neuroslicer
Old School Reefer
I enjoyed the two presentations Dr. Shimek gave during the frag swap (one on coral husbandry focusing on feeding and the other on the evolution of coral and its future prospects), and I also enjoyed quite a bit of conversation with him over a few meals. Let me share some of the things I learned that will be of interest to many in our hobby, and also let you know how I plan to adjust my current techniques.
1) The idea of environmental stability in coral environments is a myth, at least as far as temperature goes (daily fluctuations over 10 degrees C are not uncommon). And environmental temps for coral in the real world are nothing like the 78 - 80 degree average that I provide my coral. At such "cold" temps coral metabolism and growth can be significantly slow.
My response: I am increasing the set temperature on my chiller from 79 to 84 over a period of 3 - 4 days... the key here is to adjust the change gradually.
2) Early research into the energy contributions of zooxanthellae to coral indicated that coral get all their carbohydrate (sugar) needs from zooxanthellae... but this was later interpreted to mean that coral get ALL their energy requirements from zooxanthellae.... in fact, coral need sources of proteins in order to build tissue, so without feeding our coral we are effectively starving them. Intense light is required to keep the zooxanthellae alive but it is not enough for complete nutrition. Also, as I have mentioned on RC before and Dr. Shimek confirmed my suspicion, dosing with simple amino acids does not provide this food source and is pointless since all but one of the amino acids are synthesized by coral. Also, early studies to look for plankton on coral reefs suffered from poor and improper sampling techniques, and the authors concluded that coral reefs were low in plankton... However this has been repeatedly debunked now... the immediate coral habitat has an abundant diversity of plankton that coral utilize by direct feeding.
My response: I am increasing my feeding of plankton to coral to daily doses. Coral also get nutrition from fish feces.. so if you have no fish in your tank then it's really important to feed your coral.
3) It is best to feed coral during times of only laminar (smooth) water flow, as turbulent water currents (that occur with devices that create a really high volume of flow (Koralia, etc) can actually inhibit coral polyp extension and reduce feeding.
My response: I have adjusted the timers on my two wavemakers to be completely off at two times during each 24 hour period: 7 - 9 am during which time I feed my fish; and 10 pm - midnight, when coral polyp extension is greatest and when I feed the coral. The wave makers then cycle on and off during other times, more times on during the day and more times off during the night.
4) Additional ion/element supplements are unnecessary; water changes are more than sufficient to keep up with slow declines in trace elements. Importantly, strontium is actually toxic to coral and should never be used as a supplement. Early experiments that suggested that added strontium helped coral grow were done with low levels of calcium, and in that situation strontium helped boost skeleton growth by compensating the low levels of calcium. However, at normal levels of calcium, strontium actually slows growth and is considered toxic. So don't add it!
I also discussed the latest in lighting tech, mentioning that I for now am sticking with my tried and true metal halides. His response "if it ain't broke don't fix it"... While conceding some major benefits to LEDs (long life and cooler temps), Dr. Shimek mentioned a talk he heard once by Sanjay Joshi (reef lighting expert) where Sanjay indicated that LED light intensity still isn't up to PAR (pun intended) with metal halide bulbs, and LEDs may often be insufficient to provide coral with adequate illumination especially for larger reef tanks.
That's most of what I recall that folks might be interested in.... that, and Dr. Shimek really liked the BBQ spaghetti at Cozy Corner Restaurant. If I recall more I'll post again!
Thanks for all the folk who attended our frag swap, to the vendors and sponsors who gave us lots of things to take home, to the new members who invested in our club (and old members who renewed their club commitment), and to all the volunteers who helped make it great!
Best fishes!
Jay B.
Club Pres.
1) The idea of environmental stability in coral environments is a myth, at least as far as temperature goes (daily fluctuations over 10 degrees C are not uncommon). And environmental temps for coral in the real world are nothing like the 78 - 80 degree average that I provide my coral. At such "cold" temps coral metabolism and growth can be significantly slow.
My response: I am increasing the set temperature on my chiller from 79 to 84 over a period of 3 - 4 days... the key here is to adjust the change gradually.
2) Early research into the energy contributions of zooxanthellae to coral indicated that coral get all their carbohydrate (sugar) needs from zooxanthellae... but this was later interpreted to mean that coral get ALL their energy requirements from zooxanthellae.... in fact, coral need sources of proteins in order to build tissue, so without feeding our coral we are effectively starving them. Intense light is required to keep the zooxanthellae alive but it is not enough for complete nutrition. Also, as I have mentioned on RC before and Dr. Shimek confirmed my suspicion, dosing with simple amino acids does not provide this food source and is pointless since all but one of the amino acids are synthesized by coral. Also, early studies to look for plankton on coral reefs suffered from poor and improper sampling techniques, and the authors concluded that coral reefs were low in plankton... However this has been repeatedly debunked now... the immediate coral habitat has an abundant diversity of plankton that coral utilize by direct feeding.
My response: I am increasing my feeding of plankton to coral to daily doses. Coral also get nutrition from fish feces.. so if you have no fish in your tank then it's really important to feed your coral.
3) It is best to feed coral during times of only laminar (smooth) water flow, as turbulent water currents (that occur with devices that create a really high volume of flow (Koralia, etc) can actually inhibit coral polyp extension and reduce feeding.
My response: I have adjusted the timers on my two wavemakers to be completely off at two times during each 24 hour period: 7 - 9 am during which time I feed my fish; and 10 pm - midnight, when coral polyp extension is greatest and when I feed the coral. The wave makers then cycle on and off during other times, more times on during the day and more times off during the night.
4) Additional ion/element supplements are unnecessary; water changes are more than sufficient to keep up with slow declines in trace elements. Importantly, strontium is actually toxic to coral and should never be used as a supplement. Early experiments that suggested that added strontium helped coral grow were done with low levels of calcium, and in that situation strontium helped boost skeleton growth by compensating the low levels of calcium. However, at normal levels of calcium, strontium actually slows growth and is considered toxic. So don't add it!
I also discussed the latest in lighting tech, mentioning that I for now am sticking with my tried and true metal halides. His response "if it ain't broke don't fix it"... While conceding some major benefits to LEDs (long life and cooler temps), Dr. Shimek mentioned a talk he heard once by Sanjay Joshi (reef lighting expert) where Sanjay indicated that LED light intensity still isn't up to PAR (pun intended) with metal halide bulbs, and LEDs may often be insufficient to provide coral with adequate illumination especially for larger reef tanks.
That's most of what I recall that folks might be interested in.... that, and Dr. Shimek really liked the BBQ spaghetti at Cozy Corner Restaurant. If I recall more I'll post again!
Thanks for all the folk who attended our frag swap, to the vendors and sponsors who gave us lots of things to take home, to the new members who invested in our club (and old members who renewed their club commitment), and to all the volunteers who helped make it great!
Best fishes!
Jay B.
Club Pres.
