Kristian: Your camera is really cool, where did you get the waterproof cover?
I got it from amazon.com
Will: what is your favorite fish and coral?
My favorite fish of all time is a tailspot blenny. Here is two pictures, one poking out of rocks in my first tank, and two he is sitting on top of the rocks
I got it from amazon.com
Will: what is your favorite fish and coral?
My favorite fish of all time is a tailspot blenny. Here is two pictures, one poking out of rocks in my first tank, and two he is sitting on top of the rocks
it is a fish with great personality and is fun to watch socialize with other animals. As a bonus it eats constantly and grazes on algea. I currently do not have one in my tank, but i did see one in quarantine at the fish store here tonight that I am going to try and pick up when it is out of quarantine.
As for favorite coral it is very hard to pick, but I would have to say a montipora stellata. I like montipora corals in general, but the stellata has a very unique growth pattern of branching plates that you don't see very often outside of elkhorn corals. This adds a interesting shape to the tank, in addition is has a vibrant green polyp and a lavender skin with blue growth tips.
It is the coral in the upper left of this picture
As for favorite coral it is very hard to pick, but I would have to say a montipora stellata. I like montipora corals in general, but the stellata has a very unique growth pattern of branching plates that you don't see very often outside of elkhorn corals. This adds a interesting shape to the tank, in addition is has a vibrant green polyp and a lavender skin with blue growth tips.
It is the coral in the upper left of this picture
here is a top down view.
here are some of my other favorite corals:
This is an acropora yongei commonly called a bali slimer for the thick mucus it produces when disturbed and the region from which it was collected.
This is an acropora yongei commonly called a bali slimer for the thick mucus it produces when disturbed and the region from which it was collected.
This is a Stylophora pistillata that goes by the name 'sanjay's milka stylo' it is unique in that it is the only coral in circulation in the hobby that is confirmed to have been collected from the red sea. It came into the hobby trade via the Monaco aquarium in France and there is nothing else that looks quite like it
Duncanopsammia axifuga commonly called a duncan coral or whisker coral. (Awesome Squad has this coral in our tank) This specimen was wild collected from Australia and I like that is has a yellow mouth which is a uncommon color morph to see in this coral
Kayla: How much water do you have in your tank?
My display is 80 gallons and my sump is about 50 gallons. This gives a total empty volume of about 130 gallons. The actual volume however is closer to 110-115 gallons due to the water displaced by the rock and other equipment.
Ashton: what kind of fish and corals do you have right now? Why do you like fish and coral.
Starting with the fish which are the easiest I have a midas blenny (Ecsenius midas), a yellow banded possum wrasse (Wetmorella nigropinnata), a kole tang (Ctenochaetus strigosus), a flame hawkfish (Neocirrhitus armatus), A spotted mandarin (Synchiropus picturatus) and a snowflake clownfish (Amphiprion ocellaris).
For coral I have a majority of SPS corals with a few lps, however identifying exact species is a little harder so I will try and list as many by trade name. I have ORA red planet, Cali tort, tyree setosa, ORA spongodes, mornigstar monti, tubs stellata, ORA bird of paradise, Tubs rainbow birdsnest, purple haze montipora, ORA joe the coral, Bali slimer, BC mystery machine, RW horrida, cornbred 3G mummy eye, JF aquaman, JF twinspot psammacora, RR mother of peral, Sunny D paly, bonsai mariculture, green stag, pink and blue acro, ORA rose milli, sawbreaker leptastrea, green acan lord, japanese sun favia, prism favia, yellow eye chalice, purple iris, ORA pearlberry, tyree pink limeaid, ATL appleberry monti, ORA galexia, a orange fungia, and a frogspawn
I enjoy fish that have personality, some of them are almost like having a dog, they follow you around the tank, and you can tell when they are scared or grumpy. I really enjoy watching this, as well as the way they socialize and interact with other fish. For instance my possum wrasse gets bullied by my hawkfish. However if the hawkfish bothers the wrasse too much my kole tang will come and nip at him and defend the wrasse. The wrasse also usually sleeps in the same cave as the tang at night. The midas blenny is always following me around the tank and looking for food. Usually if he thinks another fish found food he will swim over and pester them, he also scrunches up into the tiniest crevice when scared or startled.
For coral I really enjoy the different colors, there are many colors and patterns that are not found elsewhere in nature. I also enjoy the challenges of husbandry of some of the more difficult species to keep. Seeing them happy and growing is very rewarding.
Gaby: Have you ever been bitten by a fish?
Yes, i've been bitten by both clownfish, and my midas blenny likes to nip at me to see if my arm is food if i ever put my hand in the tank. In both these cases it feels like a small pinch and is startling more than it hurts. There are some fish that have teeth or beaks that you need to beware of such as triggers or tusk fish. Also some fish have poisoned spines like lion fish and rabbit fish that can be very painful if they accidentally swim into you or you accidentally bump them with your hand.
Lyons: Did you set up your aquarium by yourself?
I had some help moving the stand and tank into position but beyond that I set everything else up myself.
Sydney: How big is your tank (height, width, length?)
My tank is 4 feet long (48") 2 feet wide (24") and 16 inches tall.
Jenna: When did you become interested in aquariums?
I became interested in reef tanks after scuba diving. I saw an advertisement online for a all in one 'nano' aquarium (typically tanks under 25 gallons) and became very interested in the idea of having a small reef on my desktop. After doing a lot of reading I realized that low volume tanks are a bad idea for beginners due to their sensitivity to parameter changes (less water volume to buffer) I picked up a 33L tank and dove in. I made plenty of mistakes and learned a lot, and am still learning. There are lots of different ways to keep a saltwater reef with success, and it is interesting experimenting with different techniques and equipment to keep these animals happy.
Sherell: What happens if your camera runs out of batteries underwater?
This usually happens right when you see something interesting, either you stop taking pictures, or you bring multiple cameras. For people that are heavily into photography and have the fancier cameras that have changeable lenses you also cannot change lenses underwater, it is typically to see someone who is diving with the main purpose of photography to have multiple cameras for different setups such as macro (very close up photography) and a camera set up for wide angle shots as well. This is much too fancy for me, I keep a spare battery in my dive bag, and will change it out when we surface between dives.
Mr. Rutherford: Thanks again for being part of our awesome squad. Wanna skype?
I can skype via my phone at home, I however do not have wifi at work and no way to get on skype other times. I am more than happy to answer any other questions the kids have, just let me know!
My display is 80 gallons and my sump is about 50 gallons. This gives a total empty volume of about 130 gallons. The actual volume however is closer to 110-115 gallons due to the water displaced by the rock and other equipment.
Ashton: what kind of fish and corals do you have right now? Why do you like fish and coral.
Starting with the fish which are the easiest I have a midas blenny (Ecsenius midas), a yellow banded possum wrasse (Wetmorella nigropinnata), a kole tang (Ctenochaetus strigosus), a flame hawkfish (Neocirrhitus armatus), A spotted mandarin (Synchiropus picturatus) and a snowflake clownfish (Amphiprion ocellaris).
For coral I have a majority of SPS corals with a few lps, however identifying exact species is a little harder so I will try and list as many by trade name. I have ORA red planet, Cali tort, tyree setosa, ORA spongodes, mornigstar monti, tubs stellata, ORA bird of paradise, Tubs rainbow birdsnest, purple haze montipora, ORA joe the coral, Bali slimer, BC mystery machine, RW horrida, cornbred 3G mummy eye, JF aquaman, JF twinspot psammacora, RR mother of peral, Sunny D paly, bonsai mariculture, green stag, pink and blue acro, ORA rose milli, sawbreaker leptastrea, green acan lord, japanese sun favia, prism favia, yellow eye chalice, purple iris, ORA pearlberry, tyree pink limeaid, ATL appleberry monti, ORA galexia, a orange fungia, and a frogspawn
I enjoy fish that have personality, some of them are almost like having a dog, they follow you around the tank, and you can tell when they are scared or grumpy. I really enjoy watching this, as well as the way they socialize and interact with other fish. For instance my possum wrasse gets bullied by my hawkfish. However if the hawkfish bothers the wrasse too much my kole tang will come and nip at him and defend the wrasse. The wrasse also usually sleeps in the same cave as the tang at night. The midas blenny is always following me around the tank and looking for food. Usually if he thinks another fish found food he will swim over and pester them, he also scrunches up into the tiniest crevice when scared or startled.
For coral I really enjoy the different colors, there are many colors and patterns that are not found elsewhere in nature. I also enjoy the challenges of husbandry of some of the more difficult species to keep. Seeing them happy and growing is very rewarding.
Gaby: Have you ever been bitten by a fish?
Yes, i've been bitten by both clownfish, and my midas blenny likes to nip at me to see if my arm is food if i ever put my hand in the tank. In both these cases it feels like a small pinch and is startling more than it hurts. There are some fish that have teeth or beaks that you need to beware of such as triggers or tusk fish. Also some fish have poisoned spines like lion fish and rabbit fish that can be very painful if they accidentally swim into you or you accidentally bump them with your hand.
Lyons: Did you set up your aquarium by yourself?
I had some help moving the stand and tank into position but beyond that I set everything else up myself.
Sydney: How big is your tank (height, width, length?)
My tank is 4 feet long (48") 2 feet wide (24") and 16 inches tall.
Jenna: When did you become interested in aquariums?
I became interested in reef tanks after scuba diving. I saw an advertisement online for a all in one 'nano' aquarium (typically tanks under 25 gallons) and became very interested in the idea of having a small reef on my desktop. After doing a lot of reading I realized that low volume tanks are a bad idea for beginners due to their sensitivity to parameter changes (less water volume to buffer) I picked up a 33L tank and dove in. I made plenty of mistakes and learned a lot, and am still learning. There are lots of different ways to keep a saltwater reef with success, and it is interesting experimenting with different techniques and equipment to keep these animals happy.
Sherell: What happens if your camera runs out of batteries underwater?
This usually happens right when you see something interesting, either you stop taking pictures, or you bring multiple cameras. For people that are heavily into photography and have the fancier cameras that have changeable lenses you also cannot change lenses underwater, it is typically to see someone who is diving with the main purpose of photography to have multiple cameras for different setups such as macro (very close up photography) and a camera set up for wide angle shots as well. This is much too fancy for me, I keep a spare battery in my dive bag, and will change it out when we surface between dives.
Mr. Rutherford: Thanks again for being part of our awesome squad. Wanna skype?
I can skype via my phone at home, I however do not have wifi at work and no way to get on skype other times. I am more than happy to answer any other questions the kids have, just let me know!
Soren : Where did you go scuba diving?
Matt: In that particular picture (see picture above) I am scuba diving in Malaysia which is a country in south east asia. I visit there once every year or so to spend time with my wife's family and my nephews, and try to go diving whenever I do go. While I do love saltwater reefs my favorite diving is in freshwater, I enjoy exploring shipwrecks in the great lakes (the colder fresh water preserves them better) and I enjoy exploring underwater fresh water caves which are mainly found in north Florida (part of the Floridan aquifer) here is an album of pictures from diving in Malaysia, I love looking back at these pictures because the more I learn about saltwater aquariums and animals the more creatures and corals I spot that I might have missed the last time I looked.
Virginia : are the fighting conch in the elephant family? They look like they have a trunk.
Matt: The fighting conch and elephant are both in the animal kingdom but the fighting conch is Mollusk while the elephant is a mammal. The 'trunk' is called a 'siphon' and while different types of mollusks use them for different purposes (example a clam uses its siphon for filter feed from the water) snails use their siphon as a sensory organ to feel around and detect food and objects.
Syndey: Did you ever swim with dolphins when you were scuba diving?
Matt: I have never swum with dolphins while diving, dolphins, manatees and whales typically do not like the bubbles and noise created by breathing on scuba and will not come close to divers. There is a way to breath underwater without creating bubbles called a 're-breather' but I have not dove with one. I have gotten to swim with dolphins while snorkeling.
Gaby: Are your clown fish afraid of people too? Why is your other fish afraid?
Matt: My clown fish is not very afraid but is still a bit skittish if I have my hands in the tank, I have had other clownfish that would come up and 'nibble' on my hand or arm to see if it was food before. Most fish that are not afraid associate me with feeding the tank, it becomes a positive experience for them and so they become conditioned to usually come out and swim around when I approach the tank to look for food. My kole tang is an algae eater, and prefers to graze on algae that grows on the rocks of my tank. She does not have the same association of my presence with food, and anything that casts a 'shadow' on the wall or top of the tank causes her to hide. This is likely a flight response to hide from predators.
Virginia: When do the clown fish turn black? How long do clownfish live?
Matt: The clownfish will progressively get darker over a period of 6 months to a year, the exact timeline depends on the specific species of clownfish and color morph. Selective breeding in captivity has produced all kinds of different color and shaded clownfish with different sized and patterned stripes. In captivity clownfish have an average lifespan of 5-6 years though I know of one particular breeding pair that is almost 10 years old. I am unsure of their lifespan in the wild.
Lyons: How did you take pictures while you were scuba diving?
Matt:I take pictures underwater using a digital camera that is contained in a water proof housing. The exact housing i use has 2 pieces of plastic sandwiched together with an 'o-ring' gasket seal that creates a water tight enclosure. The strength of the plastic determines its depth rating, It can go about 300 feet deep before I need to worry about it getting crushed by the ambient pressure.
Matt: In that particular picture (see picture above) I am scuba diving in Malaysia which is a country in south east asia. I visit there once every year or so to spend time with my wife's family and my nephews, and try to go diving whenever I do go. While I do love saltwater reefs my favorite diving is in freshwater, I enjoy exploring shipwrecks in the great lakes (the colder fresh water preserves them better) and I enjoy exploring underwater fresh water caves which are mainly found in north Florida (part of the Floridan aquifer) here is an album of pictures from diving in Malaysia, I love looking back at these pictures because the more I learn about saltwater aquariums and animals the more creatures and corals I spot that I might have missed the last time I looked.
Virginia : are the fighting conch in the elephant family? They look like they have a trunk.
Matt: The fighting conch and elephant are both in the animal kingdom but the fighting conch is Mollusk while the elephant is a mammal. The 'trunk' is called a 'siphon' and while different types of mollusks use them for different purposes (example a clam uses its siphon for filter feed from the water) snails use their siphon as a sensory organ to feel around and detect food and objects.
Syndey: Did you ever swim with dolphins when you were scuba diving?
Matt: I have never swum with dolphins while diving, dolphins, manatees and whales typically do not like the bubbles and noise created by breathing on scuba and will not come close to divers. There is a way to breath underwater without creating bubbles called a 're-breather' but I have not dove with one. I have gotten to swim with dolphins while snorkeling.
Gaby: Are your clown fish afraid of people too? Why is your other fish afraid?
Matt: My clown fish is not very afraid but is still a bit skittish if I have my hands in the tank, I have had other clownfish that would come up and 'nibble' on my hand or arm to see if it was food before. Most fish that are not afraid associate me with feeding the tank, it becomes a positive experience for them and so they become conditioned to usually come out and swim around when I approach the tank to look for food. My kole tang is an algae eater, and prefers to graze on algae that grows on the rocks of my tank. She does not have the same association of my presence with food, and anything that casts a 'shadow' on the wall or top of the tank causes her to hide. This is likely a flight response to hide from predators.
Virginia: When do the clown fish turn black? How long do clownfish live?
Matt: The clownfish will progressively get darker over a period of 6 months to a year, the exact timeline depends on the specific species of clownfish and color morph. Selective breeding in captivity has produced all kinds of different color and shaded clownfish with different sized and patterned stripes. In captivity clownfish have an average lifespan of 5-6 years though I know of one particular breeding pair that is almost 10 years old. I am unsure of their lifespan in the wild.
Lyons: How did you take pictures while you were scuba diving?
Matt:I take pictures underwater using a digital camera that is contained in a water proof housing. The exact housing i use has 2 pieces of plastic sandwiched together with an 'o-ring' gasket seal that creates a water tight enclosure. The strength of the plastic determines its depth rating, It can go about 300 feet deep before I need to worry about it getting crushed by the ambient pressure.
Lucy: What is your job? Do you do anything with aquariums professionally?
Matt: I work as an electrical engineer, I previously designed radios for the army but now design rechargeable battery packs for different types of electronic devices and portable computers. Unfortunately I dont get to do anything professional for an aquarium.
Jenna: How long have you been working with fish (have a reef aquarium)?
Matt: I have had a reef aquarium since 2010
Will: Where did you get all of your fish and coral? From the Ocean?
Matt: All of the fish and coral originally came from the ocean however I support aquaculture as much as possible. My clownfish are captive bred, as is my spotted mandarin fish. The majority of my coral is aqua-cultured either by a professional organization (ORA, Jason fox, pacific east aquaculture etc) or came from other hobbyists that grow and farm coral in their tanks. I have a few pieces of coral that are wild caught (harvested from a reef) or that are maricultured (cultured in the ocean for the purpose of sale for reef aquariums.) These are pieces of coral that are either hard to propagate in captivity, or have never successfully been captive propagated. Every year breeders and hobbyists are making advances on both breeding different types of fish in captivity, and coming up with new ways to culture and grow coral species in a aquaria that were previously very difficult to impossible to keep and propagate. It is my hope that eventually captive reef aquariums hobby and trade will become predominately reliant on aquaculture and captive bred species as we learn more about these animals and how to care for them. It may even be possible for us to successfully grow corals in captivity that can be used to repopulate areas where human interaction has caused species to become locally extinct.
Kayla: How long do fighting conchs live, do they get big?
Matt: I am unsure of their lifespan in captivity but assuming it doesn't become food for a predator it should live several years, this particular type of conch grows to be about 4" in size maximum.
Matt: I work as an electrical engineer, I previously designed radios for the army but now design rechargeable battery packs for different types of electronic devices and portable computers. Unfortunately I dont get to do anything professional for an aquarium.
Jenna: How long have you been working with fish (have a reef aquarium)?
Matt: I have had a reef aquarium since 2010
Will: Where did you get all of your fish and coral? From the Ocean?
Matt: All of the fish and coral originally came from the ocean however I support aquaculture as much as possible. My clownfish are captive bred, as is my spotted mandarin fish. The majority of my coral is aqua-cultured either by a professional organization (ORA, Jason fox, pacific east aquaculture etc) or came from other hobbyists that grow and farm coral in their tanks. I have a few pieces of coral that are wild caught (harvested from a reef) or that are maricultured (cultured in the ocean for the purpose of sale for reef aquariums.) These are pieces of coral that are either hard to propagate in captivity, or have never successfully been captive propagated. Every year breeders and hobbyists are making advances on both breeding different types of fish in captivity, and coming up with new ways to culture and grow coral species in a aquaria that were previously very difficult to impossible to keep and propagate. It is my hope that eventually captive reef aquariums hobby and trade will become predominately reliant on aquaculture and captive bred species as we learn more about these animals and how to care for them. It may even be possible for us to successfully grow corals in captivity that can be used to repopulate areas where human interaction has caused species to become locally extinct.
Kayla: How long do fighting conchs live, do they get big?
Matt: I am unsure of their lifespan in captivity but assuming it doesn't become food for a predator it should live several years, this particular type of conch grows to be about 4" in size maximum.