Saltcorner
By Bob Goemans
By Bob Goemans
Hi Bob
I've enclosed a picture of the red algae I discussed in my last letter. Its growing only on side panels but not on the rocks. It was actually my own undoing for I have allowed the red algae to grow on the panels thinking the fish would solve the problem for me. But over the months, it spread wider and farther. Do you think I should keep those side panels clean all the time? I was hoping to keep some algae for the Tangs and Angels. I now think it was a mistake.
There's also another alga, as there are two small patches of elongated brown jello-like tentacle-like (algae?) growing from damaged coral tips. Removal was easy but it kept growing back at the same area very quickly. I brought a book on Algae by Julian Sprung hoping to identify the culprits, but to no avail. None of the pictures in the book resembled the one I have in the tank. But according to the book, this algae may be the result of Nitrite(?). Could I have Nitrite problem? I do have a Nitrate reactor with ORP monitor.
I have also received the La Motte test kit this morning and have just tested it. It was a little confusing at first sliding the instrument up and down. But the end result is still the same - zero. I also tested Nitrate again and the reading remains at about 2.5ppm using Salifert kit. I have stopped adding any additives for months now, except for a half dose of Lugol's iodine occasionally. I also use Marc Weiss Reef Vital DNA every two days and feed the corals very day.
I have also changed the lighting recently hoping to stop the problem. The end areas of the tank are not very bright because the tank collars. I have now removed the 6500K lamps in favor of13K lamps along with the 20K Radium bulbs. I also disturb the water around the rocks during regular maintenance. There is usually some detritus built up on the surface of some rocks. My Tunze stream powerheads are powerful but they cannot keep the rocks clean at the far end of the tank. Does this mean that I do not have enough flow? My turnover within the tank is about 9 times using powerheads and 4 times through the sumps fed by four return pumps. As the tank is 4 feet wide, I can see dead spots in several areas either caused by position of corals or rockwork. The current created is no way near what is created by nature in the areas where I collect them.
And since FAMA printed some of my past letters, there has been a lot of interest in Marine fishkeeping in this country. And people I do not know from all over, even from places 100 km away came to ask about my tank. Since then, interest grew and soon the local fish shops were bringing in marine fishes and soft corals for sale even when they have no idea what they were doing. Many fishes and corals died because the dealers were inexperienced. And none of them showed any interest in the welfare of the creatures. They never stopped to ask why their goods were dying or even if the buyer had a marine tank at home. By all accounts, there aren't many aquariums in this area.
As instructed by local shops, buyers simply go to the sea and collect the water required for their tank and then add the fish. Some wealthier ones would buy salt instead. They would then adopt a wait and see situation before going out to buy more if the fish failed to survive the week. None of the fish shop owners have previous experience in marine. And none of them show any interest in wanting to learn. It was all about taking advantage of the situation. And even if they listen, they never do anything to improve the situation.
Luckily, the fish hobby in this country is only a fashion, and I hope the interest would fade away quickly. I would like to see the hobby grow in this country, but at present it is better to keep it away from most people here. But as of now, at least three neighbors were looking into marines.
To think, I was also the one who started placing plants in freshwater tanks before it became fashionable! Today nobody shows any interest in freshwater tanks.
Please advice
Herbert Hiew
Brunei Darussalam on the Island of Borneo
Hi Herbert,
Thanks for your photo and it must be wonderful to simply go out into local waters and collect all the species for your aquarium!
As for the red slime cyanobacteria, (probably Oscillatoria) it's a fairly common thing in some aquaria, so don't be overly concerned. It grows where the current is somewhat slow, and because of it, nutrients tend to hang in those areas. If you can reach it, siphon out most of it with small air tubing, then wipe the rest out with a cleaning pad. I recommend trying to increase the water flow in these areas, possibly with a small powerhead. That should end most of it, but some may come back and you'll need to occasionally clean the area as needed
And I have never found anything that really enjoyed eating it. But you may want to try the Blue Tuxedo Urchin if found in your area, or a small black spined urchin. Also, make sure your protein skimmer is properly working, as it's a good tool to keep nutrients from helping propagate this type of thing.
As for the brown jelly-like alga, which I could not see in your photo, that may be Phormidium corallyticum, a red slime species. Sometimes referred to as Black Band Disease, this cyanobacteria attacks damaged tissue areas. There's a couple of ways to go. Siphon out as much as possible, and if feasible remove the coral and wipe the area clean with freshwater and then dip the areas/tips in freshwater. This may eliminate the problem. Another approach is to siphon out as much as possible, then remove the specimen and bath the cleaned area in a Lugol's solution. If you can get the species out of the tank, dip it into a solution (one liter seawater + 20 drops of Lugol) for about one minute. If you can't get it out, siphon as much as possible, then using a turkey baster apply the solution to the cleaned area. Yet use something stronger, i.e., three drops in a teaspoon of seawater. Repeat in three days, and if needed three days later. This should help. Let me know how it goes. And if nitrite is zero, don't worry about it. And if nitrate is 2.5 ppm, there's no need to be concerned about that either.
As for water flow, what there is appears to be sufficient for your system. However, some areas in "everyone's" aquariums will have dead spots. And honestly, we are not going to fully replicate nature in closed systems. That's where you come in - simply use a turkey baster or small powerhead to wash clean those areas once every week.
I feel quite sad to see that posting your letters in FAMA has caused some degree of misuse of the creatures in your surrounding areas. I would think it should have provided a fertile situation for form an aquarium society where aquarists and those interested in knowing more could first gather the information they need to successfully begin and maintain a system similar to yours. In fact, I would think it a golden opportunity to further understand Mother Nature and the priceless gifts that she affords us aquarists.
As always, enjoy getting your email.
Cheers,
Bob
(Let add here, just incase you were wondering about his area because of that huge tidal wave disaster back in December of last year to some parts of the Indian Ocean. His area was spared because it was shielded by Sumatra and did not receive any damage.)
