TRA Vol 3 is here!

[Oceans Ferevh]

For supplies they are great. They can't keep something alive for a 300 mile shipment within California.

ah, that would explain it. I've never ordered livestock from them.

 

[tinyreef]

i just got my copeeee,
i just got my copeeee,
and-i-love-it-so-ver-ry-much,
oops! <drops-the-book> ,
<stares-at-book> ,
<kisses-book> ,
i just got my copeeee

 

[delbeek]

For those wondering about the contents, here is the TOC fro all 680 pages. Anthony Calfo has also written a very flattering review on amazon.com:

Table of Contents

Chapter One The Basics of Aquarium Selection and Design

The Aquarium
Preparing the Aquarium
The Overflow
The Sump
Aquarium Location
Physical Considerations
Biological Considerations

Chapter Two Common Elements

Water
Live Rock
The Bottom Material

Chapter Three Plumbing and Electrical

Plumbing considerations
Piping and Tubing
Fittings
Valves
Pump Selection
Planning the Design
Testing the System
Electrical Do’s, Don’ts and Considerations

Chapter Four Physical and Chemical Parameters of Reef Aquarium Water

Temperature
Gas Exchange
Specific Gravity
Salinity
Electrical Conductivity
pH
Alkalinity
Calcium
Magnesium
Ammonium and Nitrite
Nitrate
Phosphate
Trace and Minor Elements
Vitamins
Redox
Dissolve Organic Matter
Turbidity

Chapter Five Calcium, Alkalinity and pH Maintenance

Where does all the Calcium Carbonate Go?
Calcium
Alkalinity
How to Supplement Calcium and Alkalinity
Methods Used for Raising the Calcium and Alkalinity Levels in an Aquarium
Other Calcium and Alkalinity Sources
Solving Calcium, Alkalinity and pH Problems

Chapter Six Filtration

Mechanical Filtration
Biological Filtration
Fluid Mechanics and Biological Filtration
Nitrifying Filters
Denitrifying Filters
Substrate Filtration Principles
Refugia
Plankton Reactors
Chemical Filtration
Protein Skimming
Natural Systems –
Eng’s Natural System
Jaubert’s Monaco System
Deep Sand Bed (DSB) Filtration
Berlin Method
Algal Turf Scrubbers (ATS) and Microcosm Management
The Ecosystem Aquarium® Method a.k.a. the Miracle Mud® Filter
Cryptic Sponge/tunicate Filtration
Final Thoughts

Chapter Seven Water Motion

Types of Water Motion
Affects of Water Motion
Water Motion and Coral Placement
Options for Aquariums
Wave-makers, Rotating Returns and Current Switchers
Surge Generators
Tidal Systems

Chapter Eight Lighting

Orientation of Marinelife
Skylight versus Sunlight
Total Light Received by the Aquarium
Ultraviolet (UV) Light
Lighting Parameters
Types of Lighting Systems
Reflector Types
Ballasts
Lamp Types
New Trends in Aquarium Lighting
Coral Colour/fluorescence
Response of Coral to Artificial Lighting

Chapter Nine Aquascaping

Design Considerations
Use of Aquarium Backgrounds
Hiding Equipment
Model Building
Live Rock
Other Options - Alternatives to Live Rock
Materials that Facilitate Reef Construction
Using Sand Beds for Aesthetic Purposes

Chapter Ten Foods and Feeding

Fish Foods
Invertebrate Foods and Feeding
Feeding Challenges

Chapter Eleven Maintenance, Husbandry and Disease Issues

Keeping a Log
Controllers and automated systems
Maintaining Calcium Reactors
Lighting Maintenance
Tank Maintenance
Plumbing Maintenance
Pump Maintenance
Changing Activated Carbon and Other Media
Cleaning the Protein Skimmer
Cleanup Crews
Coral Harvest/Pruning
Old Tank Syndrome
Disease and parasites
Future Disease Treatment Options
Designer Corals
What’s Next? Reef Aquarium Maintenance in the Future

Bibliography

Index

 

[Len]

Thanks, and mahalo Charles!

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks Charles!

I am done waiting for the holidays - if I don't get a guarantee that the book is gonna be 'under the tree', I am going to order it myself!

 

[Anonymous]

I received The Reef Aquarium Vol. 3 today and a cursory look already tells me that I'll be spending a lot of time with the book. A whole chapter on plumbing and electricity - gotta love that! Reading on the use of ozone with protein skimmers, it appears that a continuous low dose is better than infrequent bursts of high dosage because a low dosage will create particles which will clump together because of unlike charges. If you overdose, it will break apart long-chain molecules so they won't be skimmed out. So instead of one 2-hour dose a day, I'll use four 30-minute doses. I have one of those Enaly ozone generators, so I can't generate a continuous low dose. A picture of the infamous Jimmy Chen propellor that pissed off Borneman so much is on page 413. I bought two of the pump housings and the prop. The flaw with this modification is that the shaft on the Little Giant pump used with this mod rusted out after a few months. It was a nice design though until the shaft fell off :lol:. Fortunately, the Streams came out soon afterwards as a way to generate a lot of flow in the aquarium.

I've always liked the type and design of the The Reef Aquarium books. It really helps with the reading.

 

[Anonymous]

Mine arrived today, but is in a box addressed to my wife. I guess I'll be reading it in just over two weeks!

 

[Anonymous]

Righty wrote:

Mine arrived today, but is in a box addressed to my wife. I guess I'll be reading it in just over two weeks!

I suspect that mine is hidden in the house somewhere. So I too, won't be able to begin reading until the 25th.

Louey

 

[delbeek]

A picture of the infamous Jimmy Chen propellor that pissed off Borneman so much is on page 413.

What was his complaint?

CJD

 

[GSchiemer]

I just spent an hour with the book and can confidently say that it's an instant classic. As the title states, it really is the most comprehensive work on the science, technology and art of a reef aquarium. Also, it stands on its own. IOW, you don't need to own Vol 1 and 2 to benefit from this book; although I highly recommend those works as well.

Congratulations to Charles and Julian!

Greg

 

[GSchiemer]

I just spent an hour with the book and can confidently say that it's an instant classic. As the title states, it really is the most comprehensive work on the science, technology and art of a reef aquarium. Also, it stands on its own. IOW, you don't need to own Vol 1 and 2 to benefit from this book; although I highly recommend those works as well.

Congratulations to Charles and Julian!

Greg

 

[GSchiemer]

I liked it so much that I had to say it twice!

 

[Anonymous]

What was his complaint?

Too bad the Reeftec site and bulletin board are down or you could read how livid Borneman was. The wayback machine only brings you to the top level of the site. The main problem Borneman had was the same that I and others had which was the rusting out of the shaft of the Little Giant pump that you attached the drive dog and propellor to. The shaft would just break off at the base of the drive dog, so you would have to get a new drive dog from Jimmy Chen or find a way to remove the imbedded shaft - I even entertained thoughts of dropping the broken off shaft and drive dog in Coke to see if the Coke would dissolve the shaft. Borneman felt that Chen should have researched the pump shaft material better for the Little Giant pump that he suggested. Jimmy was good about sending me a replacement drive dog and propellor, and I started using a CAL E-200 pump that was purported to have a shaft more resistant to to saltwater corrosion, but the CAL E-200 pump would just stop at random intervals. I think the main problem was trying to jury-rig a pump to push a propellor a lot larger than the normal impellor. This increased resistance on the drive shaft led to the intermittent action of the pump that I just described. In order to start the propellor up again, I'd have to manually push the propellor like it was a WWI biplane.

Despite the money and time I spent trying to get the Reeftecs working (and eventually giving up), I still have to give credit to Jimmy Chen for trying to push the hobby forward with his efforts. Fortunately, the Tunze Streams have done a great job in my tank for the past three years in terms of creating major water movement. My hats off to Tunze and Roger Vitko for his great support.

Here are my reeftank blogs regarding my experiences. It's funny how both shafts rusted out within a week of each other:

Tuesday, November 26, 2002
My PE-1 on my other Reeftec had its shaft break off yesterday. The irony of it all is that a CAP E-200 arrived today. All the shaft had to do was last another day! So now I have no functioning Reeftecs. I hope Jimmy can get me some new drivedogs soon. Today, I ordered two Tunzelle Streams from Marine Depot. I hope they show up tomorrow. It appears that you're not supposed to attach them to a wavemaker according to the Champion Lighting website. I'm also concerned about how to attach them to the tank. I'll figure something out. I still want to get the Reeftecs back into working shape, and I wouldn't mind getting my Sea-Swirl going too - I just have to decide what pump to use with the Sea-Swirl since I'm a little concerned about the Rios I presently have. I want a lot of random current in the tank! But I also don't want a lot of obtrusive equipment.

I'll be looking after someone's tank this weekend, but it shouldn't be too difficult. He has a first-class setup and really takes care of his tank. This weekend, I plan on going to Tropical Paradise in San Leandro and meeting with fellow hobbyists in order to get some more corals from the tank.

I put a new six-inch Tridacna (I really think its a crocea, not a maxima) in the tank this week, and it looks like it's doing very well. It has dug itself into the substrate, and its mantle appears to be in good shape.

I would like to get another six-line wrasse in the future. I love their patterns, colors and playful nature.

posted 6:48 PM

Thursday, November 21, 2002
Moved around some corals yesterday. Mainly moved more soft corals to the right of the tank. Also brought green and brown star polyps and purple Tongan mushrooms to LFS for some credit for flowering star polyps. I'll be picking up a 6" Maxima clam tonight from someone who needs more room in his tank. I may also pick up a Crocea this weekend from the LFS.

I came home to transfer some corals yesterday, and I was gazing at this weird yellow and brown thing sitting by my red open brain coral. It turned out to be the propellor and drive dog of the Reeftec since the metal shaft of the PE-1 had sheared off. After talking to my lfs owner, he said that saltwater is very corrosive, and a different type of pump should have been chosen from the outset. Luckily, it looks like the CAL E200 will be a good replacement. I did a search for CAL E200 on Google and it looks like www.pumpworld.net is the place to order it from. I'll have to ask Jimmy to send me a new drive dog since the metal shaft of the pump sheared off right at the base of the drive dog, and there's no way of pulling the metal shaft out. (Maybe I can put the whole unit in Coke and see if it eats away the metal!)

Othere than this "catastrophic failure", I've been very happy with my Reeftecs. I hope the CAL E200 is a lot more durable in the saltwater.

Last night, I was thinking of putting in other types of wavemakers, but I don't want to clutter up the tank, so I'll stick with my stationary sump returns for now and the Reeftecs. I may rig up the Sea-Swirl again in the future.

posted 11:37 AM

Charles, I read last night that Julian Sprung will be back in the spring with his Reefnotes column in FAMA. I hope you and Julian gave yourselves a well-earned reward for finishing the latest volume of TRA!

 

[RasBobre]

I got it on Tuesday. Did the once over and like said before, this is "the" book for techies. Covers everything. Now if I could find the time to read it cover to cover.