That Fish Blog – Aquarium Advice and Information

Just got back from MACNA XIX in Pittsburgh, and I would like to congratulate the Pittsburgh Marine Aquarium Society for hosting and outstanding conference.
The next few Blog topics will be about some of the Seminars and Events that I attended at this years MACNA conference.

One of the seminars that I found really interesting was the Giant Clam presentation by James Fatherree. James is the author of the book “Giant Clams in The Sea And The Aquarium”and gave a presentation based upon some of the most common questions that he is asked about Giant Clams, and the Answers to those questions.

How much light do I need to keep a Tridacna Clam? This is a question that I am commonly asked about clams from our customers here at TFP, and one of the questions that James Fatherree addressed during his presentation. How much light is needed is probably the most important question to be answered, in regard to keeping giant clams in the aquarium. Giant clams receive as much as 100 percent of their nutrition from light that provides energy for photosynthesis for their symbiotic algae (zooxanthellae). How much light depends much upon the species of clam that you are trying to keep. Clams are found in the oceans throughout a wide range of depths in the tropical Pacific Ocean, from near the oceans surface, down to more than 25 meters (83 feet). Some species are only found in fairly shallow water, like the Tridacna crocea, which require very intense lighting. Others Giant Clam species such as T. maximaand T. squamosa, are found at depths of up to 15 meters (50 feet) and required strong lighting. Another species of Giant Clam that is commonly kept in the aquarium trade, T. derasa, is found at depths of up to 25 meters (83 feet) and require moderate lighting. All these depths are extreme maximums, under ideal conditions. The vast majority of clams found in the wild are found at much shallower depths than these maximum. All species of Clams that are grown in commercial farms are typically grown in shallow pools or raceways under intense lighting.

The best answer to this question is that there is no such thing as too much light for Clams in the aquarium. Deeper water species, like Tridacna derasa and Hippopus hippopus, will tolerate fluorescent lighting in very shallow aquariums, or high output T-5, VHO, or Compact Fluorescent lighting in aquariums up to about 24” deep. All other clams should only be kept under the intensity of Metal Halide lighting. The deeper the aquarium the higher wattage metal halide light should be used, in general the more light you can provide, the higher your chances for long term health and growth.

For more great information on Giant Clams check out James Fatherree’s book “Giant Clams in The Sea And The Aquarium”

Hope this sheds some light on questions that you may have had about clams, until next time.

Dave

Mellisa is back with some more tales of her time in Honduras. I hope that you enjoyed hearing about her diving adventures. This one is about her experience with the Queen Angel.

Welcome Melissa.

My favorite fish by far while diving in Roatan, Honduras was the Queen Angelfish, Holocanthus cillaris. Every dive we went on I always had my eyes on the look out for a queen. Queen Angelfish are among the most stunning fish in both juvenile and adult stages on the reef.

As far as captive care for a Queen Angelfish they require a large tank due to their large adult size of 15”. Angelfish in general require good water quality and places to hide to feel safe. It is not usually a good idea to house queen angelfish with any other angels unless it is in an extremely large tank, like in a public aquarium with thousands of gallons. This is because they become very territorial in a cramped tank. Juvenile queen angelfish are known to pick parasites from the gills and body of other larger fish. Queen angelfish should be fed a diet high in algae and sponge along with a variety of meaty foods mixed in. Angel Formula is a good staple food for a queen since it is made from marine sponges and algae. Saltwater Vita-Chem is another good product to mix in with the food to make it more nutritious and keep your angle happy and healthy for years to come.

The queen angelfish is also commonly confused with a similar species of angelfish, the Blue Angel Holocanthus bermudensis . Their juvenile colors are very similar but the Queen angel has curved bars where as the Blue Angelfish all fairly straight and vertical. The adult Queen Angelfish has a bright yellow tail and a brilliant blue crown on the top of its head thus making it worthy of the name “Queen” Angelfish.

Anyone interesed in keeping the Queen Angel in their aquarium can also check out this video I helped make: Queen Angel

~Melissa

The Fish Room in our Lancaster, PA retail store is one of the many attractions to visit here at That Fish Place. At over 12,000 square feet, with more than 700 holding tanks and 35,000 gallons of system water, our fish room is one of the biggest retail systems in the world. In fact, our retail system is larger than many of the wholesale systems in operation in the United States.

The saltwater holding systems in our fish room are comprised of 8 separate systems ranging in size from 120-3000 gallons totaling over 13,000 gallons. The salt water sections of the fish room include dedicated systems for Community Fish; Aggressive Fish; Coral; Reef Fish and Invertebrates; and Live Rock. The centerpiece of our saltwater holding systems is our one of a kind “look down” coral tray. The coral tray is made of 2 ½” thick acrylic and is a massive 20’ long x 4’ wide x 1’ deep. The entire tray is lighted by Sunlight Supply LumenMax 3 fixtures on moving light rails, for all you gadget geeks out there this is a really cool set up. All the main saltwater systems are filtered with RK2 commercial protein skimmer with computer controlled ozone and high output Ultraviolet Sterilizers. The skimmers are self cleaning, with timer operated internal wash down jets. The RK2 skimmers on the three main systems are a huge 24” in diameter and over 7’ tall.

Our freshwater holding systems are divided into 12 separate main systems that range in size from 200-3000 gallons each and total over 22,000 gallons. The freshwater section of the fish room includes dedicated systems for Community fish; Semi-Aggressive fish; South & Central American Cichlids and Predators; African Cichlids; Fancy Goldfish; Koi and Pond fish; Pond Plants; and Aquarium Plants. There are also several smaller stand alone systems for various uses.
To give you some sort of idea for the volume of our operation, we use approximately 1750 gallons of saltwater per week that works out to about 91,000 gallons of saltwater per year.

We also have a number of displays throughout our store, which total over 12,000 gallons. The biggest of which is our 2500 gallon saltwater touch tank. Shaped like a fish, this display allows you to touch stingrays, and other marine life. Bring your kids; they will be thrilled by the experience of touching a stingray if they have never had the opportunity.

Check us out, That Fish Place is much more that just a store, it is an entertainment destination for fish and animal lovers.

Until next time,

Dave

New to our product lineup is the Reefer’s Digi-Microscope, an affordable and versatile entry level digital microscope. Capable of viewing both hard objects and prepared slides, this microscope will allow you to view a wide range of objects. Used with the included digital camera eyepiece, you can view and capture images to your PC, and share images of what you have found.

One of the most troublesome aspects of fish and reef keeping is properly identifying the the cause of disease, and then choosing the correct medications to use. Public aquariums, veterinarians, aquaculture facilities, all use microscopes to identify parasites and choose treatment options. With the use of the Reefer’s Digi-Microscope the average hobbyist can now use this powerful tool. View large, easy to see images right on your computer. Identify the parasites on your koi, coral, goldfish and more. Choose the best medication based upon real information, no more guessing what you can not see!

This new product is as fun as it is educational. I have found this product to be an excellent teaching tool, allowing easy viewing of microscopic parasites with the camera feature.

Happy fishkeeping,

Dave