Saltwater Aqua scaping with Live Rock

Aqua scaping your live rocks can be a very frustrating experience.  Especially if you are trying to do a overlay or bridge with your live rock.  One of the products we use at DSAM to help us overcome falling live rock is a new product called E-Marco-400.  This is a bonding/mortar that keeps your live rock stuck together and enables you to do awesome designs.  E-Marco-400 is easy to work with.  The mixing process is simple and you can play with it until you get the consistency you want.  The bonding/mortar starts to dry in about 10 minutes and by the next day the live rock is solid.  You can purchase the E-Marco-400 5lb or 10lb kit at http://www.marcorocks.com/  or if you want a professional to do it for you.  You can contact us at 562 477-2219

Great addition to a Reef Tank: The Skunk Cleaner Shrimp

Lysmata amboinensis, the skunk cleaner shrimp or Pacific cleaner shrimp is widespread in the Red Sea and Indo-Pacific

The skunk cleaner shrimp is a great addition to any reef tank and for most fish only tanks as well. As long as the fish do not pose a predatory risk to the shrimp. They are omnivorous scavengers, eating almost anything, but are most well known for their symbiotic relationship with fish.

When a fish comes down with Ich or another parasite, it will sidle up next to the shrimp and patiently tread water while waiting for the shrimp to clean its body of parasites. This is a fascinating behavior to watch, not to mention practical in a reef tank where Ich outbreaks can threaten fish, but most Ich medications will kill off corals.

 The cleaner shrimps will be less shy if kept in 2-3 member groups; they will establish their own "cleaner station" on live rock and fish will know where to seek them when they require their services.



UV Sterilizers for a Reef Tank?

What is a UV Sterilizer?

A purification method which uses ultraviolet light to kill harmful bacteria and micro organisms.

The problem is the UV light kills beneficial micro organisms too. In my opinion a reef aquarium that is over a year old should not need a UV Sterilizer. Especially if you are using proper quarantine practices on new fish you introduce to your aquarium. Not to say that a UV Sterilizer would not be a valuable tool on stand by for any disease outbreaks. Reason being you are very limited on what medications you can use in a reef aquarium. I would not use a UV Sterilizer on a regular basis for a reef aquarium.

LED Lights

The corals are responding to the new LED lights.  I do wish I went with the a 120 kit instead of the 60.  I always like more wattage.  Next week I will be posting a youtube video of the aquarium and the LED lighting.  Be sure to check back for that.  I am thinking of starting a new thread about UV sterilizers.  My partner and I have debated over the use of UVs in reef aquariums.  I would like to get some others opinions on the subject.

Thanks
Kris
http://www.deepseanow.com/

Commited to an EcoRay 60 LED light kit

So after my original post and several hours of research.  I decided to give the EcoRay 60 LED kit a try on a 34 gallon reef aquarium.  The reef aquarium is stocked with mostly soft corals.  All the corals seem to be doing well under the new light.  The  EcoRay 60 LED kit replaced a T5 HO kit that had 4x 20w bulbs.  I do like the shimmer effect the LED light gives.  The lights have only been on this reef aquarium for 3 weeks.  I will give an update about once a month on how the corals look and maybe take some PAR readings.

34 gallon Reef Tank w/ EcoRay60 LED lights

LED Lights

I have been keeping aquariums since 1990 and over the years I have seen many new gadgets come  and go..  The newest thing to catch my eye is LED lighting.  I have heard they are more energy efficient than Metal Halides and the bulbs last 10 years.  Wow!  My only questions is can you keep SPS corals successfully with them and are they ever going to go down in price?  I will be blogging my research on LEDs and also my own personal testing of the lights when/if I decide to purchase them.