Nano Reef: Bonsai Style Hand Book

By Jimmie Wayne Piersall

Gain a better understanding of caring for your pet and their reef system by reading Nano Reef Bonsai-Style Handbook. My informative marine - life book lays out everything you need to know about constructing and maintaining your miniature aquarium. Discover the importance of sea life to our world and learn practical tools to build your own miniature underwater paradise.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: May 19, 2018
• ISBN: 9781532048265

Jimmie Wayne Piersall

Since I was a little boy, I have been fascinated with wild life . I enjoyed learning about various animals and plants, especially those that lived underwater. I studied sea life more and more as I grew and become knowledgeable about so many subjects that my curiosity only intensified. Im excited to share my knowledge of flora and fauna. Inspired by God, I want to help people everywhere learn about the life in our oceans and seas through my informative book, Nano Reef Bonsai-Style Handbook

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Copyright © 2018 Jimmie Wayne Piersall.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models,

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ISBN: 978-1-5320-4825-8 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5320-4826-5 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2018904851

iUniverse rev. date: 05/18/2018

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Contents

Chapter 1: Water Quality

The Bonsai Concept

Water Parameters

The Nitrogen Cycle

Water Changes

PH and Alkalinity

Calcium

Magnesium

Strontium

Iodine

Trace Elements

Phosphate

Silica

Chapter 2: Equipment

The Nano Reef Tank

The Sump

A Compartmentlisted Nano Tank

Lighting

Lighting and Kelvin Temperature

Temperatures and Heating

Heating

The Protein Skimmer

The Drip Eclameter

U.V. Sterilizer

Easy Fri Transfer

The Kreisel Tank

Tidial Touch Tank

Concrete Stands

Mirror Glass Stands

Nano Reef Clocks

Weather Chimes

A Rain System

Under Waterfall

The Gravity Sphere

Making Your Own Live Rock

Making a Live Rock Feeder Bowl Shell

Viewing Caves and Tunnels

Fragging Corals

Foggers

Filter Media and Material

Chapter 3: Disease’s Life Cycles Symptoms

Quarantine/Hospital Tanks

Fresh Water dips

Marine Velvet Disease (Amyloodinium Ocellatum)

Marine Ich (Cryptocaryon Irritans)

Brooklynella hostilis

Uronema marinum

Fungal Infections and Bacteria

Coral Health

Brown Jelly Infections

Rapid Tissue Necrosis

Treatment

Chapter 4: Food and Live Food Culture

Proteins and Carbohydrates

Marine Proteins

Lipids

Vitamins

Minerals

Live Food Culture

Fruit Flies

Confused Beetles or Flour Beetles (Tribolium confusum)

Mealworms

Red Earth Worms (Lumbricus sp.)

White Worms, Grendal Worms, Micro Worms

Vinegar Worms

Mosquito Larvae

Moina

Cyclops Freshwater Copepods

Amphipods or Scuds

Brine Shrimp

Mysis Shrimp (Mysis sp.)

Live Feeder Shrimp Culture

Live Feeder Fish

Rotifers

Cilates

Green Water Algae Culture

Macro Algae Culture

Coralline Algae Family Corallinaceae

Chapter 5: Bonsai Trees for the Mini Reef

Mangrove Trees

The Desert Bonsai Nano Reef

Desert Bonsai Trees

Acacia

Blue Palo Verde (Parkinsonian florida)

Ground Cover

Succulents-Cacti Sedumpachyphllum

Chinese Lantern Plant (Ceropegia sp.)

Gherkin Cactus (Echinopsis chamaecereus)

Aloe Gonialoe variegata

Chameleons

Macro Algae

Mermaid Fan (Udotea sp.)

Turtle Grass Maidens Hair (Chlorodesmis sp.)

Merman’s Shaving Brush (Penicillus sp.)

Tufted Joint Algae (Cymopolia barbara)

Halimeda sp.

Gracilaria sp.

Grape Kelp (Botryocladia sp.)

Kelp (Haliptilon sp.)

Rhodophyta sp. Kelp

Caulerpa Algae

Chapter 6: Fishes

Fry Care and Breeding

Broad Cast Spawners

Fry and Shrimp Larvae Care

Small Fry Feeding

Large Fry Feeding

Grow Out Tanks

Seahorses (Hippocampinae sp.)

Dwarf Seahorses (Hippocampus zosterae)

The Pug Nosed Seahorse (Hippocampus breviceps)

The Tubers Seahorse (Hippocampus tuberculatus)

The Cape Seahorse (Hippocampus capensis)

The Hawaiian Seahorse (Hippocampus fisheri)

(Hippocampus kuda)

The Lined Seahorse (Hippocampus Erectus)

Hippocampus jayakari

The Brazilian Seahorse (Hippocampus Reidi)

The Emperor Seahorse (Hippocampus proceros)

The Thorny Seahorse (Hippocampus histrix)

The Tigertail Seahorse (Hippocampus comes)

Hippocampus barbouri

Hippocampus Whitei

European Long Snouted Seahorse (Hippocampus guttulatus)

Hippocampus zebra

Pipefish (Syngnathidae)

The Blue Stripe Dwarf Pipefish (Doryhamphus excisus)

The Yellow Multi Banded Pipefish (Doryhamphus pessuliferus)

Janss Pipefish (Doryrhamphus janssi)

Dragonface Pipefish (Corythoichthys sp.)

Gobies

Stonogobiops Shrimp Gobi (S. yasha) (S. nematodes)

The Yellow Watchman Gobies (Crytocentrus cinctus)

Coral Clown Gobies (Gobiodon sp.)

Blue Neon Gobies (Elacatinus oceanops)

The Green Banded Goby (Tigrigobius multifasciatus)

The Flaming Prawn Goby (Discordipinna griessingeri)

Trimma sp. Gobies

Damsel fish (Pomacentridae)

Damsel Fish

Clownfish (Amphiprioninae sp.)

Bassletts

Grammatidae

Dottybacks (Pseudochromis)

Liopropoma

Serranus Bassletts

Assessor Bassletts

The Order of (Scorpaeniformes)

Lionfish for the Nano Reef (Dendrochirus sp.)

The Green Lionfish (Dendrochirus barberi)

Lizardfish (Synodontidae sp.)

The Anglerfish (Antennariidae)

A Moray for the Nano

Chapter 7: Invertebrates

Octopus for the Nano!

Starfish

Red Fromia (Fromia elegans)

Asterina Starfish (Asterina sp)

Red Thorny Starfish (Echinaster echinophorus)

The Spotted Linka Starfish (Linckia multifora)

Micro brittle Starfish

Sea Urchins

Food Mix for Starfish and Sea Urchins

Shrimp for the Nano Reef

Sexy Shrimp (Thor amboinensis)

Periclimenes Shrimp

Pistol Shrimp (Alpheus sp.)

Lysmata Shrimp

The Skunk Shrimp

The Blood Shrimp (Lysmata debelius)

The Peppermint Shrimp (Lysmata wurdemanni)

The Boxing Shrimp (Stenopus hispidus)

Crabs for the Nano Reef

The Boxing Crab (Lybia tessellata)

The Porcelain Crabs (Neopetrolisthes sp.)

Trapezia Crabs (Trapezia wardi)

Hermit Crabs

Snails and Seahares

Nerite Snails (Neritina sp.)

Turbo Snails (Astraea sp.) (Lithopoma sp.)

Cerith Snails (Cerithium sp.)

The Lettuce Sea Slug (Elysia sp.)

Giant Clams (Tridacna sp.) and (Hippopus sp.)

Tridacna crocea

Tridacna maxima

Tridacna squamosa

Hippopus sp.

Chapter8: Corals

Corals Planula Larvae

Breeding Brooding Ciliated Corals in the Nano

Coral Planula Larva Care

Zoanthids

Mushroom Corals

Discosoma sp.

Rhodactis sp.

Ricordea sp.

Octo Corals

Xenia sp.

Sympodium sp.

Clove Polyps (Clavularia sp.)

Jasmine Coral Polps (Knopia sp.)

Organpipe Coral (Tubipora musica)

Gorgonacea

Quill Gorgonian (Muricea laxa)

Purple Candelabra Gorgonian (Antillogorgia bipinnata)

Leather Corals (Alcyoniidae)

Sarcophyton sp.

Lobophytum sp.

Sinularia sp.

Nephthea sp.

The Cornation Corals (Stereonephthya sp.)

Capnella sp. (Family of Nephtheidae)

Klyxum sp. Colt Corals (Cladiella genus)

Large Polyp Stony Corals

Sun Corals (Tubastraea sp.)

Favia sp. Favites sp. (Family faviidae)

The Autralian Acan Corals (Acanthastrea sp.)

Duncan Corals (Duncanopsammia axifuga)

Trumpet Coral (Caulastraea sp.)

Donut Coral (Scolymia sp.) Family Mussidae

Botton Corals (Cynarina sp.) Mussidae Family

Blastomussa wellsi

Plate Corals (Fungia sp.)

Chalice Corals (Echinophyllia Sp.)

Sps Corals

Acropora Sp.

A. Millepora

Tri-Color Acropora (A. Valida)

Motipora

Smooth Encrusting Montipora Coral (Montipora nodosa)

Montipora capricornis

Montipora digitata

The Bird’s Nest Coral (Seriatopora sp.)

Pocillopora damicornis

Cat’s Paw Coral (Stylophora sp.)

Turbinaria sp.

The Scroll Coral (Turbinaria reniformis)

Small Anemones (Order actiniaria)

Maxi-Mini Anemones (Stichodactyla topetum)

Flower Rock Sea Anemones (Phymanthus crucifer)

Condy Anemones (Condylactis gigantea)

The Temperate Marine Nano Reef

Chapter 9: Cool Water Marine Fish

The Blue Banded Goby (Lythrypnus dalli)

The Blue Striped Jawfish (Opistognathus rosenblatti)

Sticklebacks Aulorhynchidae

The White-Spotted Strawberry Anemone (Urticina eques)

Orange Cup Coral (Balanophyllia elegans)

Medridium senile

Aggregating Anemone (Anthropleura elegantissima)

Brooding Anemone (Epiactis prolifera)

Sand Anemone (Phyllactis sp.)

Brown Cap Coral (Paracyathus stearnsii)

Moon Jellyfish (Aurelia aurita)

Chapter 10: Coral Reef Ponds for Indoor, Outdoor or the Greenhouse

Concrete Ponds

Glass or Plexi-Glass Front Ponds

Chapter 11: Coral Medical Uses

Beta 2- Adrenergic Agonist

Salmeterol

Formoterol

Antineoplastic

Estramustine

Flutamide

Danazol

Exemestane

Corticosteroids

Budesonide

Fluticasone propionate

Fluticasone Furoate

Mometasone Furoate

Isoflupredone Acetate

Hormones

Norethisterone

Antihistamines

Azelastine hydrochloride

Coral Bone Graft Substitute

If you’re anything like me, you find marine life fascinating! When I was a young boy, growing up in Southern California, I always loved my family trips to the beach. While everyone was swimming in the waves, I would be in the rocky areas looking for marine animals. I would find many and take some home. I always loved the idea of keeping a saltwater aquarium. A few more years went by and I eventually ordered dwarf seahorses from the back of a magazine. I remember opening the box and seeing them for the first time, those tiny little ponies. I fell in love right then; I knew I was hooked! Years later I moved to Florida and remembered where my tiny sea ponies were from, so I began my search. Almost daily I dragged my net across the sea floor through the sea grass beds. I would catch all kinds of marine life; stingrays, sole fish, gobies, blennies, pufferfish, boxfish, nudibranch, sea hares, pipefish, hermit crabs, decorator crabs, tons of shrimp, amphapods and, finally my seahorses (hippocampus zosterae) and their large relative, the lines seahorse (hippocampus erectus). I knew from this moment on this is what I wanted to do with the rest of my life! After I began my studies of marine life, I wrote this book so I hope you enjoy it as much as I have, into the mini sea as we go!

To start with, water us key. The world is 71% covered by water, the sea is a vast expanse filled with mystery and unusual creatures, some have yet to be discovered. There are canyons and trenches larger and deeper than the Grand Canyon. The tropics in and around the equator, the tropic of cancer, and the tropic of Capricorn, are covered with corals. There are many temperate water corals as well as many species that are non-photo synthesizing. They are only plankton eaters thereby are others that grow what is called coralline algae in their tissue, this feeds them for the most part although they eat plankton as well. Did you know that Alaska’s Aleutian Islands Chain may harbor the greatest abundance of temperate water corals in the world?! So with patience and time, you can perfect your reef keeping skills and be able to keep your own little world.

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Chapter 1: Water Quality

Your mini reef’s water quality is key to be successful and if you stay as close to these perimeters as possible, you should be successful and have a balanced ecosystem!

The Bonsai Concept

This concept is everything in a miniature form, the rocks that look like mountains and trees that look old and wise. Your coral reef can be trimmed and kept small. Your equipment can all be placed in a sump filter unseen and you can go for a more natural look. You can have a micro train set or a tidal beach with waves breaking over a multi