list that will list the rarest color forms of sps corals and soft corals such as Xenia and Mushrooms. |
The Geothermal Aquaculture Research Foundation, Inc. is a non-profit organization dependent on sales of quality products and our special Annual Events to support our eduacation programs. These projects sustain our service programs and ongoing research we provide to our Community and the World.We are an Idaho Non Profit Organization dedicated to advancing the knowledge of reef keeping. Our live rock aquaculture research has produced many new techniques for sustaining marine life and propagating corals. We are currently growing many species of sps corals, mushrooms, etc. The Foundation is building a genetic bank in Idaho with collections from around the World. We specialize in reef janitors, and have shared this research with many people who need to control algae in land-based live rock aquaculture tanks.Geothermal Aquaculture Research FoundationGARF HOME
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