User talk:Hodgdon's secret garden/sandbox2

http://www.floridapets.com/

http://www.liveaquaria.com/diversden/ItemDisplay.cfm?c=2733+6&ddid=105650 Bottlebrush Acropora Coral Bali Balinese maricultured green Acropora coral with blue tipped corallites

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1141240

http://www.thereeftank.com/forums/f67/pressure-based-surge-device-1591.html

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showpost.php?p=16499964&postcount=15

http://www.uberfrags.net/forums/showthread.php?5702-Reverse-Carlson-Surge-Device-plans

http://angel-strike.com/aquarium/CirculationSystem.html

http://www.breedersregistry.org/Reprints/MFM/v11_aug96/simple_surge.htm

http://www.fishchannel.com/saltwater-aquariums/aquarium-frontiers/natural-coral-reef.aspx

http://www.aquacorals.com/HowToSetup-PlumbingPumpSteps.htm

http://www.reef-eden.net/DSBs.htm

Chaetomorpha linum

http://www.algaescrubber.net/forums/

http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/santa-monica-algae-scrubbers/56163-santa-monica-100-acrylic-scrubber.html

deep sand beds

Remote Deep Sand Bed

http://forum.marinedepot.com/Topic89570-4-1.aspx

http://www.wetwebmedia.com/algaeFilt.htm

http://www.inlandaquatics.com/

http://www.ipsf.com/ministars.html

http://freshaquarium.about.com/od/aquariumsandstands/a/tanksizesweights.htm

http://live-plants.com/

http://www.reeftopia.com/Marine_Plants17826.html

http://www.chucksaddiction.com/cleanupcrew.html

[Chromis] are excellent shoaling fish for the reef aquarium, colorful, harmless to desireable invertibrates and beneficial to branching corals http://www.amazon.com/PocketExpert-Guide-Aquarium-Fishes-Essential/dp/1890087890/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

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Five 3-inch chromis and one 15-inch spotted scat would be equal in total body length but that single trigger would, without a doubt, be a much bigger polluter than the five chromis combined. Hence you must consider the overall mass of a specimen and its dietary habits to get a sense of how much dissolved waste it will contribute to the sytem. http://www.amazon.com/Saltwater-Aquarium-Problem-Solver-Library/dp/0793837960/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpt_2

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Doctors Foster and Smith dot com

"How to Bring Shy Fish Out From the Rockwork Drs. Foster & Smith Educational Staff Have you noticed your saltwater community fish becoming timid and spending most of their time hiding? This is not uncommon in peaceful saltwater community aquariums that contain large amounts of live rock. In the wild, most community fish are constantly on the lookout for potential predators. Though these instincts remain with the fish even in captivity, to be constantly nervous and on 'guard' is not normal behavior. In the protected confines of an aquarium, it may be an indication that the distribution of fish species is not in balance. An effective way to encourage shy fish to come out in the open is to incorporate a small school of dither fish that remain in the open. By acting as watchdogs, a small school of dither fish gives the rest of the fish in the aquarium a sense of security.  When choosing a school of dither fish for your aquarium, choose species that will naturally form a tight school. Fish such as the Blue/Green Reef Chromis or one of the many peaceful Cardinalfish, are great choices. In aquariums large enough to accommodate several different schools of varying species, Cardinalfish of different species will join to form a single large school, creating a dramatic effect in the aquarium. Be sure to choose at least three of the same species to avoid any aggression. Also, make sure your aquarium is both large enough and has sufficient filtration to accommodate the newcomers. http://www.liveaquaria.com/PIC/article.cfm?aid=32" __________________

Blog comments on a thread at Reef Sanctuary dot com

Blue with green Chromis?
 * "I have had this current school for close to 2 years now. There is not 1 dominate pair, they school together, the eat together. When I first set my current 120g up back 9 years ago this month, I cycled it with a school of green chromis and still have 1 from that original school. I was concerned when wanting to add to that but it's been a breeze. http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/indepth-topics-disscussion/15997-fish-focus-blue-chromis-chromis-cyanea.html#post207985"

[KImball: Some commenters had mixed blue chromis in with the green and they didn't get along together. They said don't ever do that.]


 * "I agree with SueT, the only chromis I will allow in my tank are the Green Chromis. I've had blues get nasty! The Greens have been wonderful and peaceful for years and years and years. We have one called 'Lucky' who is quite the survivor."

Considerably less aggressive than most damnsels, (on a par with the green "chromies", and stay pretty small. From Bob Fenner:  "'Chrysiptera talboti, The World's Best Reef Damsel What makes Talbot's stand out amongst the more than 325 described species of Pomacentrids (the family of Damselfishes) are several outstanding characteristics. It's small size (a giant one attains two inches overall length), easygoing disposition (not mean in the least), it's ease of being trained to take any, all prepared, frozen/defrosted foods of small size, the fish's lack of predation on sessile invertebrates, its inherent toughness/resistance to disease, damage through the supply side, oh, and Talbot's beauty, behavior and grace of movement.'"
 * My experience is that the blue "chromies" are more aggressive than the green "chromies", but still considerably less so than most other damnsels. Another favorite damnsel is Chrysiptera talboti, (Talbot's Damselfish)

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Green Aquarium S A dot com

About Sixline Wrasse with Chromis


 * "Quote: Originally Posted by LRS Hi guys! Two Q's... 1.) Can I keep a green chromis by itself? 2.) Will a sixline cause problems with my cleaner shrip? Tnx! a chromis should NOT be kept on its own. it is a shoaling fish and requires the presence of other chromis to feel safe and interact properly with. I would sugesst a bare minimum of 5. Yes the fish would live and survive on its own but its unnatural for the fish and this can cause stress to it. a six line wrass is a lovely fish in my view, ive onlky ever had peacful ones, but others have had some very aggresive six lines. I am not sure of what size tank you have but six line wrasses are best in larger tanks with lots of LR and a good pod population as they feed and hunt constantly. http://www.marineaquariumsa.com/showthread.php?p=313776"

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Yahoo Answers

To help your betta feel safe, add "dither fish," to alert the other fish to predators: in the home aquarium they help set the mood

"Ok as someone who has successfully bred Bettas I can help you out here. A proper tank, someone said 2.5 gallons, should be about 10 in total, this is to help the betta feel secure and have lots of room to swim. The water needs to be about 26 degrees C or 78.8 degrees F. Ph should be around 7.6 and this doesn't need to be precisely on 7.6 a few points out, say .2 or .3 is reasonable. Check your local water departments quality report to find out what your tap water is or test it yourself with a good quality test kit. One thing you need to realize is that much like us when we get put into a new situation we are not always comfortable right away and we need to acclimatise ourselves to the situation, this is the case with your betta. IF you save your money and become able to buy a 10 gallon starter kit ($20-$30 depending on the store) you can add other fish to the mix to help your betta feel safe, these are called Dither fish. What they are supposed to do is alert the other fish to predators, and in the home aquarium they help set the mood to a degree. Good dither fish for Bettas include most of the Tetra family and the Danio family, but not the Barb family or the Serpae Tetra they are fin nippers. I would suggest you check out the International Betta Congress's website at http://www.ibcbettas.org Remember to support your local Fish Club and Store Source(s): 20+ Years of Fishkeeping Experience Beginner Breeder, Winnipeg Aquarium Society Former Member, International Betta Congress http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090222214825AAh6pGQ"

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__ I. __ The New Marine Aquarium (1999; almost all 5-star reviews on Amazon)

''Pg. 102:''

SELECTION TIP

Some larger fishes will act shy and hide in the presence of other large fishes. Introduction a group of constantly moving "dither fish," such as Blue Green Chromis (Chromis viridis) or active wrasses will help bring some of these reluctant species out into the open parts of the aquarium more often

__ I I. __

ROBERT M. FENNER is a marine scientist and a lifelong aquarist, with an active and continuing involvement in the academic, journalistic, trade, and hobbyist sides of aquarium keeping. He is a former marine science and aquariology instructor at the University of California and in the California State University system. He has been a speaker and judge at many aquairium conferences and events, with subjects ranging from cyanide collection and feef fishes to koi, shell collecting, and environmental, aquarium trade, hobbyist, and scientific topics. He continues as a consultant to a number of public aquariums and aquarium related companies in the United States and abroad.

The Conscientious Marine Aquarist: A Commonsense Handbook for Successful Saltwater Hobbyists (2008) by Robert M. Fenner

Almost all 5 stars on Amazon. First review:

This is far and away the best book about hobbyist fishkeeping I have EVER read - that includes everything for freshwater, as well. Probably little here for the very experienced marine aquarist, but for the beginner, there is NO BETTER BOOK. It's worth every penny I spent on it. The author even points out silly errors and terrible misinformation present in OTHER books I also own! It is the ultimate reference, with enough information to take the complete newbie from a simple fish-only setup to a reasonably advanced reef system, avoiding the many, MANY possible pitfalls in between, from equipment and feeding, to which fish will eat your invertebrates (and vice-versa). Highly opinionated, and incredibly experienced, the author also demonstrates a rare talent in this typically dry genre: His prose is actually FUN to read, and his points are highly memorable because of it. I might repeat the cliche' "If you read only one book about marine fishkeeping..." But the fact is, until you get to really exotic reefs and invertebrates, you only NEED to read one book - This one. --- The above review was written quite some time ago, and I'm making this addendum[...]because Amazon finally added this 'edit' feature! [...] I now believe that "The New Marine Aquarium" by Michael Paletta is possibly a better beginner's book. I still think Bob's CMA (as it is called by insiders) is the "One Book". But if you plan on having -more- than one, and you're looking for your first, you might check out Paletta's, it's a shade easier to digest than the all-powerful CMA.

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Conscientious:

(Exiced/adapted from a few pages):

The damsels are an extremely important group of ubiquitous, circumtropical coral reef fishes. Reef Chromis species make ideal shoaling or schooling fishes, and if you have room for a dozen or more, they make an impressive sight. (Their droppings have been shown to increase the growth of wild stony corals in which they hide, and some advanced reef aquarists are using them as a natural complement to stands of captive Acropora or other branching stony coral. These small fish are a dietary mainstay for most other fishes whose mouths are large enough to accomodate them. Take this into account before introduing and "big-mouthed" fishes like lionfishes or basses to your tank. The use of shoal of chromis or other damsels as "dither fish" keep the peace and provides contant distraction for any potential aggressors. Having a few of these "aqua poodles" goes a long way toward diffusing aggression.

Along with the clown--or the anemonesfishes--damselfishes make up the family Pomacentridea. The subfamily Chrominae provide a vital link both as reef-feeding and feeder fishes and are excellent beginner marine aquarium specimens. Their popularity is well warranted, considering their diversity, beauty, tolerance of chemical and physcial conditions, some tolerance of chemical and physical conditions, sometimes cregariousness when crowded, and general compatibility with other fishes and invertebrates.

This species is an inexpensive mainstay in our aquariums, active guardians, and aqua-popcorn on the world's reefs. The greatest testimony to their toughness is that they used to do duty in "popping" new systems--establishing bio-geo-chemical cycling while giving the untrained aquarist his or her first taste of keeping marine fishes. Miraculously, most manage to live throug it all and some go on to live for many years. Purchase in odd-numbered lots of individuals that are al about the same size. This reduces inter-and intraspecies aggression... They are not fussy in terms of water chemistry and physics. Temperatures in thelow to upper 70s are ideal.... Most tolerate a wide range of salinities, although some in the fish industry keep them in a specific gravity of about 1.017 to 1.018 to decrease salt mix costs, increase gas slubility, reduce algae growth, and curtail spizootic disease outbreaks. You are encouraged to maintain yours at higher, more normal readings of 1.022 to 1.025. Any amount of light, dim to bright, seems to be fine. Natural or synthetic water makes no differnce in terms of vitality or reproduction in captivity. A pH of 7.9 to 8.3 is favored; no ammonia or nitrate, and as low a concentration of nitrates as practical is the rule, as with most marines.

Many people take the risk of introducing pests, parasites, and pollution by using the old "floating and mixing" technique, pouring new fish, along with their shipping water, into their system. Don't do this. At the very least, appropreate introduction procedures should include gradually making the temperature of the shipping water about equal to the system water, a fresh-water drip with or without Formalin and/or copper (see page 166), and, if possible, a two-week quarantine. For the most part, this species are disease resistant, and if preventative measures have been executed and their environment well kept, you can expect low parasite loads.

Start feeding them as soon as possible. Frequent, small feedings of a variety of foods (dry, frozen, fresh, and live) will help settle in the stock and reduce agressive turmoil. If possible, introduce your odd-numbered batch to a new, damsel-free tank all at once. Provide coarl, rock, shells, or plants--any short of natural nooks, crannies, or screens--for social and psychological shelters.

pg 86

Some reef aquarists continue to stock as heavily as one snail and/or (preferably largely herbivorous) hermit crab per gallon of tank capacity. I never was and am not now a fan of hermit crab use by and large, as many of these false crabs turn out to be too "picky," eating much of the desirable life of live rock and sand, sometimes even larger livestock.

pg 151 (chapter "Marine Algae")

Snails are the most widely used herbivores and often the best choice. Some parts of the country seem to prefer to use sea urchins or dwarf angels. The former may die easily or move your decor about, and Centropyge species can sometimes be problematic, nibbling on expensive invertebrates like giant clams and certain corals.