General Discussions:

President Paul Whitby updated the membership on the status of the Oklahoma City Conference for Reef Aquarists and Saltwater Enthusiasts (CRASE). CRASE 2008 will be held on Saturday the 25th October at the UCO Conference center in Edmond Oklahoma. It will be a single day event and will involve lectures by distinguished speakers in the area of saltwater aquariums. 

The following lecturers are currently scheduled;

Dr. Ron Shimek will be returning to CRASE. Dr. Shimek will be discussing invertebrates used as clean up crews, those commonly available and some that are not. His talk will cover the advantages and disadvantages of the various types of cleanup crews.

Adam Mangino is one of the ORA team and is primarily involved with their captive breeding program and in particular he is responsible for the hybridization to create the Indigo Dottyback. He will be talking on captive breeding of marine ornamentals.

Dr. Sanjay Joshi has published numerous articles on spectral qualities of bulbs and the effect of various reflectors.

Dr. Joshi will be discussing various options in reef lighting with particular respect to both T5 and MH technology.

Dr. Whitby is President of the Central Oklahoma Marine Aquarium Society (COMAS) and has over 20 years experience as a saltwater hobbyist.  Dr. Whitby will be discussing aquascaping techniques.

We have two rooms booked, each holds approximately 500 people. One of these will be dedicated to the vendors/retailers and frag sellers. In addition there will be numerous door prizes.

Ticket Information:

Tickets can be purchased from Aquariums in Edmond, or by contacting Leigh Anne Koudriavtsev at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Adult tickets are $15 each for general admission, $25 with prepaid gourmet box lunch*. Children are $10 each for general admission, $20 with prepaid gourmet box lunch*.

 *Gourmet Box lunch includes: gourmet sandwich, salad of the day, chips, cookies, utensils, and soft drink.

Sandwich Options: Meat/Veggie Choice: Smoked turkey, ham, roast beef, or avocado mushroom wrap.  Cheese Choice: Smoked cheddar, smoked Gouda, big eye SwissServed on Italian Cibatta or Focaccia breads  Lunch orders will be taken at a later date.

Each general admission includes one complementary raffle ticket. 

Tickets will be available for purchase at COMAS meetings and at Aquariums Tropical Fish & Supply.  Online payment is available through www.paypal.com.  We need to assess a $2 charge to cover the fees we are charged by PayPal.  So, adult tickets are $17; $27 with lunch.  Child tickets are $12; $22 with lunch.  For group purchases, please request a total since the PayPal fees will vary.  Please send payment to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it . This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it and include a name and a phone number for the ticket holder.   We will hold your tickets for pick-up at the event.  If you have any questions, please send a message to the same email address.

Hotel Information:

SLEEP INN & SUITES

3608 S BROADWAY EXTENSION

EDMOND, OK 73013 USA

Phone: (405) 844-3000

Fax: (405) 844-3086

Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it. Please contact the hotel directly and state you are attending the CRASE conference.

Election of Officers for 2009:

The nomination of officers needs to be in place by October. Nominations should be submitted by email to Paul Whitby. Paul will contact the person nominated to see if he or she accepts the nomination. Currently we have Kaitlyn Cameron nominated for Secretary for 2009. 

 Prize Winners:

Amanda Duck won a Hamilton Dual Timer.

David Elliott won a Hamilton Dual Timer. 

 Topic of Meeting:

This month’s presentation by Dr. Paul Whitby was titled “Parasites, Pesties & Things That Go Munch in the Night”. This included a power point presentation. The presentation was very informative; some of the highlights will be presented in these minutes.

This presentation was put together last year and some of the subject matter was modified or removed for relevance to this month’s topic. The parasites & pests were classified in the following categories;Algae, Invertebrates, Sponges, Corals, Crustaceans, & Worms.

Algae were bypassed here, as it was covered in past meetings.

Invertebrates (any animal without a spinal column) constitute the most serious threat in marine tanks. Aptasia is a common nuisance and is very adaptive to marine tanks. The eradication of this pest using chemicals is listed below along with a general rating.

Kalkwasser Paste (Good)

Boiling Water      (not good)

Lemon Juice        (not good)

Joe’s Juice           (Excellent)

The eradication of these pests using biological means is listed along with a general rating.

Copperband Butterfly (excellent)

Peppermint Shrimp     (excellent)

Berghia Nudibranch    (excellent)

Sponges were bypassed here, as it was covered in past meetings.

The only coral that was covered in this meeting was Fire Coral. Fire corals are so called because of their powerful stinging hairs or nematocysts. These are used primarily for defense against fish like parrotfish which would otherwise nibble the coral. They are not true corals. They are hydroids. Hydroid means water animal. Other hydroids often look like ferny fronds growing from rocks. The fire coral is different: it looks like a hard coral. As its name implies: If you touch it, it burns like @$#!.

The crustaceans are a large group of arthropods, comprising approximately 52,000 described species. The most common are lobsters, crabs, shrimp, etc. One of the most troublesome pests is the Red Acro Bug. They are parasitic on the hard coral Acropora, and they feed on these corals exclusively. The eradication of this pest using interceptor works, however this will result in the loss of crabs, shrimps, pods, etc. Isolation of the Acropora from the main tank along with the infected coral (after treatment) is recommended. The remaining red bugs will not survive in the main tank without its principal prey. The Dragonface Pipefish, Corythoichthys haematopterus, is a natural predator of the Red Acro Bug. However they are susceptible to sudden death via pumps, overflows, etc. One club member had one last only several minutes, before it meet its doom with a pump!

Decorator Crabs are okay for nano tanks. They will destroy corals in the main tank to decorate themselves. As a general rule, crabs with rounded claws are usually safe with fish. They usually are algae eaters. The crabs with pointed claws have a greater potential to eat fish, shrimp, etc.

Mantis shrimp are considered pests by some. A telltale sign that you have one in your tank; an audible double click sound. A single audible click usually indicates a Pistol Shrimp, which is not considered a pest (unless you count its tunnel digging as problematic).

Asterina Starfish are voracious eaters of zooanthids, polyps, LPS, SPS, or anything they can get to.

Harlequin Shrimps eat the feet of starfish (the ultimate foot fetish). They need starfish to survive, so you can keep frozen starfish arms to drop into the tank when needed. This could keep them from attacking your living starfish.

The bane of growers or lovers of the montipora corals is the montipora eating nudibranch. One of the more common and serious pests that have become an increasing issue is a species of nudibranch known to feed on the tissue of corals from the Montipora and Anacropora genus.  These nudibranchs can cause massive amounts of damage to coral in a very short amount of time.  They are biologically designed to multiply at an astounding rate in an effort to compete with their constant predation in the wild. The eradication of this pest using chemicals/etc. is listed below along with a general rating.

Freshwater Dip         (Good)        will not work on the eggs

Chilled SaltwWater   (Good)       will not work on the eggs

Levamisol                 (Mixed)       antiparasitic dip

Tropic Marin            (Excellent)   iodine based treatment

The eradication of montipora eating nudibranches using biological means is listed along with a general rating.

Wrasses             (excellent)    Six Line, Four Line, Yellow, Pink Face, Xmas.

Marine Flatworms are problematic for captive reef tanks. The ghost (clear) Flatworm is not harmful. The red Flatworm is the pest. Flatworm Exit can be used to eradicate these pests. It is also non-toxic and reef safe. However, the Flatworms release toxins into the water upon its demise. Wrasses (Six Line, Four Line, Yellow, Pink Face, & Xmas) are excellent for preying on these pests.Acropora Eating Flatworms is another pest. The Acropora Flatworm is starting to become prevalent in the United States. This species of flatworm consumes the actual tissue of Acropora corals at a rapid rate. They seem to prefer species of Acropora that have shorter polyps, and are most commonly found on Staghorn types and Tricolor species. This flatworm is very invasive, and immediate action should be taken if noticed in your aquarium. The best way of controlling these flatworms is by prevention. Flatworms are very sensitive to salinity changes; by dipping the colony in dechlorinated freshwater for 5 to 10 seconds and then shaking the colony while submerged in the bath of freshwater, will cause the worms to lose their grip and fall to the bottom of the container. Fluke Tabs work, but read the directions first! Natural predation of flatworms falls to the Wrasse Family, as listed above. Keep in mind that some of the Wrasses will prey upon snails, crabs, etc. Research the Wrasse you want for you tank, before you add it. 

Pyramid snails are generally white in color, have a slender shell that tapers to a point, and do not grow larger than a few millimeters. The Pyramid Snails use their long tube-like mouth, to puncture the mantle of a Tridacna Clam in order to feed upon the fluids and zooxanthellae cells contained within. Once again the Wrasse is one of the predators of this pest. Seeing a Wrasse pattern here? Worms eat detritus and once large enough can eat small fish. Some club members have pulled worms from their tanks as long as 3-5 feet! 

Meeting adjourned at 9:00pm