In this column I’ll focus on a book and provide you with some insight and thoughts including what is available as comments and reviews on the web. I hope you find it helpful and interesting. I’d love some feedback!

The Book Spotlight #1: Book of Coral Propagation, Volume 1 by Anthony Calfo

• Hardcover: 416 pages
• Publisher: Reading Trees; 2 edition (November 1, 2007)

Anthony Calfo - Book of Coral Propogation, Volume 1

If you keep corals, and have ever needed to split, cut, chop, break or otherwise remove a piece because it was getting too big, then this book is for you. I think that pretty much covers every coral keeping aquarist.

This full color book contains over 1000 images in its 416 pages to assist you in its instruction. The contents are aimed at everyone from beginner to seasoned coral keeper. Everyone can and will benefit from the guidance that Anthony Calfo puts into each page.

Covered are topics from setting up a system properly, display techniques, feeding, selecting corals and keeping them healthy and finally trimming and growing them from harvested peices.

Anthony keeps you engaged with easy-to-read text and the book is kept up-to-date with every printing (up to it’s 6th, now that’s a testament to it’s success).

A few quotes from reviews:

Similar to the first edition, I also found that each chapter is written in an easy “laid back” conversational style, allowing for very quick reading and easy understanding much–like Calfo’s speaking presentations. A must-read for new aquarists and pros alike. – Chuck Russel

K. DeRolf writes – If you are going to keep corals in your tank, or just want to learn more about corals, this is one of the best books to own! Thank you, Anthony, for writing this!

The Book’s Intro:

Introduction:

A comprehensive, fully illustrated 4oo page guide to the complete care and culture of live coral and reef invertebrates for hobbyists of all skill levels and professionals too!

Giant Clams spawning at sunset, baby reef fish living to adulthood among the roots of red mangrove trees, Cassiopeia jellyfish growing from larvae under the warm rays of the sun, and corals littering the seafloor with daughter colonies. Do these events sound like marvels of the coral reef to you? Indeed, they are some of the wonders that have occurred in the facilities of author, Anthony Rosario Calfo. And they are just some of the exciting miracles of nature that have been repeated by aquarists worldwide as described here.

Told in comfortable and concise language, this handbook reads more like a story with moments of humor, passages of instruction and dialogues of open wonder at the many unrevealed mysteries of the coral realm.

This book is for curious minds interested in discovering some of the exciting techniques for keeping and growing coral in reef aquariums. It is tailored for hobbyists looking to successfully control coral growing in aquaria, professional aquarists producing invertebrates for sale and trade, and thoughtful retailers interested in inspiring customers and staff to explore the many rewards of keeping coral reef invertebrates.

Check out prices at Amazon.com with this link.

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The Fauna Marin Ultra Skim 1

This will be a usage and installation review on a new 75 gallon tank with a 30 gallon sump/refugium.

From the website:

Technical data:
Needle Wheel version:
Power: 230V 38Watt (this has been adjusted to 110 for North America)
Air Power: 850 liters of air / h
Dimensions:
150mm diameter
52cm high
Rec. Water level: 16-20cm

The Skimmer stands 52 CM high and is all clear plastic. Construction is excellent. The collection cup sits snugly but is easily removed as is the lid. The aeration adjustment is done by an internal baffle with opposing U-shaped cuts in the blue tube you see in the below illustration. The Only problem I saw with this is that there were no markings on the tube to tell you the max/min setting and requires a bit of trial and error to get the proper settings.

The tank measures 15 inches high and the footprint is quite small as you can see from the top-down view.

Initial installation was easy, and upon filling the sump and turning it on it immediately created a perfect vortex of bubbles. Very tiny bubbles. What surprised me the most was the noise. There was none, or at least barely noticeable. The pump that comes with it is incredibly quiet. My previous skimmer (Coralife) was very noisy and I often had to keep it off due to the level it put out.

Collection after 24 hours was admirable and I find I now empty it every 3-4 days. The tea was quite dark to begin with and has lightened as expected.

Overall I am very pleased with the performance and would recommend this in a heartbeat.

Related posts:

1. Fauna Marin Develops New Balling System
2. Types of Protein Skimmers
3. Fauna Marin Star Fire T5 HO lights

In a quest to find the perfect controller and Skimmer for his system, the creator of Aquarium Controllers (.com) has put together an amazing chart outlining all the differences in crazy detail. 

He covers 16 different models of controllers and lists over 100 skimmers covering practically everythign they can do compared to the next one.

Wander over to his site here to have a look.

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1. Coming Soon! SKIMZ Skimmers US dedicated online retailer
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3. ProfiLux 3 Press release