Percula clown in Tube worm.

The video shows a False Percula clown playing in a Tube worm. The clown has accepted the Tube worm as if it were a host anemone. Even the Tube worm doesn't seem to mind. As you can see the Tube worm is not closing up in spite of the clowns boisterous behaviour.

Yellow tangs & Wimples during the exhibition. As you can see the only filteration that was used in the exhibition tank was a basic undergravel filter run on aerators.

Yellow tail Blue Damsels. Indian Variety.

The video shows Indian variety of Yellow tail Blue Damsels in a Quarantine Tank at my friends place. The Indian yellow tail blue damsel can be differentiated from the Indonesian or Bali ones because of their torpedo shape. The Indonesian or Bali ones are more fuller in body.

Lionfish feeding.

The Lionfish is feeding on 1/2" Target Perch fish. The tank is a pillar tank 18 inch in length, 18 inch in depth & 36 inch in height. Video was taken with my W700 i Sony Ericsson cell phone. Excuse the audio.

Halimeda Algae.

The photograph is of the calcareous algae Halimeda. The algae is growing on a live rock completely covered with coralline algae. The algae should be placed in an area of very good water flow & bright lighting. Constant addition of calcium, magnesium, strontium & trace elements is a must to keep this algae at its best.

Maintaining the calcium levels in the aquarium at 400 mg to 450 mg per litre (ppt) is very much a requirement for the natural growth of this algae. A very good water flow reduces the accumulation of detrius on the algae. If the algae is not attached to a rock then it is advisable to attach it to a piece of rock using any of the instant bonding adhesives such as Super glue, Acrabond, Fevikwick etc.

Reef Aquarium setup.

The video was shot last year. I am listing the varieties in the tank as well as i remember.

Xenia, Purple base Anemone, Turtle weed Algae, Cinnamon Clown, Flame Angel, Percula Clown, Grape Caulerpa, Bubble tip Anemone, Toadstool Leather, Finger Leather, Blue Mushrooms, Red Mushrooms, Star Polyps, Red Zooanthids, Yellow Polyp, Blue Damsels. If i remember anything i will correct myself here.

Small Red Knobbed Starfish on tank front glass.

This is the smallest Red Knobbed Starfish to date that i have seen & handled. This was also during the Exhibition last year. In spite of requesting for the same size again i have only been dissappointed repeatedly. You see the normal available size of this or any other Indian starfish varieties ranges from 3.5 inches to 9 inches. Having at least one of these critters in your tank makes it a combination of beauty with a purpose. The starfish is a detrivore as well as a good indicator of the water parameters in the tank. Though the organism is a detrivore & an oppurtunistic feeder you will still have to feed it at least once in a fortnight. They can be fed small pieces of soaked krill. Soak the krill or dry prawn only in fresh water & place it next to any of the arms of the starfish. The starfish will not tolerate ammonia NH3, No2, pH or even NO3 level fluctuations in the aquarium. If you have a starfish & it is constantly at the top, as if it was trying to get out of the tank, then check your water parameters & take remedial measures. They also do not like sudden salinity changes. They also exhibit the same behaviour if there are low levels of oxygen in the tank. A starfish is a bottom dwelling organism & should be seen at the bottom on the coral sand, on the rockwork, on the glass sides & not at the water level trying to get out of the tank. When they die in a tank it becomes obvious only when it's body starts disintegrating & ammonia bubbles form & the sand below the dead star becomes black. The best thing to do is to always make sure that the starfish is moving around in your tank.

Regal Tang.

The Regal Tang is in much demand. It is a herbivore by disposition. Commonly available Nori strips should be given along with the normal basic pellets & flake feeds. Nori is made out of marine algae & as such is an adequate food in itself for the Tang varieties of fishes. If you are unable to get Nori then you can also feed fresh Coriander or scalded Spinach. Do not keep a pair of these fishes in a small aquarium as they are antagonistic towards each other in small aquariums. Very active fish once settled in the aquarium. This fish can be kept in pairs only if the aquarium is spacious enough. A hardy fish once settled in an aquarium. The photo was taken with my Sony Ericsson W700i cell phone camera. When i have a better photo i shall upload the same.

The Spotted Grouper or Polka Dot Grouper.

The Spotted Grouper or Polka Dot Grouper looks extremely beautifull when juvenile.

The fish is a voracious feeder. Requires small live fishes initially before it starts accepting prepared feed.
The fish changes its colour to a drab brown colour as it matures. It grows quite fast once it adapts to aquarium conditions. It can fit most small fishes in its mouth. So avoid keeping it with Damsel's & such small fishes.

The two photos are of the same fish in the same tank.

Pair of wimple fish in the Exehibition tank.

This pair of Wimple fish were exhibited in an aquarium that was run only on an undergravel filteration system. Basic undergravel filteration using ready made undergravel plates. Plates used here were of Flowell Company. Flowell is a local company manufacturing Power filters, Undergravel Filter Plates & the only Indian Company ( the only Indian company that i know of ) that manufactures External Cannister Filters in India. They have cannister filters for upto 1500 Ltrs water capacity. The coral sand used in this tank was 3 mm to 4 mm grain size.

Purple base Long Tentacle Anemone.

This is a photograph of a Purple Base Long Tentacle Anemone taken by me during the Fish exhibition held in Mumbai last year at Prabodhankar Thackeray Sports Complex, Vile Parle East (2007).

The usual pricing for the anemone is Rs.1200/- each. During the exhibition this anemone remained on the side glass of its aquarium inspite of being taken off from its location twice. It came back to the same location each time it was removed and placed in a different location. These types of anemones will roam the entire Aquarium till they find the right combination of water flow and lighting. If you change the water flow these animals will start to roam the aquarium again in search of the right combination of flow and lighting again.

Indian take on Marine Aquariums.

This is the place i shall be posting about marine tanks in India. The posts will be only related to marine aquariums, accessories, readily available marine fish & organisms. The photos that will be posted here will take on an open source format. Which means the photos can be used by anyone anywhere unless mentioned otherwise. There will be posts that may not go down well with other aquarium professionals, commonly available aquarium litrature & BELIEFS.

This blog is a place where i shall be posting my marine aquarium settings with complete details.

I am doing this to let other people in india know more about the marine aquarium.