Fish 'N' Chips
A Monthly Marine Newsletter
September 2000 Issue

Index

From Liz
Stray Voltage in the Aquarium
What's Up @ ReefsUK
Caught In The Net 		Chips...er...Tips
Upcoming Events
Newsletter Disclaimer

From Liz
By Elizabeth M. Lukan 9/29/00

Small issue this month folks. I've been busy working on my web design clients' pages. Y'all remember my web design biz right, High Aspirations, Inc. (http://www.highaspirationsinc.com/)? So, unfortunately, I didn't have time to research an article this month. Don't worry though, the issue's not empty!

Cool Site! - Award of Excellence! Marcos Avila of The Age of Aquariums (http://www.aquahobby.com/) has granted the Fish 'N' Chips Web Site the Cool Site! - Award of Excellence. I've added it to my awards page. Check it out at http://www.marinefiends.com/awards.html (updated 8/24/04) and visit The Age of Aquariums site.

Chomp of the Month Award - Fish 'N' Chips has also been awarded the Piranha Huts' Chomp of the Month Award for September 2000. The Piranha Hut can be found at http://hometown.aol.com/piranhahut/index.html.

Articles Wanted! Following is a list of some of the article ideas I've come up with or been asked to write about. Since I barely have time to get an issue together some months, anybody who'd like to tackle one of these should let me know. It would be appreciated!

Tank Showcases Needed. I only have one more Tank Showcase so please submit your tank photos and descriptions so I can give your tank it's day in the sun! Just send them via email to fishnchips@mail.com.

Visit This Month's Subscriber's Tank Showcase
John Canada's new setup is this month's Showcase and can be seen at http://www.marinefiends.com/showcases.html (updated 8/24/04).

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Stray Voltage in the Aquarium
How does it get there?
What effect does it have on our animals?
By Rick Fuller 9/5/00
Edited by Elizabeth M. Lukan 9/19/00

Voltage can enter our aquariums by several means, one of the most common is induction. Induction is the process by which an electric current, an electric charge, or a magnetism is produced by the proximity of an electric or magnetic field. Let's see; do we use any magnetic fields or electric charges in the proximity of our aquariums? You bet we do.

Power heads and large water pumps have both. Fluorescent lights have a strong electric charge in that tube. As air bubbles burst at the surface of the water they spray salt several inches. Salt creep or salt spray can form and give electricity a path from lighting, heaters and powerfilters to find the aquarium water. Because of the conductive properties of salt water, all equipment (heaters, lights, powerfilters etc.) should be kept clean of salt spray and salt creep. Non submersible heaters should never be used on a marine aquarium. Not only because of the potential of stray voltage in the aquarium but they will eventually stick in the on position.

Now we know were it comes from so how do we test for it? Using a voltage tester or volt meter set to read AC voltage (VAC) put one lead on a known ground and the other in the tank water.

The first tank I tested was my 125 gallon reef tank. The tank is acrylic and sits on a wood stand. All lighting is suspended ten inches above the tank. I use an Iwaki pump for water return and three Maxi Jet power heads in the tank for circulation. I have a 300 watt submersible heater in the sump. After finding a good ground I set the volt meter to VAC and to my surprise I had 12.5 volts. Intrigued by the amount of voltage in my tank at home I thought it would be a good idea to check all of my marine tanks at work. I found every marine tank has some detectable stray voltage, from .63 VAC on a twenty gallon tank to 43.62 VAC on a 110 gallon wall unit. Even at nearly 44 VAC we did not feel any shock when we put our hand in the water, I wouldn't try it barefoot.

Next step was to eliminate the stray voltage. On every tank I unplugged each piece of electrical equipment one at a time wile testing for voltage. On most tanks it was a combination of every appliance leaking or inducing voltage but in some cases I did find faulty powerheads and even a few faulty submersible heaters. Once faulty equipment was ruled out or replaced I needed to ground every tank's water.

At the time of my testing commercial ground probes were not available. I used a length of stainless steel wire, one end connected to an electrical ground and the other placed in the aquarium water. Since the current travels through the entire system there is no need to put the ground in the tank. I prefer the ground probe to be in the filter or sump. Several companies have since come out with ground probes. The most popular design is a titanium probe that will be in contact with the water. Copper wire runs from the probe to a spade connector that you attach to an electrical ground.

If it does not shock us, why do we care if we have voltage in our aquariums?

Fish have a sensory organ called the lateral line complex. With this organ the fish can detect pressure changes in the immediate vicinity, from the movement of currents or from other fish. It is also used for navigation, finding food, and avoiding predators. In most fish this lateral line complex can also detect or sense electrical charges in the water. If you have any stray voltage in the water it can overwhelm this organ, much like living in a deafening noise environment. This will cause stress, and among other things, suppress the immune system making your fish more venerable to natural bacteria and parasites which occur in every tank.

On my first test tank, my reef, I had a yellow tang that I would say was skittish at best. You could only observe this fish if he did not see you. Immediately after grounding this aquarium the yellow tang would swim in front of anyone without fear. Stray voltage has been speculated to be one of the factors that can cause Hole in the Head and Lateral Line Erosion (HHLLE).

Stray voltage is something that exists in every tank. Stray voltage can be eliminated with a simple ground probe available at most pet shops in the twenty dollar range. Elimination of stray voltage is a simple step in reducing the stress on your fish. Every marine tank should be grounded for you and your fish's protection.

Editor's Comments: Editing the above article was limited to formatting into html and the Fish 'N' Chips format. No other changes were made. I didn't even have to correct any spelling errors! Thanks for the article Rick!

Visit Rick's homepage at http://members.home.net/rickf515/ (url dead 10/03/05).

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What's Up @ ReefsUK
- http://www.reefsuk.org -
By Elizabeth M. Lukan 9/27/00

9/7/00 - Propagation Survey - There are many hobbyists who are propagating their own corals and have found it to be really easy, however, there are still a large number of hobbyist who have not. ReefsUK would like to find out why people propagate corals and why others don't by asking everyone to answer the following questionnaire. Please answer the following questions and email your answers back to post@reefsuk.org. ReefsUK will then take your answers and publish the results for all to see. Do not worry about having people see your answers as people's names and email addresses will not be published. The answers will be published as a percentage of replies and not as individuals.

Please copy the following questions into an email to post@reefsuk.org and answer them by deleting all the irrelevant answers. If some of the questions do not apply, please leave the question and go onto the next one.

Question 1 - Have you ever attempted propagated corals?
(A) Never
(B) Occasionally
(C) Lots Of Times

Question 2 - If so, how successful would you consider your coral propagation?
(A) Bad
(B) Good
(C) Very successful

Question 3 - How many propagated corals do you have within your reef tank (either purchased, been given to you, or have been propagated)?
(A) None
(B) Up to 10%
(C) Up to 30%
(D) Up to 60%
(E) Up to 80%
(F) Up to 100%

Question 4 - For those who have never propagated a coral, what puts you off of coral propagation?
(A) Just not interested in coral propagation
(B) Why bother when there are so many for sale
(C) Concerned of loosing my coral
(D) Looks too difficult
(E) Other reasons (Please specify)

Question 5 - When buying corals from an aquarium store, do you ask for propagated corals?
(A) Never
(B) Sometimes
(C) Always

Question 6 - If you have ever asked an aquarium store for a propagated coral, have they -
(A) Asked you what a propagated coral was
(B) Informed you that they do not have any at the moment
(C) Offered you a selection of propagated corals

Question 7 - If an aquarium store had a propagated coral for sale how much extra would you be willing to pay?
(A) Nothing as they should be the same price or even cheaper
(B) Up to 10%
(C) Up to 30%
(D) Up to 60%
(E) Up to 80%
(F) Up to 100%

Question 8 - What would put you off of buying a propagated coral?
(A) Why buy propagated when you can buy one from the wild
(B) Quality
(C) Availability
(D) I am not put off of buying propagated corals

Question 9 - Do you believe there will ever be a ban on importing corals within the UK/Europe?
(A) Never
(B) Within the next 2 years
(C) Within the next 5 years
(D) Within the next 10 years

Question 10 - If the UK or Europe banned the importation of corals would you -
(A) Give up the hobby
(B) Stay in the hobby and stay with the livestock you already have
(C) Stay in the hobby and purchase propagated corals

9/25/00 - ReefsUK has and will always remain non-profit. They survive purely on people donating their time and resources. Send an email (address below) if you can help out in any of the following areas: Printing, Graphic Designer, Digital Pictures, Articles/Notes/Explanations, and of course if you've propagated or breed anything, add your information to the Captive Raised Livestock Database.

9/26/00 - Thanks to all those who returned the Coral Propagation Survey. ReefsUK is still waiting for replies from the readers of Fish 'N' Chips, but they have decided to publish the results received from the ReefsUK members. Once all the results are in from the Fish 'N' Chips subscribers, the final results will be published. To view the results please follow the link from the ReefsUK home page.

To join the ReefsUK Mailing List, send an email to post@reefsuk.org.
To join ReefsUK Chat (Email Discussion Group), visit the ReefsUK Website for instructions.

Editor's Comments:
Information in this section covers the latest happenings at Mark T. Taber's ReefsUK Web Site. Mark has given me permission to publish any information from his mailing list that I feel would be of interest to Fish 'N' Chips subscribers. So, the above, although reworded by me, should be credited to Mark or to Derek Scales who works closely with Mark on the running of ReefsUK. The dates in bold coincide with Mark or Derek's mailings and are provided as a reference.

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Caught In The Net
By Elizabeth M. Lukan 9/28/00

New Stuff Found

On Reefs.org (http://www.reefs.org/):

On 9/25/00, a new site debuted. ReefPortal, http://www.reefportal.com/ (url dead 10/03/05), is the first reef indexing service, like Yahoo or Alta Vista, but only for reef related websites. They are looking to populate their site database, so please visit them and submit your site and/or your favorite sites.

A New Look

Daniel Shevnock has been working on the design of the marinefishonline.com (http://www.marinefishonline.com/ (url dead 10/05/05)) web site. Go check it out.

The Clownfish From Africa web site has been redesigned and has a new address. Check out the site's new look and added features at http://tankfish.bizland.com/ (url dead 10/03/05). You should remember the Clownfish From Africa site, it's the one run by Johan's son Driaan. Johan wrote our very first DIY article, the Easy Maintenance Filter, for the June 2000 issue.

Changes have been made to the Reef Central Site (http://www.reefcentral.com/). There is new software running the Reef Central Message Board with an improved search engine. There is a new search engine for their library database also and upcoming events which will include a one year anniversary contest.


This Month's Selection From The Fish 'N' Chips Fishy List

Informational & Educational Sites - Do-It-Yourself (DIY)/How-To

The above list matches a portion of the site list maintained on the Fish 'N' 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 'N' Chips Website at (http://www.marinefiends.com/ (updated 8/24/04).

Site Submission and Updating: To submit your site for inclusion in the Fish 'N' Chips newsletter and website based Fishy Links List, please go to the Fish 'N' 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. Of course, emails are welcome if you are having trouble submitting the form.

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Chips...er...Tips
An Old Credit Card
By Elizabeth M. Lukan 9/29/00

Before I had enough snails to do the job, my tank glass would, over time, become spotted with algae. It wasn't pest algae, it just took away from the beauty of the tank and the joy of viewing it. I'm sure it would have become a pest if I hadn't kept cleaning it. I found that an old credit card works wonders on the glass. Try it, but make sure it's an expired card - I don't think saltwater is good for those magnetic strips!

To Submit Your Tip: Send your tip via email to fishnchips@mail.com and I'll publish it in an upcoming issue of Fish 'N' 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.

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Upcoming Events
By Elizabeth M. Lukan 9/19/00

EventStart Date/TimeEnd Date/TimeLocation Event Details, Notes, and For More Info
Aquarist Profile Surveynow10/1/00  For More Info: Visit the Reefs.org website's survey page at http://www.reefs.org/survey/.
Salinity Surveynow10/1/00  For More Info: Visit the Reefs.org website's survey page at http://www.reefs.org/survey/.
Temperature Surveynow10/1/00  For More Info: Visit the Reefs.org website's survey page at http://www.reefs.org/survey/.
MACNA XII9/29/0010/1/00 Ft. Lauderdale Florida at the Wyndham Hotel Hosted by: Marine Aquarium Society of North America
Speakers: Speakers include: Walter Adey, Yehuda Benayahu, Bruce Carlson, Vincent Defour, Ruth Francis Floyd, John Forsythe, Richard Harker, Cindy Hunter, Kelly Jedlicki, Martin Moe, Mike Paletta, Ron Shimek, Julian Sprung, and Peter Wilkens. For information on what their topics are, visit http://www.masna.org.
For More Info: Visit http://www.masna.org.
Article Writingnow10/15/00  Contest Info, Etc.: Write about anything you want to. It can be saltwater, freshwater, funny or serious, just as long as people will enjoy reading it. Visit the fishroom.com (http://www.fishroom.com/ (url dead 10/03/05)) for complete details.
Prize: $50 credit from Premium Aquatics (http://www.premiumaquatics.com/)
The Instant Ocean International Marine Seminar 10/22/0010/22/00Gilbert Murray Hall at Leicester (UK) Speakers: Mike Paletta (USA), Svein Fossa (Norway), and Julian Sprung (USA).
Tickets: £10. Make checks payable to WYMAG. Send a SASE to Mrs. Christine McCaffery, 31 Henconner Cresc. Leeds. LS7 3NS.
For More Info: Roy Meeke from WYMAG can be reached via phone at 01924 420101 (days) or 01274 611822 (evenings) or via email at roymeeke@wymag34.freeserve.co.uk.
Message Board Poll Contestnow11/1/00  Contest Info, Etc.: Just go to fishroom.com's (http://www.fishroom.com/ (url dead 10/03/05)) The Reef message board and reply to the new poll posted there.
Prize: 20 lbs. of Florida Keys aquacultured live rock.
Seahorse Exhibit4/20/00April 2001New York Aquarium Info: Some of the animals to be featured are leafy sea dragons, weedy sea dragons, pygmy seahorses, pot belly seahorses, local seahorses, giant seahorses, and pipe fish.
Where & Contact Info: Brooklyn Aquarium, West 8th Street and Surf Avenue, Brooklyn, NY (USA), 11224. Phone: (718) 265-FISH.

To Submit Your Event: Send your event and all the specifics (date, time, location, pricing, contact info, etc.) via email to fishnchips@mail.com and I'll publish it in all issues of Fish 'N' Chips prior to the event.

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