Redfish Magazine - Issue 8

7/27/2019 Redfish Magazine - Issue 8

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RedfishFebruary, 2012 (Issue #8)

Tropical Goldies Reef

The Humble FantailMad about Nimbochromis Fun with Faviidae

Tropical damsels


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Marine

Coral Reef

MODEL VOLUME DIMENSIONS

AquaReef 300 300L 102 L x 52 D x 73/88 cm H


http://www.aquaone.com.au/


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Redfish contents

Redfish is:Jessica Drake, Nicole Sawyer,Julian Corlet & David Midgley

Email: [email protected]: redfishmagazine.com.au

Facebook: facebook.com/redfishmagazineTwitter: @redfishmagazine

Redfish Publishing. Pty Ltd.PO Box 109 Berowra Heights,

NSW, Australia, 2082.ACN: 151 463 759

This months Eye Candy Contents Page Photos courtesy:

(Top row. Left to Right)

A-Koi-ing by Michael GilTurkoise 2007 068 by Alain Feulvarch

Lake Malawi Cichlid by crabchick

More fish by the_tahoe_guy

Star fish by the_tahoe_guy

(Bottom row. Left to Right)Juvenile Pseudotropheus zebra cobalt by Lee Nachtigal

Platax by Alain Feulvarch

Poisson lion by Alain Feulvarch

Jelly fish by Lefteris Katsouromallis

Brain Coral Platygyra by arthurmlee1

4 About

5 Off the Shelf

8 Competitions

9 In the Fishroom

15 Nimbochromis

20 Fantails

22 Fun with Faviidae

29 Tropical Damsels

41 Community listing

redfishmagazine.com.au


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About RedfishRedf ish is a free-to-read magazine

for fishkeeping enthusiasts.

At Redf ish we believe in the free exchange of information tofacilitate success by aquarium and pond hobbyis ts. Each monthRedf ish Magazine will bring you dedicated sections on tropical,

coldwater, marine and ponds.

Redf ish was founded in early 2011 by Jessica Drake,Nicole Sawyer, Julian Corlet and David Midgley.

We hope you enjoy this, the eighth issue of Redf ish.

Photo courtesy: (matt) About Redsh Magazine 2012:8 4

The Fine PrintRedf ish Magazine

General Advice WarningThe advice contained in this publication isgeneral in nature and has been prepared

without understanding your personal situ-

ation, experience, setup, livestock and/orenvironmental conditions.

This general advice is not a substitute for,or equivalent of, advice from a professional

aquarist, aquarium retailer or veterinarian.

DistributionWe encourage you to share our website

address online, or with friends. Issues ofRedfish Magazine, however, may only bedistributed via download at our website:

redfishmagazine.com.au

Opinions & ViewsOpinions and views contained herein arethose of the authors of individual articles

and are not necessarily thoseof Redf ish Publishing.

Ownership and copyrightRedfish Magazine is 2011Redf ish Publishing. Pty Ltd.

PO Box 109 Berowra Heights,NSW, Australia, 2082.

ACN: 151 463 759
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Off the Shelf

The Aqua One Radiance Marine LED Light

Unit, the most advanced LED marinelighting or the seasoned aquarist.

The Radiance Marine LED Light Unit rep-licates natural lighting creating a morerealistic and ambient environment or

your marine lie and also aestheticallyenhances the look o your aquarium.

Features & Benets:

Programmable Timer There is no need or electronic timers on power outlets, as the Radiance controller

allows the user to set the time, date and control the photoperiod directly. Moonlight Function The moonlight intensity ollows the actual lunar cycle using the time and date pro-grammed into the controller. Manual Mode The user can set the intensity o both the white and the blue LEDs independently allowingthe overall colour to be customised. Power to each colour can be set rom 1-100% in 1% increments Incremental Dimming 6 dierent time/intensity points can be selected allowing a customised sunrise/sunset. Energy Saving Due to the dimming unction, less power is used than a non-dimming light unit with com-parable power consumption. Low Heat Output Unlike metal halide and uorescent light units, heat is transerred upwards rom theunit instead o downwards towards the aquarium. Fans built into the unit keep the unit cool to touch andincreases the efciency o the units. No UV or IR Light Increased eciency by converting power to visible wavelengths that are useul or coralgrowth and eliminates heat input to the aquarium created by inrared light ound in metal halide and uo-rescent lighting.

Aqua One products are widely available at most quality pet retailers.To fnd your nearest retailer, visit www.aquaone.com.au

Aqua One RadianceMarine LED Reector

Off the shelf Redsh Magazine 2012:8 5

Quiet, energy ecient and powerul, the Nautilus range o Canister Filterseature easy to use technology with a Quick Release Tap System to ensureast, easy and mess ree maintenance!Priming the flter is simple - all models (excluding the Nautilus 2700UVC)include a built-in primer, which primes the flter at the push o a button! TheNautilus 2700UVC also includes an ultra violet steriliser to ensure the elimi-nation o ree oating algae and harmul micro-organisms.The modular design o the Nautilus Canister Filters allows or additionalltration media to be added so that you can customise the lter to suit yourrequirements. It also eatures a sophisticated biological and mechanicalfltration system, with a selection o wool, sponges, bio balls and flter mediaprovided to ensure a perect set up straight away!Nautilus Canister Filters are suitable or cold water, tropical & marine set-ups.

Aqua One products are widely available at most quality pet retailers.To fnd your nearest retailer, visit www.aquaone.com.au

Aqua One NautillusCanister Filters


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Off the Shelf

AquaTops Clear Magic Powder will puriy your aquar-ium water right beore your eyes! Clear Magic Powderis sae or Freshwater and Saltwater Aquariums andcan be added ater routine cleaning. Once added to

your aquarium, Clear Magic Powder orces organics inthe aquarium to clump into larger molecules allowingor easier pick-up by your aquarium flter. Clear MagicPowder will also help keep the glass or acrylic walls o

your aquarium algae-ree in between cleanings.

One packet is good or 30 gallons (115 litres) worth oaquarium water. (For 15 gallon aquariums (60 litres),use 1/2 a packet o Clear Magic Powder.) When usingClear Magic Powder, AquaTop recommends the useo an AquaTop Power Filter or an AquaTop CanisterFilter or maximum water clarity.

For more inormation, go to www.aquatop.com

AquaTops Clear

Magic Powder

http://www.aquatop.com/http://www.aquatop.com/


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Off the Shelf


Aquasonics Ocean Nature Sea Salt is an Aus-tralian made product, produced in Australia orover 35 years. It is made rom the purest chemi-cal ingredients & consists o a complete spec-trum o trace elements as ound in Natural SeaWater. It also provides a stable pH level uponmixing & each batch is scientifcally tested.It is widely used by universities, hobbyists, live

seaood holding systems, aquariums and quar-antine holding acilities. Ocean Nature dissolvesquickly & is ready or use within minutes omixing. The dehydrated salt provides excellentvalue to the user, allowing or immediate use.Dose Rate: 4kg per 120L @ 24C = 1.022 SpecifcGravity. Ocean Nature is a proven ormula thatwill produce synthetic sea water capable o cul-turing the most delicate marine sh and invertebrates.

Sizes available in 2kg, 4kg, 10kg and 20kg.

Ocean Nature

Sea Salt

Aquasonics Protech is an Australian madeproduct, which is a vitamin enriched slimecoatprotection used as a treatment or sh duringtransport. It is also used when fsh are beinghandled during transer and water changes toassist fsh recovery rom stress, fght o diseaseand recommence eeding.

Protech provides slime coat and vitamin supple-ments B1, B2, B6, B12, E, and A which is a power-ul vitamin mixture and will enhance fsh healthand quality prior to sale. Dose Rate: 1mL per 20litres or general use.

Protech


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PhotoContest2012Redfish Magazine

Redfish Magazine Photo Contest. Oct 2011 - Jan 2012

Redsh Magazine is pleased to announce the winning entries in its secondphoto competition. Tanks to AquaOne or supplying the lter as a prize!

Need Inspiration?Here are some amazing

aquatic images rom fickr!

Untitled by Philippe AMIO

ray by Jim Fischer

Te Dolphin Gives Girl a Rose - With Love ;)by Hamed Saber

Diver Silhouette by im Sheerman-Chase

Competitions Redsh Magazine 2012:8 8

White Percula: Tomas Diaz

Untitled: Michelle Nixon


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Today In The Fishroomwith Mo DevlinHogaboomorum.

Unusual name.Beautiul fsh.

a relative o the red devils

and midas cichlids, the

hogaboomorum is a

strikingly patterned and

coloured central ameri-

can cichlid.

Text and photos by Mo Devlin


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the name is as it is, and not referred to as hoga-boomorus with Amphilophus.

The fish is closely related to A. citr inellum andshares most of the same characteris tics. The dif-ference is that the aggression level of the Hogsis not as ramped up as the Midas cichlid. I cur-rently have one breeding pair and a spare maleliving in a 180 gallon tank along with a juvenileParatheraps synspilusa target fish whose solepurpose is to minimize aggression between themuch larger Hogs.The living arrangements in the tank are quitesimple. One large male along with the targetfish live on one half of the tank and the breedingpair residing on the other. Most often living ar-rangements like this among large cichlids end upwith one or the other getting bruised or worse.For whatever reason, the trio and the other havelived in harmony for eight years.

The f ish breed regularly several times a year pro-viding lots of fry for distr ibution into the hobby.

Like most large cichlids the breeding behaviorbegins with the male and female displaying.Whenever they star t the breeding process themale will begin with a dueling match with the

males squaring off and displaying.It almost appears as if the female is looking on towatch the confrontation.

Despite the active displaying, ALL of the fishmanage to keep those beautiful trailers on theirf ins. In fact one of the things we noted when wecollected the f ish was that they also maintainedtheir trailer in the wild.

The male on the left (non-breeder) is about aninch bigger than the breeding male. I speculate

that energy that would normally go towardgrowth, is diver ted to breeding. This seems to bethe case for all of the breeding cichlids I have kept.

Blog Redsh Magazine 2012:8 11


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Any time I have multiple f ish of the same species,the breeders always remain smaller (centre right).

You can see from the picture WHO is actuallygaining ground. Note the direction of the pelvic

fins. Hes swimming backward in retreat. I havea half dozen photos of this scene...each with thesame. He would advance, then rapidly retreat(bottom right).

Once the male is satisfied that the competitionis quiet, he will turn his attention to the female...chasing her around the breeding area, oftent-boning her pushing her sideways. The femaledoesnt seem to avoid this attention.

The pair always breed in the pot on the far leftbottom. Almost always she will play this peek-a-boo game with the male...with her head comingout of a much smaller area that the male cantaccess. You can see that he is interested (top,overleaf).

Eventually they will end up in the breeding area.

And as things go, within a couple weeks, the tankwill be full of fry (see Page 13). For the most par tI have distr ibuted fry to fellow enthusiasts. SomeI have kept in various tanks as dither fish. Oth-



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ers I have separated and keep as grow outs.

This is a great f ish for someone who is lookingfor a wet pet. Hopefully we will see it more of-ten in the hobby. If you have any specif ic ques-tions about the species, you can e-mail me [email protected] or visit my Aquamojofacebook page: http://www.facebook.com/aquamojo for more photos.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mo Devlin is the owner of Aquamojo.Com. He maintains three thousand gallons of fresh water tanks. Over histhirty years in the hobby he has successfully bred many of the Central and South American cichlid f ishes.His passion for New World cichlids is only rivaled by his love of photography. Over the years, he has posted imagesof his collection frequently in his Today in the Fishroom series on line across many national and international f ishforums. Mo has spent two terms on the board of trus tees for the American Cichlid Assn, was chairman of the orga-nization in 2010, and has been the Publicity chairman for the past decade.


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Freshwater Redsh Magazine 2012:8 15

Biology & EcologyStanding on the shore of Lake Malawi lookingout to the horizon you could be forgiven if youthought you stood at Lands end. Its a vast bodyof water thats host to two amazing lineages ofcichlid fishes. The first includes a range of pocketrockets known in Africa and by hobbyists asmbuna. These f ishes include the iconic zebras,electr ic yellows and their allies. The second lin-eage is that of the Haps, a shortened form of

the name Haplochromis the genus to whichmany of these f ishes were once assigned. Longsince revised to only contain a comparativelysmall number of cichlids, the name of the lineagelives on to describe the non-mbuna cichlids ofLake Malawi.

Amongst these Haps is a small group of strik-

ing patterned cichlids from the genus Nim-bochromis. Very popular with African cichlidenthusiasts, these f ishes feature bodies spottedor blotched with darker colours. Attractively,the females retain the blotches, while malestake on bright colours (metallic blues, reds and

Nimbochromisits Hapless to resist

a male Nimbochromis venustusin an aquarium.

Lake Malawi is a vas t body of water tha t from the shore looks like it could be as large as an ocean.


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golds) on the onset of sexual maturity. All spe-cies are predators that prey on smaller fishes(both young haps and mbuna). The group is fa-mous for the oft-reported habit of corpse mim-cry, where the predator pretends to be dead tolure small f ishes close enough to be consumed.There are seven species in the group: N. fusco-taeniatus, N. linni, N. livingstonii, N. maculimanus,N. pardalis, N. polystigmaand N. venustus. Alloccupy a similar ecological niche in the Lake andgrow to 6-10 (15-25cm) in length.

Aquarium care and keepingEstablishing a new aquarium to breed one spe-cies of Nimobochromis is relatively straightfor-ward, though we note here that all species hybri-

dise readily and should be keep separately fromeach other. The aquarium should be well cycled,a state that can be quickly achieved by usingaged water and an already established biologi-cal filter. The latter can be as simple as seedingyour new filter with 1/2 old f ilter material from a a juvenile Nimbochromis livingstoniishowing the typically

blotched pattern common to juveniles and females.

previously established aquarium. Good aquariumstores and hobbyists should be able to assist youin this, if you dont have an established aquariumof your own. The water should be hard and al-kaline, whilst numerous specialist Lake Malawi pHbuffers are available and work very well - an al-kaline substrate (shell grit, crushed marble, coral

sand, aragonite etc) or a bag of shells in the fil-ter is suff icent. The pH should be stable above7.5 and preferably around 8. Its worth noting atthis point that high pH and tank cycling are notideal companions (this is because ammonium is
http://www.aquasonic.com.au/


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male N. fuscotaeniatusare strikingly coloured fish.

converted to ammonia at high pH). Care musttherefore be taken to ensure that ammonia (and

nitrite, though for different reasons) are 0 beforeadding any new stock. Once the water is readyyou should set about aquascaping your aquari-um. Plants tend to do poorly in the alkaline water,though Java Fern will survive and is resistant tothe odd nip from the f ish as well. Most AfricanCichlid enthusiasts tend to decorate the aquari-um with piled stones, creating caves and creviceswhere harassed individuals can shelter from the

attentions of the alpha male fish in the colony.Ive had success aquascaping with granite andbasalt s tones, and even quartz can look effective.Its best to stick to a single rock type to give anatural look. An alternative some aquarists havetried is using coral skeletons, barnacle shells etcto create a kind of faux-marine look, sometimeseven to the point of using actinic lights.

Regardless, once youve decorated the aquarium

with plenty of hiding places you should set aboutobtaining a group of cichlids from a local store orhobbyist group. For a 4 tank (180 litre) Id sug-gest you could keep around 8-10 Nimbochromis.

a juvenile Nimbochromis livingstoniishowing the typicallyblotched pattern common to juveniles and females.

Nimbochromis polys tigmablends into its surroundings inthe wild.


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Its possible to create a faux-marine look with Afr ican Cichlids, though this isnt to everyones taste.

Juveniles are immensely preferably to adults and

should be easiler to obtain. Allow the individu-als to grow together in the aquarium and be onthe look out for signs of aggression and matu-rity. On maturity youll probably want an aver-age sized aquarium with 10 nimbochromines tohave a maximum of 2 males. Excess males arepopular with aquarists and can be readily tradedin at retailers or sold to other hobbyists. Havinga ratio of 4-5 females to every 1 male is def initelya good idea and should reduce aggression. For

new cichlid keepers Id also recommend that youhave the means to isolate overly aggressive orinjured fish.

As far as Haps go, Nimbochromisspecies are re-altively docile, but the odd hyper-aggressive in-dividual can cause signifcant harm in a relativelyshort time. The inclusion of some very fast swim-ming dither/target fish can also assist in moder-

ating aggression. If room permits, T-bars andtheir similarly sized kin are good choices as theyare fast swimming and can tolerate the odd nipwithout it adversely affecting their health.

Like all Haps, Nimbochromisspecies are mouth-

brooding cichlids and carrying-females can bereadily identif ied by their swollen mouths and theirtendancy not to feed. This last point can cause fe-males to lose weight and condition rapidly if theyare allowed to carry successive batches of fry. Arecovery aquarium, or ability to rest a female inthe absence of males soon restores these f ish tocondition.

Like all Haps, the fry once they are emerge from

the mothers mouth are large and straightfor-ward to care for, readily accepting powderedflake or pelleted foods.

In conclusion, Nimbochromine cichlids make agreat display. The patterning on females meansthat species-only tanks need not include a largenumber of grey fish. Like all cichlids, a little over-sight is necessary to manage aggression by alpha

males, however, these large haps tend to be rela-tively calm. If youve kept community f ishes andwant to try something different why not considertrying your hand at these striking cichlids.


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Looking for more impact?Contact Redfish for advertising that reaches your market.

Redfish MagazineEmail: [email protected]

Web: redfishmagazine.com.auFacebook: facebook.com/redfishmagazineTwitter: @redfishmagazine

photo by Khantipol
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FantailsTe Fanail Goldsh is one o he mos popular and requenly kep aquari-um pe he world over. Tey have a repuaion or being hardy andundemanding o keep and as a resul heyre oen chosen asa rs sh or beginners. Whils he Fanail should bea relaively long-lived sh (a 25 year liespan or awell-kep specimen is no unusual), unorunae-ly many o hese sh don ge o reach heirrue poenial - beginners are oen givenpoor advice or may have misconcepionsabou he bes way o keep hese sh.So heres a guide o keeping he hardyFanail.Firs o all, goldsh bowls are

no suiable or goldsh! Mosgoldsh bowl kis don evenhave a ler, which makes ivery dicul o mainainreasonable waer qualiy.

Aside rom he ler issue,is he size o he bowlha is a problem. Evenhe larges bowl is no big

enough o house a singleadul specimen o even hesmalles variey o goldsh.Fanails ge quie large (upo 20cm) and hey growquickly. Realisically, heaquarium o house adulsh should be suiably sizedo cope wih 15-20 cm sh.Obviously i you have morehan one individual youll needa larger sysem.All aquarium sh need o live ina sysem where good waer qualiyis mainained via a healhy, workinglraion sysem and Fanails are noexcepion. Even hough hey are consid-ered o be quie hardy, and can cope wihsome fucuaion in waer qualiy beter hanmany oher sh can, hey sil l require decen

waer qualiy o be mainained. Aside rom a properlycycled aquarium ler, weekly waer changes o 10-30%are necessary o remove niraes rom he aquarium. Goldshhave a big appeie, can be messy eeders and hey produce a lo o

Goldsh Redsh Magazine 2012:8 20


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aeces. When doing waer changes is a goodidea o siphon down near he gravel and in anycorners, nooks and crannies o remove anywase ha has accumulaed in hese areas.

Goldsh aren ussy eaers and here arepleny o good qualiy, balanced fake or pelle

goldsh oods available. Tey are quie greedysh however and is easy o overeed hem. Ipays o be disciplined abou no eeding hemoo much as he sh will be healhier or i andgood waer qualiy will be easier o mainain.

Te idea ha goldsh have a hree secondmemory is a myh which derives rom an oldjoke. As anyone who has kep goldsh knows,hey have a good memory and soon learn o

recognise heir owner. Teyve been shown obe able o remember specic hings or a leassix monhs. For he paien goldsh owner, heycan even be augh o do ricks such as soccerwhere he sh pushes a oy ball ino a goal.

Goldsh are social and eel happier and lesssressed i hey are kep in small groups. Agroup o hree o our sh is ideal bu o coursehe aquarium hey are kep in needs o be largeenough o comorably accommodae all ohe sh. Having plans (be hey plasic or live)and dcor in he aquarium is also imporan asi gives he sh cover which makes hem eelsecure. Happy, relaxed sh will swim ou in hemain areas o he ank, knowing ha hey canalways duck under cover i hey need o.

Fanail goldsh are one o he hardies ormso goldsh bu hey sill require proper care inorder or hem o live o he ripe old age ha

hey should. Forunaely, giving hem he righenvironmen is relaively easy and requiresjus some sensible planning beore pur-chasing he sh and he correc equip-men. Wih his, you can have a group ohealhy, atracive sh which are morehan jus decoraive, hey will becomeineresing, ineracive pes or yearso come.

Goldsh Redsh Magazine 2012:8 21


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Reefkeeping Redsh Magazine 2012:8 22

Sara Allyn Mavinkurve Presents:


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Many o my avorite corals come rom the Favii-dae amily. Hardy, adaptable and raggable, theamily includes some o the most aquarium ap-propriate corals commonly available at your localaquarium store. Several genera in this amily cangrow relatively ast (or stony corals) in the rightenvironment. Most can be kept under a wide

range o light intensities. I there is any suchthing as a beginner stony coral, its likely to beound within the Faviidae amily. Tis article willdiscuss several o the popular genera o the Favii-dae amily o corals.

Caulastrea

(Trumpet Coral)Caulastreaspp. corals usually look like a cross

between a moon coral and a torch coral. Te pol-yps are usually, but not always, a tan or greenishcolor with bright green centers. Teyre easy tokeep and easy to rag. While you dont necessar-ily need to eed them specically (i.e. separately

rom your sh and other livestock), doing sowill likely promote health and growth. Itsalso un to watch. Tese corals have an im-pressive ability to capture prey (ood). Ideally,they should be ed a variety o meaty sea oods(chopped sh, squid, krill, brine shrimp, etc.)

I the coral is new to your system, it mightbe shy at rst. It might not put out eedingtentacles right away. You can encourage yourcoral to start coming out by target eeding thecoral. While target eeding, turn o all watercirculation so that the ood can all directlyonto the coral. I you dont want to eed thewhole system, use a turkey baster to squirt oodlocally over the coral. Within less than an hour,

the coral should begin to grab hold o theood. Ater this starts, wait another 20 minutesor so and then turn the circulation back on.Doing this or a ew days should result in thecoral regularly extending its eeding tentacles in

A yellow clown goby hides amongst the polyps of this Caulastrea.


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anticipation o eeding. I, when target eeding,your sh start picking the ood o the coral, youcan use a plastic strawberry basket (or some othersimilar contraption) to keep sh away while thecoral eeds.

Platygyra

(Maze Corals)Te group o corals we collectively call MazeCorals come rom several dierent genera withinthe Faviidae amily. Teyre called Maze Cor-als because, well, the pattern o the walls o theircorallites orm what looks like a maze. Coralswith this kind o pattern could be Platygyraspp.,Faviaspp., Goniastreaspp., Oulophylliaspp., orsomething else. Without seeing the tissue-ree

exposed skeleton up close, its unlikely youd beable to nail down the specic genera or certain,much less the specic species.

Some Maze Corals are hardy and easy to careor while others are ar more dicult and sensi-tive. I wish I could tell you how to tell the twoapart, but its not always so easy. In general, Idsay that i the coral has survived several weeks(at least) in captivity at your local aquariumstore without any signs o dying or bleaching

tissue, Id say it s likely one o the hardier vari-eties.

Te FaviaMaze Corals, in my experience, tendto be inexpensive or their size, relatively astgrowing, and super un to keep. Te maze coralI keep in my own system (which I *think* isa Faviasp.) oten puts out sweeper tentaclesthat are easily more than 6 inches (about 15cm) long. Sweeper tentacles are not quite the

same as eeder tentacles. Teyre longer andare thought to serve a dierent purpose. Inmost Faviaspp. corals, the sweeper tentacles are

Maze corals come from a range of genera and are difficult to ID.


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signicantly longer than the eeder tentacles andserve the purpose o stinging any neighboringcorals which might be encroaching on the coralsspace. As long as your aquarium isnt too over-crowded with corals youd rather not get stung,sweeper tentacles can be un to watch.

Echinopora(Chalice Coral)Despite the act that some ree aquarists havecome to reer to both Echinoporaspp. corals andEchinophylliaspp. corals as echinos, they arein act rom entirely dierent amilies. Echino-phylliacorals are in the Pectiniidae amily whilethe Echinioporacorals are in the Faviidae amily.Both are commonly available to ree aquarists.

Whether or not one is more common than theother probably depends on where you are in theworld and other actors determining mercurialavailability.

Chalice corals are a loosely associated groupo corals rom several dierent genera (and evendierent amilies) which all share a ew simi-

A sharknose goby (Elacatinus evelynae) perched on a boulder brain coral (Colpophyllianatans). Photo by Laszlo Ilyes.

Frags of various Chalice Corals.Photo by MrCoral.com at flickr.


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lar supercial visual characteristics. I woulddescribe them as looking like lumpy platingMontiporawith loosely dispersed larger polypmouths which look a little like eyes. Some-one else might describe them as a more fuidor plate-like moon coral with more colorulpolyps that are more spread out and varying in

size. Others might say they look like lumpyTurninariawithout all the tentacles. Howeveryou want to describe them, theyre all usuallyvery colorul and interesting looking.

Its dicult to say much about chalice coralsas a group since the only thing they really allhave in common is their appearance. Since thisarticle is about Faviidae, Im going to restrict

my characterization o chalice corals to thoseo the Echinoporaspp.

Probably the most amous o the Echinoporacorals is the Echinopora lamellosa. Its com-monly ound in rees around the Indo Pacicand around the Great Barrier Ree o Australia.In the wild, according to Sea Lie Base, theyreound at depths ranging rom 3m to 35m. Tat

Frags of various Chalice Corals.Photo by MrCoral.com at flickr.

Brain corals can grow to significant sized colonies in the wild!


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would lead this writer to believe that theyre bestkept under high-moderate to intense lighting.Like the trumpet corals, they benet rom target

eeding with nely chopped/mashed meaty oods(likely the smaller the better). Tey are hermaph-roditic broadcast spawners with external ertiliza-tion. Tus they might, at least theoretically, beable to reproduce in captivity.

I read on a blog in the US that, last year, ORA(based in the US), started selling an Echinoporalamellosacoral they called the Sprung Stunner.

Supposedly, it grows aster and looks prettier thanother Echinopora lamellosa. However, I believethat how ast a coral grows is probably infuencedas much by its environment as anything else. Ocourse, there may be some individual corals witha genetic predisposition or aster growth and/or brighter colors (just as there are human beingswith genetic predispositions to grow taller and/orhave bright red hair). None-the-less I wouldntassume such claims when advertised by anyone

attempting to sell you a coral with a celebrityname.

Favia and Favites

(Moon &Brain Coral)

Also known as moon corals and sometimesbrain corals, there are many species oFaviaand Favites. Tey come in all dierent colors,but are usually around the same shape (roundor globular).

Similar to the trumpet corals, these coralsmight be shy at rst and it helps to target eedthem until they start readily producing eedertentacles. ypically, the eeder tentacles will

come out at night (or shortly beore lights out).However, many o them can be trained to puttheir eeder tentacles out during the day.

Because these corals can be ound at a widerange o depths, most o them are considerablyadaptable to a wide range o light intensities.Moderate to higher water fow is best to pre-vent damage rom accumulating sediment andto encourage eeder tentacles. Tey are usuallyhardy and orgiving corals. Tey can be raggedwith care using a wet saw or a Dremel. Slowtissue recession is usually a sign o starvation

Favia growing in an aquarium with Caulerpa.


28/42

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Sara Allyn Mavinkurve is a WetWebMedia crew member who has authored a range of ar ticles on corals andmarine aquariums for international and US fishkeeping magazines. Shes a special guest at the Marine Aquariumsof South Africa. When shes not writing about f ish, Sara is an attorney who SCUBA dives in her ever-shrinkingamounts of free-time.


and/or poor water quality. Bleaching is usuallythe result o ailure to acclimate to a change inlighting conditions.

Faviaand Favitesspp. are oten misidentiedas Acanthastreaspp. (and vice versa). Fortu-nately, the care requires or Acanthastreaspp.are mostly the same.

Montastrea

(Star Coral)Te Montastreaspp. corals are called reebuilders because they ound huge boulder-like

colonies in the wild. Care requirements aremore or less the same as or Faviaand Favitiesspp.

Closing RemarksI you want to start keeping stony corals butarent sure what to start with, you should

seriously consider a coral rom the Faviidaeamily. Teyre hardy, un, adaptable, dynamicand relatively low maintenance. Tey can alsobe inexpensive (depending on the variety).

So go have some un with Faviidae!

Montastrea are large architectural corals that are important reef-builders!


29/42

Marine Redsh Magazine 2012:8 29

tropical

damselsby Aaron Sewell

With over 300 species it comes as nosurprise that there are a great variety of

damself ishes offered to aquarists.

Most damselfishes dont reach more than

~ 20 cm (8) with many smaller speciesbeing 10 - 15 cm (4-6) in length. This

makes damselfishes ideal candidates forhome aquaria. On the downside, these

fish are notorious for their aggressionand careful consideration of species and

tankmates is critical.

Damselfishes are usually added to aquariums becausethey are hardy, colourful and conf ident fish that willspend much of their time swimming openly through

the aquarium. Although damself ishes are much ma-ligned by more experienced aquarists, however, thereare several features of damselfishes that demonstratewhy they are the single most commonly seen family of

fish in the marine aquarium trade.

Traditionally, it has been common to add 1 or 2 dam-selfish to a new aquarium in order to kick star t thenitrogen cycle, largely because these fish are both

cheap and resilient with respect to less than optimalwater quality.

However, over the past decade or so, it has becomeabundantly clear that adding live fish has no benefits

whatsoever, and in fact adding a small amount offood to the aquarium is sufficient to provide a devel-

oping bacterial population with the nutrients theyrequire to establish the biological filtration. Add to this

that it is cruel to expose any f ish to these hostile condi-tions and it is surprising that this practice still occurs, even


30/42


more so that it is still recommended. The other drawbackto this method is that due to the aggression levels of

many damselfish, starting with one of these fish can limitthe choices when it comes to stocking the aquarium with

other small fish.

That said, the resilience of these fish make them an idealchoice for beginners. The fact these f ish are so tolerant of

less than ideal water quality coupled with the fact thesefish are generally brightly coloured and very confident fish

means that given the right choice of tankmates damsel-fishes are the perfect candidate for the less experienced

aquarist.

On top of this, damself ishes seem to be some of the leastfussy f ish when it comes to feeding, they will accept almost

all forms of food including flake and pellet foods withouthesitation. Having said that, damselfishes are almost

exclusively carnivorous, naturally feeding on zooplank-ton, so meaty foods, such as mysis shrimp or dried foods(f lakes and pellets) that have a high meat content. If that

is not enough, damselfish in general are amongst the leastexpensive of marine f ish to buy. The price tag of marine

f ish is often enough to turn off many potential marineaquarists but with many species of damselfish in the range

of $15 or even less, they are perfect for someone who istentatively taking their firs t steps into the world of marine

aquariums.

Damselfishes are egg layers many aquarists will be

familiar with the nurturing behaviour of anemonef ishes and are very protective of their eggs, often with care

shared by both parents. This parental care, which is fairlyunique amongst reef fishes, is extended even further withAcanthochromis polyacanthus, the Spiney Damself ish a

species rarely seen in the aquarium trade where not onlydo the parents care for the eggs, they also care for the ju-

veniles, making them the only members of the family to nothave a pelagic larval stage. Such is the aggression shownby parental damselfishes, it is not uncommon to see eggs

laid out in open view on the reef, most notably the GoldenDamselfish, Neoglyphidodon aureus, which lays its eggs on

gorgonians/sea whips. The benef it to laying eggs in suchexposed areas is that the more substantial water flow

assists in gas exchange, reducing the work of the parents,which allows them more time to keep watch and defend

the eggs.

There is some mixed information regarding keeping dif fer-

ent species of damself ishes together. Because damselfishesare highly territorial and aggressively protect their feedinggrounds, it is generally recommended that, par ticularly insmaller aquariums, damself ish species are not mixed. On

An illustration rom the Journal Museum Goderoy

Fisches der Sudsee (1886) shows the typical body plano damselfshes and their clownfsh cousins (top). Most

species are stout bodied perciorm fshes that resem-

ble their reshwater cousins the cichlids.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Aaron Sewell

In 2004 Aaroncompleted a BSc(Marine Science)at the Universityof Sydney withmajors in marinebiology andtropical marinescience. Since 2001 he has beeninvolved with the aquarium indus-try at hobbyist and retail level andnow works in aquarium productdevelopment. Aaron is a formercommittee member of the MarineAquarium Society of Sydney andhas collected f ish and corals in Fijifor the US and European aquariumindustries. Aaron has been writing

for several local and internationalaquarium magazines since 2004.


31/42


the other hand, provided that suf f icient space and nicheswithin the aquarium are provided for the various f ish, it

is certainly possible to keep several species together withrelatively minimal inter-territorial scuffles taking place. Aswith most aggressive or semi-aggressive fish, it is recom-mended that when mixing species it is best to start withthe least aggressive and work your way upwards, allow-ing each individual to establish a terri tory before adding a

larger or more aggressive species/individual.

ChromisAlmost all marine aquarists have encountered the mostcommon species from this genus, Chromis viridisand its

almost indistinguishable relative C. atripectoralis, charac-terised largely by the presence of a small black spot behind

the pectoral fins. However, this genus contains around80 species with several species f inding their way into the

aquarium trade. Due to their relatively low value, thesefish are often sold under the generic name of damselfishas wholesalers nor retailers have great reason to further

identify these fish.

There are some unusual damselfsh species sometimes available in the hobby. This striking fsh isAmblyglyphidodon curacao(the

Staghorn Damsel). Like most o its relatives, its straightorward to keep and adapts well to the aquarium environment. The species is

native to the western Indo Pacifc.

The juvenile orm o the Cocoa Damselfsh (Stegastes vari-

abilis) is native to the Caribbean Sea and surrounding areas.

As they age, individuals lose much o their colour, though

blue highlights are retained.

The genus Stegastescontains some quite aggressive dam-

sels that deend small territories (which are oten larger

than your aquarium!). This species is one o the more docilemembers o the genus, however, its still a damselfsh and

some caution is advised when selecting conspecifcs.


32/42


Chromis, Neopomacentrus miryaeand

Anthiasspecies in the wild orm large

multispecies aggregates.


33/42


While damselfishes are notoriously aggressive for theirsize, Chromisseem to be one of the more common excep-tions to the rule. Unlike most other damselfishes, Chromisare commonly kept in small shoals though this is not with-out some risk. Chromisare hierarchical fish and there is adistinct pecking order within the shoal (though this is notalways apparent to the aquarist) and aggression is com-monly passed down the line. In large shoals as they form

in the wild the aggression is dispersed suf f iciently through-out the shoal with no significant effects. In the aquarium

however, in shoals of 3-10 f ish, constant aggression aimedat the individuals lowest in the chain can be fatal. It is not

uncommon for individuals to be picked off gradually leavingjust 2 remaining individuals. This is less common in larger

aquariums.

Chromisare relatively peaceful when it comes to tank-mates that are not conspecifics. They may show some ag-

gression towards the most peaceful of tankmates such asfirefish but they are generally tolerant of tankmates thatare not competing for the same space within the aquari-

um. Most Chromisreach around 5-6cm, making them oneof the smaller groups of damself ishes.

Chomisspecies, including this Green Chromis are unusually peaceul or damselfsh. They should be maintained in a school in theaquarium (preerably more than 5 individuals, and in odd numbered groups). The species is small, reaching only 8 cm (3) in length.

Best in larger aquariums where more substantial sized schools can be maintained.

A school o Ternate Chromis (Chromis ternatensis) at

the Addu Atoll in the Maldives. Here the species is ound

in large schools, requently with outcroppingAcropora

species. The species is small, growing to around 10 cm (8.5).

Like other Chromisspecies, its relatively peaceul. Large,

odd-numbered schools in larger aquariums are better.


34/42

PomacentrusThis genus contains some species that would be

easily recognised by aquarists as well as some species thatwhile not common in the trade are quite attractive f ish.

Most members of the genus do not get par ticularly large,usually reaching maximum sizes of around 7-8cm. Aggres-

sion varies greatly within the genus so compatibility can

be a bit of an experiment, especially given there can be somuch variance even within a single species.

Several of the more common species in this genus (in-cluding Pomacentrus pavo, P. coelestis, P. caeruleus, P.

auriventrisand P. alleni) are variations of what are com-monly sold as yellow tail blue damsels, though each hasa common name that can better identify them. Most ofthese f ish, along with the commonly available Yellow orLemon Damsel, P. molluccensis, are generally consideredto be semi-aggressive and will often harass any smaller

fish in the aquarium. On the other hand, the Fire Damsel,P. bankanensis, is relatively peaceful and usually will not

bother smaller tankmates.

ChrysipteraHere we star t to get into the more aggressive

damselfishes. Many members of the genus Chrysiptera


The Sulphur Damsel (Pomacentrus sulureus) is a rich

yellow colour and well sized or most aquariums, reaching

~10cm. Juveniles are less brightly coloured.

Pomacentrus vaiuli, the Ocellated Damselfsh is one o the

more aggressive Pomacentrusspecies.

Chrysiptera starckiis a truely beautiul fsh. The rule o thumb: one per aquarium and be wary with with tankmates.


35/42

possess stunning colouration but care should be takenwhen mixing these fish with smaller tankmates. There are

exceptions to the general aggression within the genus,with Talbots demoiselle, Chrysiptera talboti, being a rela-

tively placid member of the genus.

Like the genus Pomacentrus, the more commonly availableof these fish are a combination of blue and yellow often

with an almost iridescent appearance. This is an adapta-tion that makes these fish less conspicuous in open water

where they would be easy targets for predators. Thereflective, predominantly blue colouration helps them to

blend in with the blue water around them, a trait sharedby a vast number of species of damself ishes.

DascyllusThese fish are very closely related to the anem-

onefishes of the subfamily Amphiprioninae and in fact theThreespot or Domino Damsel, Dascyllus trimaculatus,

is often found sharing an anemone with anemonef ishes.Other members of the genus are found in small groups

around colonies of branching corals such as Acroporawhere they will hover a few centimetres above the coral,

feeding on zooplankton that passes in the current andquickly retreating amongst the branches at the first sign

of danger.


Heteractis magnifcasurrounded by a group o Domino

Damsels, Dascyllus trimaculatus, in Nha Trang, Vietnam.

Photo by TANAKA Juuyoh.

The Four Stripe Damselfsh (Dascyllus melanurus) is an aggressive fsh in the aquarium, but like virtually all damsels is ree sae.

The Red Sea Dascyllus (Dascyllus marginatus) is oten

ound in branching corals.


36/42


Humbug dasmsels (Dascyllus aruanus)

with blue-green chromis (Chromis viridis)

and Pomacentrus coelestis.

At the Mariana Islands, Guam.

Photo by David Burdick


37/42


NeoglyphidodonThis is a small genus with only a couple of speciesthat are encountered by aquarists with any degree of

regularity but I felt I should mention them because theyare a genus that can get aquarists in some trouble. Ofmost note in this regard is the Velvet or Jewel Damsel,

Neoglyphidodon oxyodon, which is black with iridescentblue streaks, quite a beautiful fish. However, not only

does this colouration change (fading to black) as the f ishmatures and grows, and grow it will, reaching a size of

around 15cm, but these are among the most aggressive ofdamselfish seen in the trade.

Members of this genus grow substantially larger than most

Pomacentrus leptusis a dark coloured damsel rom the

Red Sea.

a juvenile Longfn Damselfsh (Stegastes diencaeus).

Photo by Laszlo Ilyes

For a discussion o the large, temperate damsel known as

the Garibaldi, see Redfsh Magazine Issue #5.

the juvenile orm oMicrospathodon chrysurus, adults are

large and aggressive. For specialist damsel keepers only.

Photo by Chika Watanabe.

The juvenile orm oChromis chromisis marked with strikingblue stripes, the adult orm (above) is much more subtly coloured.

Regardless, the species is a typical Chromis (except in size, its

large!) and is relatively placid.

The transition rom juvenile to adult in many Pomocentridae is

marked by colour changes - so the aquarist should be aware o

both colourations beore choosing stock.

Your aquariums

made to order

0417 696 739www.AquariumsToGo.com.au


38/42


Whilst aggressive, the Domino Damsel continues to be

a avourite o the marine aquarium enthusiast!


39/42


commonly encountered damself ishes and probably should not be recommended to the average aquarist.In an established reef aquarium, it is difficult to remove fish, for damselfish, this is certainly the case and it isquite undesirable to be stuck with a f ish that is large, aggressive and doesnt even hold the brilliant coloura-tion that was once the reason it was selected to be added to the aquarium.

AbudeduThis is a widespread genus that will be familiar not only to marine aquarists but also to many people whohave snorkelled anywhere along the east or west coasts of Australia, with species ranging from south ofPer th right around the northern coastline and down to southern NSW. Fish from the genus Abudefdufarelarge relative to most damself ishes, with most species reaching 15cm or more. Like other damsels, these f ishare aggressive and territorial. Their relatively subtle colouration, usually an assortment of ver tical stripeson a pale coloured body, makes them a less popular choice for aquarists, however, they are still surprisinglycommon in the trade. Like many damsels, such as the aforementioned Neoglyiphidodon as well as the closelyrelated Amblyglyphidodon, these f ish are usually made available to aquarists when they are only a few centi-metres long and are sold to aquarists who do not realise how large and aggressive these f ish will become.

ConclusionsDespite the issues of reported aggression by damself ishes towards f ish of other species, this is predominantlyrestricted to fish that are no larger than the damselfish and therefore it is quite safe to keep these fish withmore peaceful larger fish such as surgeonfishes, angelfishes and butterflyfishes. While damselfishes mightnot be the ideal choice for all marine aquar iums, they certainly have their place and can make excellent addi-tions to the right aquarium. Most notably in an aquarium that is focused almost entirely on corals, damself ishadd a splash of colour and movement. Since damselfish are completely safe to be kept with both motile andsessile invertebrates, they can safely be kept in aquariums s tocked heavily with corals, anemones, clams andother invertebrates.

Abudedu(known locally as Sergeant majors) orm large schools. They are striking fsh, though aggressive and large in size.


40/42

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Community Noticeboard

Koi Society ofAustralia> Coffs Harbour

Meets 14:00, last Sun. each month.

7-9 Prince St. Bellingen.

> Newcastle

Meets 19:00, 1st Tue. each month. P:

4959 6000

> Central coast

Meets 11:00, 1st Sun. each month.

Watanobbi Community Centre,

Watanobbi.

> Nor thern Sydney

Meets 20:00, 2nd Wed. eachmonth. West Pymble Memorial

Hall,West Pymble.

> Cumberland

New South WalesCichlid Society(NSWCS)http://www.nswcs.org.au/Meets 19:30, 1st Sat. eachmonth, Nuwarra PublicSchool, Moorebank.

New South Wales Cichlid So-ciety (NSWCS) - Illawarra.Meets 19:30, 2nd Sun. eachmonth, Kanahooka HighSchool, Kanahooka.

http://ksacumberland.webs.comMeets 19:30, 3rd Wed. each month.Brennan Park Hall, Smithfield.> MacarthurMeets 19:30, 4th Mon. each month.Currans Hill Community Hall, Cur-rans Hill.> IllawarraMeets 19:00, 4th Tue. each month.Flinders Community Hall, Flinders.> Southern NSWP: 02 4454 0194

SOFAFORSALE$1200 ONO

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MarineAquariumSocietyof Sydney

http://www.masa.asn.au/mass/

e:[email protected]

ACE - Australian Cichlid Enthusiasts

http://www.aceforums.com.au

Eastern Districts

Aquarium Societyhttp://www.edas.com.au/

Meets 4thFri. eachmonth,

WillisRm,Council Ofces

Nunawading.

EDAS plant studygroup

http://www.edaspsg.org/

AquariumSocietyof Victoria

http://asofv.com.au/

MARINEAQUARIUMSOCIETYO

FREGIONALQUEENSLANDhttp://www.masrq.orge:[email protected]

MARINEAQUARIUMSOCIETYOFQUEENSLANDhttp://www.masa.asn.au/masq.phpe: [email protected]:0732618582

Bella, Norweigan forest.Lost on 12/05/11$$$ Reward offeredContactDon Smith9657 2542

MarineAquariumSocietyof

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http://ozreef.org/masov.htm

l

e:[email protected]

Australia New Guinea FishesAssociation (ANGFA)

http://www.angfa.org.au

AustralianKoiAssociation

http://www.akakoi.com

CanberraandDistricts

AquariumSociety (CDAS)

http://drupal.cdas.org.au/

Meets 19:30, 3rdTue. each

month. Harmonie German

Club,Narrabundah.

CanberraKillifshStudy

Group (CKSG)

http://drupal.cdas.org.au/con-

tent/killi-corner

AquariumandTerrarium

Societyof Queensland

http://www.aandtsociety.

org.au

E: [email protected]

Marine/ReefAquariumSociet

y

http://www.aandtsociety.or

g.au

E:[email protected]

GoldCoastAquarium

Society(GCAS)http://www.gcas.net.au

ANGFA Qldhttp://www.angfaqld.org.au

Queensland CichlidGrouphttp://www.qcichlid.orgMeets 20:00, 1st Fri.

each month. Bar JaiHall, Clayfeld.

BrisbaneAquatic

PlantStudyGroup

http://bpsg.frell.org/

New South Wales

Queensland

ACT

South Australian AquariumSociety Inc.

http://aquariums.20m.com/

South Australian Native

FishAssociation

www.sanfa.org.au

[email protected]

Marine AquariumSociety of WAwww.masa.asn.au/maswa/

[email protected]

phone:Chris Sutton0419 858 108

Western Australia

South Australia

PerthCichlidSocietywww.perthcichlid.com.au

Koi Society of WAwww.koiclubwa.comMeets 19:30, 4th Wed. eachmonth, Rotary Hall, SouthPerth.

Victoria

TASMANIATasmanian

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Community Redsh Magazine 2012:8 41

Wide Bay Aquarium Societywbaqs.com.au/forum/index.php

INTERNET

SaltyTank

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ADVANCED AQUARISThttp://www.advancedaquarist.com/

NEW ZEALANDFederation of

New Zealand Aquatic Societieshttp://www.fnzas.org.nz/


42/42

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Redfish Magazine - Issue 8