April 2009 - Kitchener Waterloo Aquarium Society

More documents

Recommendations

Info

Of course the ground level glass inserts made this pond something the home aquarist with his rubberized pond liner might only drool about. If this were a home project on a closed water system, even without a desert in the back yard, evaporation would be a problem. However when the Gulf of Aqaba is at the front door and the pure blue waters simply flow through, this opportunity clearly beckoned Eilat’s designers. As a pond it was way over-populated, but as a show piece it held foot long puffers, 2 inch damsels and all sorts from tangs to triggerfish between those extremes. Oh and did I mention corals Live of course and not just one or two but stacked in plentiful supply so the fishes within the ‘pond’ could feel at once comfortable and at ease while captive in an artificial sea which was barely thirty inches deep. A P R I L 2 0 0 9 lighting made the great outdoors happen within. Of course there were the usual feeding displays with a suited-up diver complete with scuba gear, but from a technical standpoint it differed mostly because here finally a working filter system was needed due to the huge bio-load presented by the sharks, manta rays and other large fishes kept together in the one system. A three stage sand filter incorporating down flow, then upflow through the middle chamber, and finally down flow again at the end was Eilat’s choice. The constant water changes incorporated in all of the marine park displays were enough to eliminate any need for ultraviolet lighting or ozonation, while good old fashioned mechanical filtering did the rest. Okay there was probably something biological happening in those sand filters as well but primarily their function was pooper-scooping. The open top predictably invited splashing by little fingers and yet not one among the ever vigilant staff ever dissuaded that interaction. This was a play zone like no other for the young and for the very young at heart. Like any world class museum, touchy feely learning was encouraged here. Next up TMA got caught up with the Sea Turtles once again. Maybe it was the wet-suited staffer chasing a four and a half year old turtle around his environment because it was grooming day that captured my attention. Think of the difficulties you might have on fish-show day netting your prize specimens for display and judging. Now add a few pounds (to the quarry) and a lot of strength in those forelegs and imagine the task then. And once again you heard it here first folks, we have yet another utility for the ubiquitous recycling blue box. Set it on top of a digital scale, zero out the reading and plop in one wiggly toddler turtle. Presto, a captive weigh scale. Next up we visited the pre-requisite shark tank. Check out that lighting! To create a controlled environment the shark display was domed with a tent-like enclosure and the high intensity 6
A P R I L 2 0 0 9 After the weigh in and general health inspection, the carapace is measured and the painstaking process of algae removal begins. A watery vinegar solution is employed to loosen the green growths and then soft scrub brushes and plastic ice scrapers with elbow grease aplenty tackle the bigger patches. It comes out the same in any language: some turtles resist this procedure. Just another day for the staffers here at the Marine Park. Lastly, their spa day all but done the sea turtles look forward to their special diet and treats. Check out the contents of this feeding pail – we’re talking squid, fish guts, bits’n pieces that defy naming and yummy stuff like that. It is just the ticket to put the kilograms onto these captive yet spunky loggerheads. Surgical gloves are optional, dig in. And your spouse cringed at live white worms huh To close out this month – I offer a caption photo and a confession. First the confession, we’re going to visit Eilat one more time next month for the world’s largest indoor reef. And lastly, doesn’t it just itch you to write a caption that fits our parting shot Forgive the blurring as I had to aim the lens through two different tanks to capture the image, but I’m thinking those young adult angels are wishing they had better neighbours here in Eilat. Perhaps its a pantomime of Middle Eastern politicking - TMA Calling All Junior Jar Show Enthusiasts... Hi to all you Junior Fish Hobbyists, Here is some encouragement for you to take part in our monthly show jar competition. If you show your fish this year, you will have a chance to win this 16 gallon Tetra Water Wonders Kit. So come on out to our next meeting and show off your fish. Looking forward to Seeing You, Anthony 7
Page 1 and 2: A P R I L 2 0 0 9 Fins & Tales Serv
Page 3 and 4: A P R I L 2 0 0 9 KWAS Mission Stat
Page 5: A P R I L 2 0 0 9 The Minimalist Aq
Page 9 and 10: from dwarves that will grow 18 inch
Page 11 and 12: on a constant basis and will grow t
Page 13 and 14: A P R I L 2 0 0 9 Filter Schmutz by
Page 15 and 16: A P R I L 2 0 0 9 ‘Turner’d’
Page 17 and 18: etaining wall. It also gives someth
Page 19 and 20: A P R I L 2 0 0 9 50 th CAOAC Conve
Page 21 and 22: A P R I L 2 0 0 9 Clownfish in an A
Page 23 and 24: A P R I L 2 0 0 9 March Name That F
Page 25 and 26: A P R I L 2 0 0 9 • One new famil
Page 27 and 28: Through private emails a number of

April 2009 - Kitchener Waterloo Aquarium Society

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?