Requesting help with my book!

[Keko21]

Hello All! Over the past year I have been diligently working on my book "Rookie Reefing: A Beginner's Guide to Saltwater Aquariums". As the title suggests, this is a "how to" book on setting up a saltwater aquarium touching on topics ranging from help with purchasing your first system and equipment, setting it up from A to Z, common pests and control measures, water chemistry, proper husbandry among various tank inhabitants, coral fragging and propagation, and more! I am very happy to say that I have completed the first draft and it is now in the editing process!

As mentioned above one of the chapters focuses on common pests and their management or removal. I am reaching out as I need some high resolution photos to feature in this chapter. If you are interested in submitting a photo please reach out to me via DM and I will provide a release for use of the image for you to complete. I will cite your name and/or reef2reef username under the photo in the book. After speaking with the admins at reef2reef they have approved this post/request.

Thank you all for your support! I can certainly say that this book would not have been possible without the information and support from this amazing community!!!

The following species are what I am seeking images for:
- Green Hair Algae
- Bubble Algae
- Diatoms
- Bacterial blooms (cloudy water image)
- Cyanobacteria
- Dinoflagellates (various types- large scale image not microscope)
- Aiptasia
- Hydrozoans (colonial)
- Asterina Starfish
- Vermetid Snails
- Whelks
- Bristle worms (a good infestation would be preferable)
- Flat worms
- Ich
- Fin rot
- velvet
-brooklynella

 

[Timfish]

Sorry, this is more a critisism, but I don't see anything on the role of Dissolve Organic Carbon (DOC) and it's roles in reef and coral health or disease.

 

[Keko21]

Sorry, this is more a critisism, but I don't see anything on the role of Dissolve Organic Carbon (DOC) and it's roles in reef and coral health or disease.

Many topics are touched upon in the book including the use of carbon in systems. This is primarily a request for use of images for the chapter on pests.

 

[MnFish1]

Sorry, this is more a critisism, but I don't see anything on the role of Dissolve Organic Carbon (DOC) and it's roles in reef and coral health or disease.

I do not think that topic would be covered on the 'beginners guide to a reef tank'?

 

[MnFish1]

Many topics are touched upon in the book including the use of carbon in systems. This is primarily a request for use of images for the chapter on pests.

I would suggest you look at the public pictures available - which are 'free' for public use - and high quality. Of course people will have pictures here - but translated to a book may not look right. I did a quick search - and found several sites with the things you require.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I'm going to move this thread to the main forum as it is not an experiment.

 

[Timfish]

I do not think that topic would be covered on the 'beginners guide to a reef tank'?

Seems like it should be as it kills corals faster than high nitrates or phosphates.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Seems like it should be as it kills corals faster than high nitrates or phosphates.

IMO, that topic is complicated and likely not suited to beginners as any simplification is likely to be misinterpreted.

 

[Timfish]

IMO, that topic is complicated and likely not suited to beginners as any simplification is likely to be misinterpreted.

And nitrogen and phsohorus cycles aren't complicated? I see corals and systems killed because a hobbyest was told simply to keep PO4 low (.006) to avoid algae issues. I see aquarists trying to keep the "proper" redfield ratio with nitrates and phosphates but are dumping in amino acids not realizing it's organic nitrogen and the reason they corals are bleaching is because the N/P ratio is all messed up. I see systems were people are carbon dosing and wondering why their corals are declining and when I have them stop carbon dosing and start doing water changes their corals recover.

Seems to me many aquarists are putting to much emphasis on simple answers and solutions (often based on a couple decades of dogma) and ignoring the research showing much of what is being advised is in fact bad advice. As I see it having to fix peoples tanks aquarists aren't being told just how complicated reefs are and what they're doing is only making it worse.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

And nitrogen and phsohorus cycles aren't complicated? I see corals and systems killed because a hobbyest was told simply to keep PO4 low (.006) to avoid algae issues. I see aquarists trying to keep the "proper" redfield ratio with nitrates and phosphates but are dumping in amino acids not realizing it's organic nitrogen and the reason they corals are bleaching is because the N/P ratio is all messed up. I see systems were people are carbon dosing and wondering why their corals are declining and when I have them stop carbon dosing and start doing water changes their corals recover.

Seems to me many aquarists are putting to much emphasis on simple answers and solutions (often based on a couple decades of dogma) and ignoring the research showing much of what is being advised is in fact bad advice. As I see it having to fix peoples tanks aquarists aren't being told just how complicated reefs are and what they're doing is only making it worse.

This is likely not the place for such a debate, and neither is a book for beginners, IMO, but I do not think there is any clear agreement upon husbandry recommendations that relate to organic carbon killing corals.

At most I'd advise to say that organic carbon dosing, like most methods we use, has pros and cons, and in some unusual cases, leads to coral problems.

I personally believe that unless you have a demonstrated problem with organic carbon dosing, perhaps due to a particular pathogenic strain of bacteria present in the tank, or perhaps based on the molecule chosen and the way it is applied, that appropriate organic carbon dosing is more of a benefit than a detriment for many users.

 

[StatelineReefer]

Not my finest photo... And thankfully cleared up now, so no chance of a better one.

 

[littlefoxx]

Hello All! Over the past year I have been diligently working on my book "Rookie Reefing: A Beginner's Guide to Saltwater Aquariums". As the title suggests, this is a "how to" book on setting up a saltwater aquarium touching on topics ranging from help with purchasing your first system and equipment, setting it up from A to Z, common pests and control measures, water chemistry, proper husbandry among various tank inhabitants, coral fragging and propagation, and more! I am very happy to say that I have completed the first draft and it is now in the editing process!

As mentioned above one of the chapters focuses on common pests and their management or removal. I am reaching out as I need some high resolution photos to feature in this chapter. If you are interested in submitting a photo please reach out to me via DM and I will provide a release for use of the image for you to complete. I will cite your name and/or reef2reef username under the photo in the book. After speaking with the admins at reef2reef they have approved this post/request.

Thank you all for your support! I can certainly say that this book would not have been possible without the information and support from this amazing community!!!

The following species are what I am seeking images for:
- Green Hair Algae
- Bubble Algae
- Diatoms
- Bacterial blooms (cloudy water image)
- Cyanobacteria
- Dinoflagellates (various types- large scale image not microscope)
- Aiptasia
- Hydrozoans (colonial)
- Asterina Starfish
- Vermetid Snails
- Whelks
- Bristle worms (a good infestation would be preferable)
- Flat worms
- Ich
- Fin rot
- velvet
-brooklynella

I have a picture of a fish with velvet if you need it

 

[littlefoxx]

Not the best pictures but both my fish died from it was heartbroken

 

[Timfish]

Assuming there's a section on coral diseases or carbon dosing here's an image from this paper on stressed coral microbiomes showing DOC increases the ratio of "virulence factors" or genes associated with disease to healthy controls. Note that "healthy" coral holobionts will have opportunistic microbes that can propagate when a coral is stressed.

This is likely not the place for such a debate, and neither is a book for beginners, IMO, but I do not think there is any clear agreement upon husbandry recommendations that relate to organic carbon killing corals.

At most I'd advise to say that organic carbon dosing, like most methods we use, has pros and cons, and in some unusual cases, leads to coral problems.

I personally believe that unless you have a demonstrated problem with organic carbon dosing, perhaps due to a particular pathogenic strain of bacteria present in the tank, or perhaps based on the molecule chosen and the way it is applied, that appropriate organic carbon dosing is more of a benefit than a detriment for many users.

It seems to me anywhere corals, nitrogen and phosphorus is being discussed together or anywhere coral health is discussed is an appropriate place to include carbon, especially as the organic forms are directly tied to coral decline either directly or indirectly. And shouldn't we warn beginning aquarists about the cons as well as the pros? As far as subject complexity Rohwer's book "Coral Reefs in hte Microbial Seas" discusses DOC in a very easy to read manner so I can't agree with beginners not able to understand the subject material.

As far as any kind of consensus for husbandry reccomendations for adding labile DOC I don't see how there ever can be any with all the variables involved. Every system likely will have cryptic sponges sooner or later that may or may not remove labile DOC up to 1000X faster than the bacterioplankton so added DOC may or may not be promoting microbial changes or growth of heterotrphic bactreioplankton or heterotrophic shifts in coral holobionts. (This inability to quantify what may or may not happen short or long term in a system seems to me enough reason not to dose if an aquarist values their corals.) Kuntz, et al, et al showed species specific responses to different types of DOC so what's acute for one coral may not immediately affect another species. Wright , et al,has shown significant differences in immune system at the genotype level so it seems we shouldn't be surprised if one coral dies but another appears to be fine even if they are the same species. Even if the dosing level is not acute for any of the corals in a system there's still hte issue of a phase shift to an algae dominate system as the sponges in a system release compounds beneficial for algae and detrimental to corals (1) (2).

To be blunt, thinking of coral decline in the frame work of one disease - one pathogen strikes me as simplistic in light of the research done. In a foot note in his book "Coral Reefs in the microbial Seas" Rohwer relates how one researcher and his students polled the attendees at the 11th International Coral Reef Symposium. Using unlabeled photographs of corals with 30 different diseases none could acurately identify them. So to expect even an well experienced aquarist to accurately diagnose a coral disease just by sight doesn't seem likely. Besides the inability to accurately identify corals diseases there's also the issue of diseases caused by a consortium of microbes and not just a single pathogen (CH 4 "Coral Reefs in the Microbial Seas"), opportunisitc microbes that shift roles when corals are stressed (Thurber, et al), or coral decline caused by hypoxic conditions in the boundary around corals (3) (4) (5). (This last issue with hypoxic conditions being created is one you've expressed concern about in the past.)

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Again, this seems way out of scope for a beginners book, but that's just my opinion.

They seem to have an unclear description in their paper, precluding my ability to understand the DOC loading experiment:

" Dissolved organic carbon loading (DOC sample) was an addition of 25 mg 1-1 glucose.:

Is that supposed to be 25 mg of 1-1 glucose in water added to 5 L of seawater? something else?

In any case, I neither recommend dosing glucose, nor do I find it terribly disturbing that the tank water contains bacteria of many types, which may include bacteria that are also associated with diseased corals (perhaps ones that are leaking glucose to the environment, feeding them).

That said, I don't see the merit of lumping DOC into one bucket of good vs bad any more than one should do so for a person.

Are organics good for a person to eat? proteins? fat? sugar? palytoxin?

With each of those, there's an amount (a different amount) that's fine and an amount that isn't fine.

Seems logical to think it might be the same for corals.

IMO, if scientists have to do fancy scientific studies to try to show an effect, and is not something one can just observe by growth rate or death or visible disease or other endpoint a reefer actually cares about, I have a harder time getting worked up about it.