Guest Anonymous Posted June 8, 2005 Report Share Posted June 8, 2005 I am pleased to announce that the New Zealand Marine Aqurium Society is to hold a number of presentations focused on reef tank topics. While many of us would love to attend international conferences, familly commitments and resources may not allow this. Luckily the wonders of DVD technology can now bring these speakers right here to Auckland. Each presentation will be approx 1.5 hours long and will be followed by a panel lead disscussion then tea/coffe biscuits. The meetings will be held at a central Auckland venue (watch this space), and will start promptly at 6:30pm. Your first meeting will be free, after this a charge of $5 per person will be made to cover the cost of the DVD's and the venue. Membership to NZMAS will be required after your first free visit. The first presention will be from ROB TOONEN as below. It will be on Wed July 6th at 6:30pm ABSTRACT: Why Data Matter: An Experimental Comparison of Sandbed and Plenum-Based Systems There has been considerable debate, both in presentations and in print, over the relative benefits of deep sandbeds and plenum-based systems for nutrient processing in reef aquaria. Despite strong opinions about the advantages or potential dangers of alternate designs on both sides of the argument, there are currently no data to evaluate the validity of any position for or against plenum- or deep sandbed-based systems. This is due to the simple fact that no one to date has done a controlled and replicated experiment to test the capacity of various sediments and aquarium designs to process nitrogenous wastes. I believe strongly that reef keeping needs to advance beyond the era of fad designs and strong opinions and begin to demand experimental rather than anecdotal evidence of the relative performance of any given design or product. Thus, together with my research assistant Christopher Wee, I am currently running an experiment to provide such data on the relative performance of sandbeds in reef aquaria. Chris and I have set up a series of experimental nano-tanks to compare the relative nutrient processing capacity of coarse (crushed coral) and fine (Southdown sand) sediments, in deep (3") and shallow (1") beds, either without (DSB) or with a plenum. There are 3 replicate tanks for each combination of these factors for a total of 24 aquaria being used in this comparison experiment, and they will continue to run until just prior to the meeting. In my presentation, I will be discussing the results of this experiment, discussing some ideas on the ultimate causes of the observed similarities and differences, and making a plea for hobbyists to demand an experimental result be presented to advance a new methodology or product in the hobby. This is a great DVD and will dispell many of the myths associated with DSB's and plenums - BE THERE........ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted June 8, 2005 Report Share Posted June 8, 2005 The DVDs will be posted to Wellington and Christchurch so that you can all learn from them. I am looking for volunteers to hold these meetings..... please PM me. For others who live even further in the provences the NZMAS will operate a DVD library system, from which you will be able to rent the DVD's for a short period of time. PM me if you are interested. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted June 8, 2005 Report Share Posted June 8, 2005 LARRY JACKSON I have been keeping aquariums for over 40 years. In 1990, I began the long journey of learning how to keep a reef aquarium. I share my successes, failures, and insight in hopes of making marine aquarium keeping experiences more enjoyable for those who can benefit from what I have learned. Currently I maintain a 200-gallon hard coral reef tank, a 125-gallon soft coral reef tank, and a multi-tank breeding and experiment system. I am an avid scuba diver and underwater photographer. My early enthusiasm for reef keeping made me seek out more information and I found CompuServe's Fishnet. I served as section leader of the marine section in 1993 and 1994. After my stint as section leader I was asked to stay on as a consultant for the Marine sections. I am a member of the International Society for Reef Studies and have dived the Caribbean, Florida Keys, the Bahamas, the Gulf of Mexico, the Solomon Islands, the Great Barrier Reef, Sulawesi, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Fiji and the Philippines. Experiences in diving have had considerable impact on my reef keeping philosophy. At MACNA XII (Ft. Lauderdale, 2000) Larry was presented the MASNA award. "For Outstanding Contributions to the Marine Aquarium Hobby." I have spoken to the Houston Aquarium Society, Desert Marine Society (Phoenix), Las Vegas Marine Aquarium Society, San Francisco Aquarium Society, Dallas-Ft. Worth Marine Aquarium Society (which I am a member of), Western Marine Conference (San Francisco, 1996), Marine Aquarium Conference of North America (MACNA) VIII (Kansas City, 1996), MACNA IX (Chicago, 1997), Western Marine Conference (Seattle, 1998), MACNA X (Longbeach, 1998), Next Wave Conference (Dallas, 1999), Carolina Aquarium Workshop XV (Raleigh, 1999), Florida Marine Aquarium Society, 24th Annual Convention of the Northeast Council of Aquarium Societies (Hartford, 1999), Omaha Marine Society, Oklahoma Marine Aquarium Society, MACNA XI (Louisville, 1999), the Annual CMAS Seminar (Chicago, 2000), MACNA XIII (Baltimore, 2001), Brooklyn Aquarium Society, and Mid-West Marine Conference (Ann Arbor, 2002). At MACNA X II (Ft. Lauderdale, 2000). I was presented an award of the Marine Aquarium Societies of North America "For Outstanding Contributions to the Marine Aquarium Hobby." ABSTRACT:Designing a safety margin into your system Most marine aquariums and reef systems are just an hour or an incident away from a crash. Designing a little safety margin into a system is not difficult and can provide a margin that will allow the system to continue unharmed. I would also like to share with you some images of creatures I have seen on recent dive trips. This presentation is approx 70% slides of Reef fish from Fiji then a talk on safety margins.... worth it considering the investment you have made in your tank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted June 8, 2005 Report Share Posted June 8, 2005 ERIC BORNEMAN Eric Borneman is the author of Aquarium Corals: Selection, Husbandry, and Natural History, and is co-author for the book, A Practical Guide to Corals. He has authored and published many papers on marine subjects in various scientific and trade publications and journals internationally. He is the host of The Coral Forum at Reef Central, is a contributor to many websites internationally, has spoken at scientific and aquarium related conferences, events, and societies, and has taught classes on coral biology, coral propagation, and other reef issues. He co-founded the Marine and Reef Aquarium Society of Houston and is currently involved with coral disease, and aquarium trade sustainability issues worldwide. He has been maintaining reef aquaria for twelve years, and has been diving and photographing coral reefs of the world for 25 years. His current aquaria include a linked multi-habitat system of over 500 gallons that includes a seagrass habitat, an intertidal habitat and a large coral reef that run without any filtration devices. ABSTRACT: Reef Aquarium Myths: Tales from the Darkside The reef aquarium hobby, despite what seems to be a long time since its beginnings, is still a brand new shiny penny in terms of its history. Because of its recent inception and widespread occurrence and growth within a ten year period, much of the current success in reef husbandry can be attributed to pioneering explorations and advances in technique and methodology, along with greater knowledge of marine animals that are kept in such aquaria. However, much more of the hobby has its roots in marginally to dismally functional marine and freshwater systems that existed long before live rock and corals in captvity. While some aspects of these systems are basically relevant to reef aquaria, the nuances of captive reefs are frequently far different. Compounding any invalid hangovers from early models are the numerous long-standing "facts" that aquarists take for granted as being true. Coupled with today's communication media such as the internet, and often receiving general misinformation from multiple sources, such anecdote has become widespread and pervasive, and compromises our abilities to advance the state of knowledge, and the application of such knowledge to our aquaria. This presentation will examine a very broad range of subjects that are widely accepted to be truths and facts, when in fact they may be far from it. For too long, the reef aquarium hobby has been "passing stories around the campfire," and basing their application of husbandry on what amounts to an oral tradition that may, in many cases, be detrimental to their own success and the advance of the hobby. Among the many subjects I will discuss will be aspects of lighting and photosynthesis, coral placement, nitirification and denitrification, SPS corals, chemical competition, bacterial infections, coral coloration, the impact of the aquarium trade on coral reefs, supplements, and the use of various novel biological mediums for nutrient uptake (Caulerpa,mangroves, refugia, mud, seagrass, and others). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted June 8, 2005 Report Share Posted June 8, 2005 Please block out the following dates for the Aucklanders.... Thursday the 4th Aug - Designing a safety margin into your system - Larry Jackson Saturday the 3rd Sept (2pm meeting) - Reef Aquarium Myths: Tales from the Darkside - Eric Bourneman Tuesday 4th Oct - Captive husbandry of Goniopora, spp. with remarks about the similar genus Alveopora Thurs 3rd Nov - "Culturing Rotifers and Copopods" Monday 5th Dec - Getting On the Same Page - Bob Goremans Please see the posts / bio's below to learn more about our future presentations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reef Posted June 8, 2005 Report Share Posted June 8, 2005 RnB when will you have the location.?? does anyone actually use sandbeds in the modern times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted June 8, 2005 Report Share Posted June 8, 2005 We will have location in about 1 week, but it will be a community hall etc in central auckland. The presenter setup up 48 identical tanks in a double blind test to see what the real effects are of sand size, bed depth etc. He ran these tanks from day 1 through day 111 with daily measurements of all the standard tank parameters . instead of fish adding amonia, he manually added a measured ammount each day, so that each setup got identical and known loads.... just learning about how and why he setup the way he did is interesting.... He also tried different test kits (you may all be interested to know which one, if any, where better) He was then offered a position at the Waikiki University where he is now working with on an even more ambitious project Reef, everyone is welcome - please bring your data, it will be interesting to compare it with the scientific research done to date on this topic..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reef Posted June 8, 2005 Report Share Posted June 8, 2005 I cant bring my tank it is too big Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brianemone Posted June 8, 2005 Report Share Posted June 8, 2005 might be able to make it, its a little early though how is the traffic in auckland at that time of the evening?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chimera Posted June 8, 2005 Report Share Posted June 8, 2005 Traffic in Auckland City ANYTIME (except for Sunday morning at 1am ) = CRAP. Give yourself plenty of time. Reef, bet I could move it (after I take out all the SPS and put in my tank!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cookie extreme Posted June 8, 2005 Report Share Posted June 8, 2005 sorry chim but your tank wouldn't even hold half of them. should have gone bigger. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chimera Posted June 8, 2005 Report Share Posted June 8, 2005 i'd just put them all in a blender and pour them in :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reef Posted June 16, 2005 Report Share Posted June 16, 2005 Here is the info on sand beds. http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2005/6/aafeature Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RnB Posted June 16, 2005 Report Share Posted June 16, 2005 thats the guy and the experiment, he is a very good presenter.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reef Posted June 16, 2005 Report Share Posted June 16, 2005 To much to read, but does he say that DSB's and plenums are crap Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RnB Posted June 16, 2005 Report Share Posted June 16, 2005 He presents the data in a simple easy to understand format on the DVD, in his paper he is documenting the exact experiement he did so others can fully interprit his dataset his conclusions are Our experiment shows no evidence for any of the espoused benefits of a plenum (reviewed by Goemans 1999). Instead our results suggest that any benefits seen are a direct consequence of the presence of the sediments themselves rather than the void space beneath it. We show that even among identical tanks set up in a laboratory without any live animals, there can be dramatic differences in performance from one aquarium to the next (see Figures 2 & 3 above). Our results highlight the problem with any study lacking proper replication, and in which there are no controls. We argue that anecdotal evidence is simply presentation of an opinion in cases such as this, and more than 5 years of heated debate has resulted from the staunch defense of these opinions. We urge hobbyists to develop a good 'BS' detector that will allow you to question information presented to you without any experimental evidence to support it. if you follow his paper, anyone who has an inch of sand on the bottom of there tank is running a sandbed..... he is not trying to say it works better then any other product, rather trying to define how well different sandbeds work, re sand grain size and deepth etc... interestingly fine sand works much better then course and deepth does NOT have a great effect... Reef - come along DVD about an hour long and I think its well worth watching. this will be a TOTALLY non political event alois... DVD, discussion and tea/bikkies... everyone is welcome! NZMAS is not going to make a political statement, back any shop or importer etc etc etc its going to take 24 months of great informative meetings before everyone in the hobby sees that its not going to be a beat up session and that NZMAS will tolerate NO COMMERCIAL biasis or product marketing. thats why i am getting a neutral venue where everyone will feel comfortable.. this may not be the case if we choose someones home.... hopefull in time this may change, but for now... nuetral is good... it is not a formal meeting of NZMAS its just a simple presentation. LFS owners, hobbists, importers... you do not have to declare what or who you are, just come and listern it is not cut and dried, the great thing about science is that there are always alternative views with strong supporters.. the even better thing about science, is that it is based on experimental data, not a single tank experience. the presenter does not attack those who have had great single tank results, he just expalins that its impossible, from a scientific perspective, OR A MARKETING ONE to state one tank anadoteal evidence as scientific fact..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted June 22, 2005 Report Share Posted June 22, 2005 The venue will be one of the yacht clubs down at Westhaven, there is free parking and good north / south access from motorway. I will post details / directions shortly. They have a bar and generously they will open this for us Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jetskisteve Posted June 25, 2005 Report Share Posted June 25, 2005 Any update?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RnB Posted June 27, 2005 Report Share Posted June 27, 2005 The venue is the Victoria Crusing Club. Wednesday July the 6th at 6:30pm Here is a little map http://www.wises.co.nz/map/default.asp?street=WESTHAVEN+Drive&suburb=FREEMANS+BAY&town=Auckland&sttype=&id=63162|2&svctype=1&zoom=4&mapwhich=0&mapsize=2&width=512&height=512&businesses=1&brad=25&color=-1&filled=0&routemethod=0&s_id=&radius=&a=0&e=2666120&n=6483400&move=true&zoomin=true its on the roard, just under the bridge, on the re claimed land, if you get to the Royal Yacht Squadran building you have gone to far. We have a bar so see you all around 6:15, we start dvd at 6:35 ish Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brianemone Posted June 27, 2005 Report Share Posted June 27, 2005 so whos all coming?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brianemone Posted June 29, 2005 Report Share Posted June 29, 2005 oh well ill see me there then :-? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cookie extreme Posted June 29, 2005 Report Share Posted June 29, 2005 and me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reef Posted June 29, 2005 Report Share Posted June 29, 2005 maybe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chimera Posted July 3, 2005 Report Share Posted July 3, 2005 yeah i'll be there - they did say they have a bar after all.. 8) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reef Posted July 4, 2005 Report Share Posted July 4, 2005 The auckland reef meeting will be on next month Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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