Fish & Chips
A Monthly Marine Newsletter
June 1999 Issue
From Us
By Elizabeth M. Lukan 6/21/99
Small issue this month. Sorry everybody. I've been working on an article on Tridacnid Clams. It's
looking to be a two or three parter, but it's no where near finished. I'll try to get at least the
first part done for next month's issue.
Time for a little shameless plug on my part. High Aspirations, Inc., the website design company I
started with two friends, is open for business. We completed our website recently and I'd like to
show it off to all of you. And, if you need a page or site done or know somebody who does, think of
us. The address is...
My friend Mark Taber is back this month. This time to announce his site, ReefsUK. Please check
out what he has to say and then go visit his site.
ReefsUK
By Mark T. Taber and Elizabeth M. Lukan 6/17/99
In the January 1999 issue of Fish & Chips, I briefly mentioned that Mark Taber was
"... spearheading setting up a website with the high goal of passing on as much
free information on the marine hobby to UK hobbyists as he possibly can." Another of Mark's
goals for this site is to help the marine aquarium trade become more self sufficient which would
reduce the amount of marine life removed from the reefs. Mark's website, ReefsUK, is ready for it's
debut. And, I am honored to help Mark spread the word.
Now, don't be discouraged just because Mark's site is called ReefsUK, it's for everybody,
everywhere. The site is full of information on Reef Conservation, Coral and Marine Fish Propagation,
a Propagation Database which contains a listing of where to find propagated corals, and much more.
To give you a good idea of what ReefsUK is all about, Mark has provided the ReefsUK Mission
Statement. Please take some time and visit Mark's site, it'll be time well spent. You can get to
ReefsUK at the following address: http://www.reefsuk.org.
ReefsUK Mission Statement
ReefsUK is a non-profit organization of individuals dedicated to reef conservation. Our primary
objective is to illustrate why the reefs are being destroyed and demonstrate how this can be
reversed. One of our fist missions is to improve the standards within the reef aquarium trade by
increasing awareness and understanding on the requirements of the marine life. We aim to ensure
that the reef aquarium business within the United Kingdom and other countries propagate the majority
of corals and marine fish used by this trade. ReefsUK would like to see these captive bred fish and
propagated corals purchased in preference to the marine life that is currently being imported which
will reduce what is removed from the reefs.
We believe that the current state on importing corals and marine fish is far from good. We are
working with the reef aquarium hobbyist, the reef businesses and the reef specialists, investigating
how the marine life can be farmed in the UK so that we reduce the damage inflicted on the reefs by
the reef aquarium business. We are also researching the living requirements of corals to ensure that
they can be maintained in the best conditions possible. Great progress has already been made and it
is our intention to inform you on our research.
ReefsUK wants to ensure that we drastically reduce the importation of marine fish and corals
coming into the United Kingdom and become self sufficient in as many species as possible. Although
the reef aquarium business is not solely responsible for the destruction of the reefs, we can help a
great deal by buying captive-bred livestock. Most soft corals can now be easily propagated so there
is no real need for them to be continually imported. We aim to promote these facts and educate
people on what they as individuals can do to help.
ReefsUK believes that this organization can sustain itself purely on people who want to help. You
will not see any statements on the ReefsUK site asking for money in any form, such as Donations,
Subscriptions, etc. We ask that you donate your money to other reef conservation groups and
organizations such as CORAL. We survive purely on people willing to dedicate their spare time and
skills to our mission. If you would like to help ReefsUK in anyway, please refer to our
HelpReefsUK section on the site or contact us at
Post@ReefsUK.ORG as we really want to hear from you.
Article edited by Elizabeth M. Lukan, 6/21/99.
Editing on the ReefsUK Mission Statement was limited to spelling corrections and some grammar.
No other editing was done, what you read was exactly what was sent to me by Mark.
Photo Credits:
The UK Flag above was obtained from the ReefsUK,
http://www.reefsuk.org, website with Mark T. Taber's
permission.
General Information:
All ratings are 1 through 10 (10 being the best or yes, 1 being the worst or no). The items in
parentheses are only given as a more detailed explanation and to give you an idea of what was meant
by the category. Permission to publish these reviews was obtained through a clause in the survey.
See the end of this article for review, survey, and article credits.
Construction Quality (Acrylic thickness, polish, glue job, etc.):
Score: 9
Aesthetic Quality (Does it look good, etc.):
Score: 10
Performance (Does it keep your water clean, must you adjust it all the time, etc.):
Score: 10
Foaming (Does it do it consistently, is it nice and thick, is it dark, etc.):
Score: 10
Ease Of Installation:
Score: 7
Would you buy it again?:
Comments: Yes
Electrical Efficiency (Does the pump it uses work well, etc.):
Score: 9
Plankton Level (Do you have a lot, etc.):
Score: ?
Overall Value (Did you get what you paid for, etc.):
Score: 10
Overall Satisfaction (Do you like it, etc.):
Score: 10
Comments:
For me, this is an excellent skimmer. I understand that this model is discontinued. The initial
cost was high, but the satisfaction I got from this skimmer made it worthwhile. Installation was
a little more difficult since I had to drill a hole into my sump for the return. The pump I used
is an Iwaki RLT30. I get very consistent performance without ever readjusting the gate valve on
the skimmer - even after cleaning it. It produces a very nice large foam head with very dark and
smelly waste collection. I also use the E.T.S. external waste collector along with a homemade air
intake filter made from a small Tupperware container and a Magnum 350 carbon filter. Overall, an
excellent performer with the ease of not ever having to readjust the skimmer after cleanings.
Review, Survey, and Article Credits:
Review by Anonymous on 4/23/99.
Survey created and hosted by Ian McDonald (IANsSnakes@aol.com)
Home Page: http://members.aol.com/IANsSnakes/index.html
(information updated 4/19/00: survey closed)
Survey Page: http://www.geocities.com/heartland/prairie/2196/Survey.html
(information updated 4/19/00: survey closed)
Ian would like to extend his thanks to Chris Paris (aka Cap) and Steve Wolfe (aka NerveGas) for all their assistance in getting the survey going.
Article edited by Elizabeth M. Lukan, 6/17/99.
Editing was limited to spelling corrections and some grammar (capitalizing the beginning of a
sentence, adding a period at the end, etc.). No other editing was done, what you read was exactly
what was sent to Ian by the reviewer.
Editor's Comments:
The E.T.S. 500 is made by A.E. Technology Inc. which can be found on the net at
http://www.aquarium.net/aetech/ (address updated 4/19/00:
no longer a valid address, new address unknown). According to the A.E.
Technology Inc. site, this skimmer is designed for 30 to 90 gallon systems with a suggested retail
price of $419 US Dollars. More information can be obtained by visiting their site. I was unable to
obtain an image of the E.T.S. 500 after checking numerous sites. I emailed A.E. Technology Inc.
requesting an image for this review on 6/15/99 and have not yet received a response of any kind.
Caught In The Net
By Elizabeth M. Lukan 6/17/99
- Fish To The Nth
- http://home.earthlink.net/~fish2nth/ (9/20/99)
(address updated 4/19/00)
"I specialize in getting in what people are looking for, even if it is harder to find.
Live food, such as ghost shrimps, aren't updated to the site, but I am selling them. And,
ALL fish sold are in good health, and parasite treated before they leave here. I have sold
to Public Aquariums, but I love selling to the individuals and provide after sales support
for the fish they get from me. Sincerely, Carol E. Keen/Fish To The Nth"
- Premium Aquatics -
http://www.premiumaquatics.com (4/20/99)
- Premium Aquatics -
http://www.premiumaquatics.com (4/20/99) *Requires Free Registration
- Ugo's Gwadloop Reef -
http://perso.wanadoo.fr/hugo.margo/ (4/25/99) *Free To All, site in French (url dead 03/09/08)
http://customer.wcta.net/emcreef (url dead 8/24/04) (4/28/99)
- Fish To The Nth
- http://home.earthlink.net/~fish2nth/ (9/20/99)
(address updated 4/19/00)
"I specialize in getting in what people are looking for, even if it is harder to find.
Live food, such as ghost shrimps, aren't updated to the site, but I am selling them. And,
ALL fish sold are in good health, and parasite treated before they leave here. I have sold
to Public Aquariums, but I love selling to the individuals and provide after sales support
for the fish they get from me. Sincerely, Carol E. Keen/Fish To The Nth"
- Ugo's Gwadloop Reef -
http://perso.wanadoo.fr/hugo.margo/ (4/25/99) (url dead 03/09/08)
"A Caribbean reef tank in FWI, site in French, but short translations available, photos
of diving spots on the Guadeloupe Island."
- CoralFarms -
http://www.coralfarms.com (4/22/99)
"We are the largest importer of cultured Solomon Islands SPS and soft corals. Our focus
is on captive and cultured livestock."
The above list matches a portion of the site list maintained on the Fish & Chips Website as of the
date of this publication. What you see above is what was listed as on their site by the submitter.
The date that follows in parenthesis is the date submitted to the list. For the complete up-to-date
list, check out the Fish & Chips Website at
http://www.marinefiends.com/
(updated 8/24/04).
Site Submission and Updating: To submit your site for inclusion in the
Fish & Chips newsletter and website based Site List, please go to the Fish & Chips Website at
http://www.marinefiends.com/
(updated 8/24/04) and
complete the Site Submission Form. Please do NOT send any site submission or
update requests via email - I will not process them.
If you're going to use sponges (cloths, whatever) purchased at your supermarket, etc. in or
around your tank, make sure they haven't been treated with an antibacterial agent. A lot of
commercially available sponges are intended for kitchen and bathroom use and contain germ/bacteria
killing products. Now, you want to kill bacteria like salmonella on your counters, but not the
nitrifying bacteria in your tank.
To Submit Your Tip: Send your tip via email to
FishNChips@mail.com
(address updated 4/26/00) with a subject of
Tip Submission
(information updated 4/26/00: coding replaces
need for subject notation) and I'll publish it in an upcoming issue of
Fish & Chips. I'll write it up for you or you can do it yourself if you are so inclined. Make sure
you let me know if I can include your name and email address or if you'd rather go anonymous.
Newsletter Disclaimer
To subscribe to Fish 'N' Chips, send a blank email to
FishNChips-subscribe@egroups.com or go to
http://www.egroups.com/subscribe/FishNChips visit http://www.marinefiends.com/ (updated 8/24/04).
To unsubscribe, send an email to
FishNChips-unsubscribe@egroups.com visit http://www.marinefiends.com/ (updated 8/24/04).
Any and all comments, suggestions, etc., should be directed to
FishNChips@mail.com
(address updated 4/15/00).
Please visit the Fish & Chips Website at
http://www.marinefiends.com/
(updated 8/24/04).
Please note that we will never sell, post, or give away your email address - EVER! Any product
names shown are copyrighted and/or trademarked by their respective companies. And, unless noted,
they are not endorsements, just examples. When we endorse something, we'll make it obvious.
