Harlequinmania

Click through to see the images. My name is Bryn and I'm an alcoholic … oops … sorry wrong AA article! In all seriousness my true addiction is to this hugely rewarding, massively frustrating and at times, all-consuming hobby of ours. Sometimes, when its 3 a.m., I've accidentally set my reactor CO2 rate too high, my media has melted causing my skimmer to overflow, which I've forgotten is linked to the main drain, meaning my tank is slowly going down the sewers, prompting my kalkstirrer to pour limewater into my sump at a rate of knots, and now my skimmer is fizzing up to such an extent that my garage floor now looks like an Ibiza foam party, the low water alarm is belting out, the wife is up and going nuts, I wonder … is it really worth it? Then a week later when the tank finally clears and the bruises the Mrs. gave me for making such a mess are starting to fade, I stand back, drink in the view and realize yes, actually it is! I've been keeping fish on and off since I was 9 years old. I graduated to the salty world around a decade ago. Since then I've had three tanks. The first was an extremely poor and ill-conceived 190l fish only system complete with internal filter, air stone skimmer and tufa rock. I committed cardinal sins in fish choice/compatibility, buying on impulse based on the advice of the kid in the fish shop who assured me on many occasions that all of the fish they stocked were community friendly. Funnily enough my wolf eel, miniatus grouper and lunar wrasse didn't share the same conviction! For the second tank I decided to step back and do my homework. I joined several online forums and was astounded at the true works of art people were producing. Then I saw an SPS tank being featured as tank of the month and I knew then I'd found what I wanted to achieve. This was it. I could see this guy's equipment list. All I had to do was copy him and I was home free! Simple. I then spent the next 4 years making every mistake possible in the reefkeeping world! Every algae, pest, parasite and bacterium known to man took their turns to make my life a misery. Somehow though, I eventually managed to achieve the beautiful SPS reef I had dreamed of. At that point I decided that the best thing to do was tear it all down and start again! The Tank The current tank is nearing 2 years old now and has been a comparable dream to maintain. It hasn't been stress-free by any means but overall I am very happy with the result. The display is situated in our kitchen and stands on a box steel frame which I DIY-cladded with white acrylic panels. The tank overflows and runs underneath our bathroom to the sump and filtration system located in my garage (notice the deliberate use of the word "my" here). Specifications Display tank: Dimensions: 66"L x 42"W x 30"H Volume: Approx. 300 UK gallons (360 US gallons) Euro braced, opti-white front and side viewing panels Garage: 60"L x 18"W x 24"H split into 4 sections, each with its own drain 400l plastic sump Filtration Equipment: Deltec SC2560 protein skimmer TMC commercial UV filter. 6x in-line DI pod phosphate filter DIY floss filter Nutrient Export My nutrient export methodology is very simple. I have tried many approaches in the past: ULNS, vodka dosing, lanthanum chloride etc. However, I have found that for my tank, if I drop the nutrients too low I lose the vibrant colours. Many people have found the opposite but for my tank low nutrients are not the top priority. I don't dose anything, no blue bottles or carbon source of any kind. I have a DSB that has existed in my sump since the birth of my second tank and cheato that I grow on top of it. I also run a DIY phosphate reactor that consists of 6 slim in-line de-ionisation pods, the first of which is filled with carbon and the five that follow with GFO. The reason I use the slim canisters is that I've yet to find GFO media that doesn't clump and channel so by extending the horizontal run I stand a better chance of making the most of it. I run a reasonably slow flow through this, I've never measured it but I'd guess it's about 10 - 20 litres an hour. Lighting My experience with lighting has taught me that as long as you acclimatise your SPS slowly, most of them just can't get enough. As mentioned above nutrients aren't my top priority, lighting however definitely is. I'm no expert on the scientific side of the hobby. However, it seems logical to me that for animals that draw most of their sustenance from photosynthesis this has to be the key. I run 2 x 400w metal halide lamps in Lumenarc reflectors powered by electronic ballasts. My bulb of choice is Radium 20,000K. I've tried many others but once I ignited the Radiums I knew I'd probably never change brand again. I supplement this with 8 x 54 w T5 with a mix of different bulbs that I change when the mood suits me. I love the flexibility T5 gives you to tweak and change the appearance of the tank. My current blend is all ATI with 2x aquablue special, 2x purple plus, 2x true actinic and 2x blue plus. The halides come on at 12:00 and go off at 22:00. The purple and actinic t5's come on at 14:00 and go off at 22:30 while the aquablue and blue plus bulbs come on at 18:00 and go off at 21:30. I really enjoy the different hues and colours that the lights bring out at different times of the day. A further twist on the lighting is that I have two large skylights directly above the tank so in the summer especially (on the odd occasion we get a summer in the UK) the lighting effects can be spectacular. Supplementation Schuran Jetstream 1 calcium reactor. Deltec kalkstirrer. Marine Colour dosing pump. For calcium I run a reactor with ARM media combined with all top off water running through a Kalkstirrer. Until recently this was sufficient for my needs however the rate at which some of my corals are now growing means I have to add a little bicarbonate of soda daily through a dosing pump. Magnesium and Calcium are occasionally corrected manually using Randy Holmes Farley's recipes although this is probably only a few times a year. Parameters I have to admit this is one area of the hobby I have always loathed. I find the process of testing tedious and this is probably my biggest downfall. Like many I tend to base my corrective actions on the look of my tank. Certain corals I find a giveaway of something being out of step. For instance I have a particular acro that will stop producing its purple growth tips if the phosphate levels go beyond what many of the other corals can tolerate. I use this coral to tell me when I need to change my GFO rather than a test result. The only test I do with any reasonable regularity is KH, the rest I only test on occasion but for those I do test for here are the ranges I usually find. SG: 1.026 - 1.027 Calcium: 380 - 500 KH: 7 - 9 Magnesium: 1300 - 1500 With my filtration system being located in the garage, and the climate here cold for most of the year, keeping the temperature up rather than down is my issue. I have 2 x 300 watt heaters in the display tank and a further two in the sump. My sump is well insulated but the garage tank isn't at all, so for this reason I shut it down around November then get it back on-line around April. As it isn't heated it acts to keep my main tank at a reasonable temperature in the summer months. If we are lucky enough to ever hit some warm weather I have a large DIY twin pipe "bong" chiller that I can connect up but I've not needed to in the last couple of years. Temperature: Winter 22C (71.6F) - 24C (75.2F), Summer 24C (75.2F) - 27C (80.6F). Fish Now were talking! Fish to me are what brought me into the hobby and to this day they are what keeps me in it. I'll never forget the first time I saw a Royal Gramma in a terrible local garden centre aquarium and was blown away by the contrast in colours. To this day it remains one of my favourite fish however over the years my tastes have changed and developed as I have started to yearn the more unusual animals. I've always loved angels and butterflies. To my mind they are the ultimate reef fish. I always envisioned filling a reef tank with them. However, from my initial investigations it appeared the accepted wisdom was that they were massive reef no-no's. Then I came across John Coppolino's tank on a reef forum and it gave me the permission I had been craving to just go for it! I think many people approach fish choice based on the corals they keep. My approach is the opposite. I select the corals with an eye on the fish I have or plan to keep in the near future. The term reef-safe is one we hear applied to fish all of the time but we never hear corals described in terms of the fish that won't eat them. I think it's a common misconception that fish are either "reef safe" or not. In my experience there are few fish that are totally incompatible with any corals at all,; It's just a case of finding the right blend. For my own personal taste in fish it helps hugely that I've always preferred SPS as I've yet to keep an angel that has caused any real damage to them. My LPS choice is certainly limited and I can't keep much in the way of Zoa's or fleshy corals such as open brains but this is a trade-off I'm happy to accept. Fish List In this tank my aim has always been to keep a member of each of the main Angel genus along with some other favourites. Regal Angel - Pygoplites diacanthus Emperor Angel - Pomacanthus imperator Pair of Watanebe Angels - Genicanthus watanabei Goldflake Angel - Apolemichthys xanthopunctatus Spectacle Angel - Chaetodontoplus conspicillatus Flame Angel - Centropyge loriculus True Queen Angel - Holacanthus ciliaris 5 x Royal Gramma - Gramma loreto Tinkers Butterfly - Chaetodon tinkeri Mitratus Butterfly- Chaetodon mitratus Achiles Tang - Acanthurus Achilles Approx 10 x Green Chromis - Chromis viridis Midas Blenny - Ecsenius midas Red Headed Jawfish - Opistognathus spp. Watchman Goby - Cryptocentrus pavoninoides Coral sea percula clownfish - Amphiprion percula Feeding I love my fish so I feed heavy. I have two auto-feeders containing pellets, both come on 3 times a day. The first holds 1mm NLS pellets; all of my fish love these. The second holds a 50/50 mix of medium size Ocean Nutrition Formula 1 and 2. I also keep a jumbo tub of unbranded marine flake near the tank and they get a large pinch of this probably 3 or 4 times a day. I feed D&D reef paste, RS Mysis, lobster eggs, cyclopeze and red plankton but there is no real schedule. It's just as I feel like it. Inverts One of the things I love about this hobby is the phenomenal range of inverts that are now available to us. We have shrimps that clean fish, shrimps that live in anemone's, shrimps that live in a burrow with fish, shrimps that ride on the back of sea cucumbers, shrimps that prey only on starfish and that's just shrimps! I keep a reasonable range of inverts but this is something I'm keen on expanding in the future. When we have friends or family over the fish that get the initial attention but it's the crabs, snails and urchins that really hold their interest. The added bonus of these animals is the services they perform in keeping our aquariums clean and controlling pests. If there's a biological solution to a problem I'll always pick that over chemical. Current Inverts 2 x tuxedo urchins. 4 x pincushion urchins in various colours. 3 x cleaner shrimps. Boxing shrimp. 2 x pistol shrimps. Unknown number of crabs, there are crabs in virtually every acro. Various different snails. Corals As the photos demonstrate, the aquarium is heavily dominated by SPS corals. My personal favourites are Montipora species. I just love the solid colours and interesting structures they form, that and the fact that they are easy to keep! I also keep some LPS, mostly Euphyllia, as mentioned previously those that my fish don't like the taste of. I'm not going to attempt to name all the species as frankly I haven't a clue. Plans for the future Unsurprisingly my plans surround fish. I'm happy with the corals I have now so I don't see myself adding many more. If anything I can see myself removing some. To me reefs with large colonies look so much more natural. Ralph Prehn's is probably the best example of this point. Fish-wise I feel I'm nearly where I want to be. However, deep down I know I'll never be fully satisfied and that can only mean one thing: a bigger tank! I love the Roaps subgenus of butterflies. They are hardy and the ones I have kept haven't proved any danger to my corals. I have two but I plan on adding at least a couple more, I'm also keen on broadening my butterfly horizons and attempting some of the more risky choices such as C. paucifasciatus. There is also one angel that has eluded my attempts to obtain it although I'm not going to mention which one so I don't jinx my chances! Acknowledgements First and foremost I'd like to publicly thank my family for tolerating my piscine insanity! I'd also like to extend gratitude to Steve at Burscough Aquatics for providing the majority of my corals and the team at Abyss Aquatics for sourcing my fish. A big thanks also to Leonard Ho for inviting me to share my aquarium with the magazine. Click on the link below to see more photos. View the full article

The color of the blue Squamosas is super intense !

Yes that's the one.

This is a good self explain diagram from marine depot which teaches how to setup your calcium reactor

Click through to see the images. The first 40 seconds of the video shows the gorgeous lakeside view of Gionanni57's home overlooking Lake Iseo and Monte Isola. We're then treated to snippets of his reef aquarium until the full tank is revealed at 2:35. We're not sure which we'd spend more time gazing: his lake view or his reef view. " height="383" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="640"> "> "> View the full article

You can try the sponge like pallet food from the same company which is pretty good as well Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2

Topic closed as per request from topic starter. Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2

Click through to see the images. How would you attach something as hard as steel to something soft like flesh yet not have it tear apart when subjected to stress? Researchers interested in this question recently probed how the squid accomplishes this as its beak is incredibly hard yet it attaches to incredibly soft tissue. Their research is published in the March 26 issue of the Journal of American Chemical Society. A pictorial representation of how the squid accomplishes this feat using a gradient of hard to soft materials. According to researcher Stuart Rowan, "Squid beaks are a stiff material, but they have to attach to very soft tissue. ... They don’t have any bones per se. Imagine a piece of steel attached to a piece of plastic and you started bending or putting stressors on it. Things would start to tear, and that’s obviously not very good for the squid." What they learned is the squid uses a gradient of hard to soft materials to accomplish the feat and the researchers were able to mimicked this property. The new materials could lead to interesting new medical applications including prosthetic limbs, central vein ports, and even unique glucose sensors for diabetics. (via Freshwater) View the full article

Click through to see the images. Recent photos of Splish and Splash show goldfishes with faded pigmentation, missing scales, and cataracts of the eye. But considering they lived 35 years when most well-cared goldfish barely see 15 years of life on this earth, Splish and Splash looked pretty darn good. Here is Splash now without his companion. RIP Splish. [via DailyMail.co.uk] View the full article

Dont think this is available locally. I had tried asking the local distributor and it seem that they are not bringing this product in, if not it will be an ideal foods for Angel fish.

The color is stunning !! Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2

Most important is to QT your fish if you buy from shop . Angels and butterfly is common to diseases infection.

Some photo from pinnacle sps shipment. Most of the good stuff taken early in the morning. Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2

Click through to see the images. We previously reported that scientists discovered ocean acidification impact clownfish hearing to the point of making clownfish "deaf" to predators. New research on cobia (Rachycentron canadum) reinforces the correlation between CO2 concentration and fish's auditory organs. From the University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine & Atmospheric Science Putting Larval Cobia To The Acid Test Ocean acidification, which occurs as CO2 is absorbed by the world's oceans, is a source of concern for marine scientists worldwide. Studies on coral, mollusks, and other ocean denizens are helping to paint a picture of what the future might entail for specific species, should carbon emissions continue to increase. In a new study published in Global Change Biology, University of Miami (UM) Rosenstiel School of Marine & Atmospheric Science researchers Sean Bignami, Su Sponaugle, and Robert Cowen are the first to study the effects of acidification on the larvae of cobia (Rachycentron canandum). Cobia are large tropical fish that spawn in pelagic waters, highly mobile as they mature, and a popular species among recreational anglers. The team reared cobia in tanks with different levels of CO2 saturation looking for effects on growth, development, otolith (ear stone) formation, swimming ability, and activity level during the vulnerable larval stage of these fish. They found that cobia showed remarkable resistance to end-of-century acidification scenarios in terms of growth, development, and activity. However, more extreme acidification scenarios caused reduced larval size and a 2-3 day delay in their development. The study also reports a significant increase in otolith size (ear stone) at the most mild acidification conditions reported to date. This is micro-CT imagery of a cobia larva head that has been filtered to view the entire skull (top image) and the more dense otolith (ear stone) structures (bottom image). Similar 3-D images were used by researchers to obtain the first measurements larval fish otoliths while still inside the skull. (Credit: UM/RSMAS) "The larval period is a critical stage in the marine fish lifecycle and the ability of cobia larvae to withstand 'business-as-usual' scenarios of ocean acidification provides an optimistic outlook for this species. However, research on this topic is still limited and if our findings on otolith formation are any indicator, then these fish are not entirely resistant to acidification," said Bignami, a Marine Biology and Fisheries PhD candidate at UM. The study is the first to report impacts of ocean acidification on a large, pelagic tropical fish species. "We need additional studies on study how fish, especially those that are ecologically and economically important, react to these environmental changes if we want to find ways to potentially mitigate the effects," Bignami added. Cobia larvae used in this study were produced from broodstock raised at the UM Experimental Hatchery. Journal Reference: Bignami S, Sponaugle S, Cowen RK (2013) Response to ocean acidification in larvae of a large tropical marine fish, Rachycentron canadum. Global Change Biology 19(4): 996-1006 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.12133 View the full article

Click through to see the images. View the full article

It is good to start with a 2ft tank for marine, ideally 3ft and if space and budget is not a concern then go for 4ft tank and above. It also very much depend what you intent to keep .

Aussie SPS and fish shipment tomorrow at Pinnacle ; Duncanopsammia axifuga Purple Lined Fairy Wrasse ( Cirrhilabrus lineatus ) Magenta-streaked Fairy Wrasse ( Cirrhilabrus labouti ) Yellow Assessor ( Assessor flavissimus ) Blue Asseassor ( Assessor macneilli )

Lots of Maxima and Cocea clams just arrive in LCK. Some with nice coloration and tear drop ; gold , blue green ect ...

Click through to see the images. During the grand opening of Allpets Emporium in Coral Springs, Florida, the NatGeo television series Fish Tank Kings will film an episode at the event. You will need to arrive by 9:00 AM this Saturday, April 20th, if you want to see Living Color Aquariums unveil their new aquarium, which will appear on an upcoming episode! (via Living Color Aquariums) View the full article

Click through to see the images. During the grand opening of Allpets Emporium in Coral Springs, Florida, the NatGeo television series Fish Tank Kings will film an episode at the event. You will need to arrive by 9:00 AM this Saturday, April 20th, if you want to see Living Color Aquariums unveil their new aquarium, which will appear on an upcoming episode! (via Living Color Aquariums) View the full article

Click through to see the images. The video above describes what the inventors aim to accomplish with these coralbots. The team hopes to raise $107,000 within six month to demonstrate this technology in public with two specially adapted robots. Their ultimate goal is to build a team of eight coralbots to deploy at reef sites in need. Donations range from $10 to $5,000. At the $25 contributor level, your name will be printed on a coralbot. At the $1,000 contributor level, your name will be etched on a piece of artificial reef structure the science team will plant on their first restoration project. At $5,000, they'll name a whole coralbot after you ("or give it any name you indiciate, within reason")! Visit Coral-bot's Kickstarter page to learn more about these robotic reef helpers and if you want to help make this project a reality. View the full article

They should be open just give ken a call since he might be downstair for coffee at time. Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2

Click through to see the images. To start, T. squamosa ranges from the east coast of Africa across the Indo-Pacific to the Marshall Islands and Polynesia, and has been found as far north as the southern islands of Japan to as far south as the west coast of Australia and the Great Barrier Reef, and in the Red Sea, too. However, this species' abundance in the Indian Ocean isn't well known, and it has been over-fished for food in some areas, making it rare to extinct in some parts of its natural range. This species can also be found in a wide variety of environments within its range, from steep walls to reef flats, to patch reefs, and inside and outside of lagoons, etc. Basically, these clams aren't very picky, and I've seen them living in basically all of these settings around Indonesia and Australia. Regardless, they typically live at depths less than 50 feet, and occur in greatest numbers at depths less than twenty feet. The geographic distribution of T. squamosa. While this species can be found living amongst coral groves and on rubble and sandy/soft bottoms at times, it's most often found attached to hard substrates, especially when relatively young. To form such an attachment, they produce a structure called a byssus, which is made by an organ found on the underside of the body. This byssal organ secretes a liquid substance that hardens quickly to form a number of tough fibers, and these extend from an opening in the bottom of the shell, with one end of the fibers solidly attached to a rock, coral, etc. and the other held inside the shell by the byssal organ. This keeps a clam from being knocked over or moved around by waves until it's large enough to stay in place due to its weight. Still, even at large sizes, a clam can be knocked over at times, but giant clams can usually self-right themselves by repeatedly opening and closing their bottom-heavy shell. Each time the shell is opened fully, it rocks a bit more into the correct orientation. While the byssal opening at the bottom of the shell may be prominent when a clam is young, it can be closed up by the addition of new shell material when a clam gets large enough to release its byssal hold. So, small clams typically (but not always) have a relatively large opening in the bottom of the shell while large ones have no opening at all. T. squamosa is often found living amongst corals or attached to hard substrates, but may also live unattached on soft bottoms. Staying in an upright orientation is critical because, like all the other members of the family, T. squamosa harbors large populations of zooxanthellae. These single-celled photosynthetic algae live in the tissues of a host clam primarily within a specialized system of tubes that permeate the fleshy, colorful, mantle tissue that extends from the top of the shell, and when given enough light, they can make far more food than they need for themselves. The extra food (in the form of carbon and energy-packed glucose) is then given to the clam host, which is the same thing that occurs within most reef-dwelling corals. Under optimal conditions these zooxanthellae are constantly multiplying within a tridacnid, and some of these live algal cells can be digested by specialized amoeboid cells within the host, too. So, a host clam can rely on its zooxanthellae for more than just sugar, and is considered to be a "farmer" to some degree since it can consume these surplus zooxanthellae grown inside its body. In addition, all tridacnids can also absorb a variety of nutrients directly from seawater. Their fleshy mantle is covered by a specialized tissue that can very effectively take in dissolved nutrients like ammonia, nitrate, and phosphates. So, here they have a third means of nutrient acquisition, with one more to go. The last way they cover their nutritional needs is through filter-feeding. All tridacnids can eat fine particulate matter strained from surrounding waters by their specialized gills, which not only work to exchange carbon dioxide and oxygen, but can also act as sieves that can collect such particles. A tridacnid, like most other clams, pumps water into its body chamber, where it flows over the finely-branched gills and then flows out the other end of the body chamber, minus some particulates. These collected bits can include phytoplankton, zooplankton, and detritus, meaning they can make use of a broad range of things. Identification When it comes to identification, once you know what to look for T. squamosa is usually pretty easy to distinguish from all other tridacnids with the possible exception of T. maxima. So, I'll go over the basic features used to identify T. squamosa, and give you a couple of tips on how to differentiate them from T. maxima, too. T. squamosa's shell is typically rather fan-shaped, can reach a maximum length of just over sixteen inches (Rosewater, 1965), and is usually white to grayish-white. However, at times it may be partially or even entirely yellowish, orangish, or pink, and having a yellow band along the upper edge is common, as well. Keep in mind that 16 inches is the world's record, though. So, it's unlikely that a specimen you might buy would get nearly this big in an aquarium, as even a twelve inch specimen would normally be considered particularly large. T. squamosa's shell is also covered with prominent scutes, which are the blade or petal-like structures that cover the ridges on the shells of some species. However, in T. squamosa's case, these are especially large in size, relatively heavy/strong, and widely-spaced, unlike those of any of the other species. Many scutes, particularly near the bottom of the shell, may be broken/missing, but larger scutes are typically quite durable. So, having a fan shaped shell with notably large scutes is usually all you need to look for when trying to positively identify a specimen. T. squamosa's shells are typically fan-shaped and covered with prominent scutes. Aside from differences in the mantle, the scutes lining the shell of T. squamosa (L) are larger and widely spaced relative to those of T. maxima ®. Also, while there are exceptions, T. maxima's shell is typically elongated rather than fan-shaped. Still, most folks will look at the fleshy mantle more than the shell, so I should say something about it too, of course. The mantle most commonly has a brown base color, which is covered by numerous golden brown, cream, and/or white lines and splotches. However, there can also be other colors and patterns, as some have various stripes, spots, and blotches of green, orange, and/or blue. Some less common specimens also have a predominantly blue mantle with dark markings. Here's another look at how diverse the mantle coloration of various specimens can be. (click photo to enlarge) Specimens with lots of blue on their mantles are much harder to come by, and are typically very expensive. (click photo to enlarge) When healthy, the mantle reaches well beyond the edges of the shell, and usually extends far enough to completely cover the shell when viewed from above. And, the inhalent siphon, the large opening in the mantle where water is brought into the body, is almost always ringed with numerous relatively large tentacles that have prominent branches. The tentacles surrounding T. squamosa's inhalent siphon are relatively large and have prominent branches. And lastly, there are typically rows of dark-colored simple eyes found along the edge of the mantle, which is why they often react by jerking into their shell when something swims over them. Healthy specimens will do this if you pass your hand between them and the lights, too. The dark, circular spots on the fringes of T. squamosa's mantle are simple eyes. Aquarium Care Alright, with that stuff out of the way, we can get to some husbandry info. To start, as far as water quality goes, it should always be within the limits of what is considered appropriate for any reef aquarium. When specimens are very small in size, the maintenance of calcium and alkalinity isn't any particular problem, but that can change as clams get bigger. This is due to the fact that when a tridacnid adds on shell material, it doesn't just make the shell longer and taller at the edges. When growing, these clams also add on a significant amount of material to the inside of its shell. It gets thicker and thicker and is quite dense, so a large specimen can really suck up the calcium/alkalinity in a tank, depleting it surprisingly quickly. This is especially the case if there are lots of corals to compete with. So, make sure you keep up with their demands. Other than that, providing sufficient lighting is really the most important aspect of their care. Again, T. squamosa lives at relatively shallow depths where they receive intense light, so fluorescent lighting is a poor choice for anything other than rather shallow tanks, unless a specimen is placed high up on the rockwork near the water's surface in a deeper tank. I would try fitting as many bulbs into a fluorescent canopy/fixture as possible at that, and mount the bulbs close to the water, too. Some giant clams, like T. derasa and T. gigas in particular, may be able to get by at times with less light, or further down in deeper tanks, but you shouldn't take any chances with T. squamosa. Metal halide lighting or comparable LED systems are your best option, with standard 175 watt metal halide bulbs typically being sufficient for any small to medium size tanks. For deeper tanks you may need to move up to higher-intensity bulbs, though. This might sound like a lot of light to many successful coral keepers, but that's because giant clams aren't corals. Corals are very simple organisms that have no real "guts" to speak of, while giant clams have all the organs you'd expect to find in more complex animal. Like the other species, T. squamosa has gills, a heart, a stomach, kidneys, and gonads, etc., so it needs far more calories than a coral needs to get through a day. I can assure you that it's entirely possible to have plenty of light for corals to grow very well, but still not have enough to keep a giant clam. Each individual clam has its own requirements at that, with some needing more light than others, even at the same size. To add, you cannot give a tridacnid too much light as long as a specimen is given time to adapt to intense lighting, so it's better to err on the bright side than the dim side. Don't take any chances! When it comes to water flow, these clams typically live where they're regularly exposed to strong currents and wave activity. So, they're quite used to strong, surging water motion. Thus, it's perfectly okay to expose them to a surging or turbulent flow, but putting a specimen in a spot where a pump blasts it with a strong, non-stop linear current is not recommended. Basically, what you need to avoid is putting a specimen anywhere that currents cause its mantle to fold upwards or over onto itself all the time, or an even stronger flow that makes a specimen chronically retract its mantle. On the other hand, it's hard to have it too slow as long as the water constantly flows over/around them. With that said, when it comes to placement in a tank, you obviously don't have to worry about putting a specimen in exactly the right spot on the right substrate, either. While T. squamosa is most commonly found on hard substrates, placing a specimen on any substrate seems to work fine. Again, I've seen them living on rubble, sand, and muddy sand in the wild. Lastly, T. squamosa doesn't need to be fed anything as long as a specimen is kept under sufficient lighting in a well-stocked aquarium with several fishes. Again, all giant clams are very good at absorbing many of the nutrients they require directly from surrounding waters, and the fishes in an aquarium are the source of these nutrients. Basically, you feed the fishes, and the wastes they give off become a food source for any clams present. So, as long as you have several fishes and feed them well, there won't be any need to provide T. squamosa with any sort of food. You may have heard otherwise, but I assure you this is true, as I've had many, many clams over the years and haven't had to feed them anything. If you're curious, more details on this particular topic can be found in my article Tridacnid Clams (Usually) Don't Need to Be Fed in Aquaria in the July 2010 issue, and even more related information is included in Giant Clams in the Sea and the Aquarium (Fatherree, 2006). References and sources for more information Fatherree, J.W. 2006. Giant Clams in the Sea and the Aquarium. Liquid Medium. Tampa, FL. 227pp. Fatherree, J.W. 2010. Tridacnid Clams (Usually) Don't Need to Be Fed in Aquaria. Advanced Aquarist, URL: http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2010/7/inverts Rosewater, J. 1965. The family Tridacnidae in the Indo-Pacific. Indo-Pacific Mollusca 1:347-396. View the full article

Small size kole tang, think still have 2 pcs Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2

Click through to see the images. " height="408" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="680"> "> "> Pedro's reef tank was nominated Ultimate Reef's September 2012 Tank of the Month, a distinction most deserved; Advanced Aquarist only wishes we had discovered Pedro's tank first to feature in our magazine. We strongly encourage you to read Ultimate Reef's TOTM article to appreciate Pedro's aquarium in all its grandeur. Here's a quick rundown of key system components: Tank Dimensions: 40 x 23 x 18 inches (100cm x 58cm x 45cm) 50 gallons (192 liters) ATI 8x 39w dimmable T5 fixture Bubble King Double Cone 200 2 x Ecotech Marine Vortech MP10w ES Balling Light method Korallen-Zucht ULNS (Ultra Low Nutrient System) regiment And obligatory full tank shot: View the full article