The President's Pen:

As 2004 came to its end, our club's Winter Social allowed members to gather together and visit over a banquet dinner. Steve Coburn's catering company provided an excellent meal, and we were honoored to have Roger of Tunze USA attend and answer questions posed by the membership. Glenn brought our new DFWMAS embroidered golf shirts that were ordered in advance, and Amanda had a sample 2005 calendar on hand for everyone to see.

The big news for us to focus upon now is what is going on with Next Wave. Three speakers have been lined up, and we are awaiting a few more replies. Our confirmed speakers are Steve Tyree, Daphne Fautin, and Sanjay Joshi. Steve spoke at our MACNA three years ago about an cryptic zonal reef tank that was very interesting. Daphne has a presentation about clownfish and anemones that we can look forward to, and Sanjay's specialty is all-things-lighting. I'm sure many of you won't want to miss any of these speakers. Remember, it is the last Saturday in March, on the 26th. Please mark your calendars to set aside that day to attend, because we are organizing this conference for you.

At our January meeting this month at Fish Gallery, you will surely see the new club golf shirt worn by several members, including myself. After seeing those in person, you may decide you want one too! You will have the opportunity to order one in the near future, possibly by February.

Marc Levenson
President DFWMAS

Many people were very pleased with the Winter Social this year, because it was comfortable and relaxed. One thing that was most appreciated was the fact that we had tables and chairs for all. The Botanical Gardens provided the location, and it was both beautiful and clean. Their staff was happy to accommodate our needs, and we surely left them a favorable impression of our club yet again. Roger drove up from Austin to talk to the club about some of the Tunze products now available, allowing some to ask questions about specific applications for their reefing needs. He donated a 6080 Steam pump to our raffle that night, which was very appreciated!

Here are a few images of the event.

Message Board News

A FAQ page has been compiled to assist you in using the message board and more. Please use it.

Renewing your membership: Just click on the link for "memberships" on the FAQ page, select your payment option, and your status will be updated. If you are new to the club, you can join now with the same link.

Occasionally a number of members like to participate in a "Group Buy" to save money on an item. Be sure to check out the Group Buys Forum, as it might save you a few dollars. A group buy is very simple. The person that leads the buy takes everyone's order, gathers up the data and places the order with the vendor. Because it is a group buy, there is a good chance the vendor will offer some type of discount or add extra items for free. Due to it being shipped to one location, shipping costs are greatly reduced or spread out between the group buyers.

The intent of a group buy is to save the membership money, and no one person should gain financially from the order. However, if the organizer states clearly that they will be profiting so that all are aware and they are agreeable, the BOD has no issue with the organizer.

Once the order comes in, the buyers are notified via the Group Buy thread, and arrangements are made to pick up the items promptly.

Payment may be collected before the order is placed, or with the vendor the order is coming from, or paid to the organizer when the item(s) are picked up. This is should be figured out in advance so that no-one is left 'holding the bag', so to speak.

Overall, DFWMAS has had many good group buys, but the membership should always be careful whom they are dealing with. There is always a risk factor that should not be ignored. I want to trust people as much as the next guy, but it is plausible for an organizer to collect funds from the membership and disappear the same way they showed up. Fortunately this has not occured to us, but should be on the minds of the buyers.

DFWMAS has a number of sponsors These vendors have purchased a forum from which they can offer their goods and make their names visible. They are in business with their own set of rules. If you have not had a transaction with a vendor yet, check with others from the club to see what their experience was. Sponsors are not club-sanctioned and members should not blindly assume they are "safe." Do your homework.

The 2005 Calendars are in! After months of planning, editing and more, club members are invited to buy one or more of these beautiful calendars. These will be available at the meeting.

Each month, an image taken by one of the DFWMAS members will be viewable for all to enjoy. Get one for your home, and maybe one more for your office. These make nice gifts as well.

Calendars are $15 each.

Featured Tank of the Month

Please contact Marc if you want to have your tank featured in a future newsletter.

Head and Lateral Line Erosion - by Scott W. Michael Photos by Amanda Dellow

The lateral line is made up of organs located on the head (head-canal-system) and along the trunk (trunk-canal system). Some fishes (like gobies) lack lateral line organs, but most are well equipped with sensory pores and papillae on their heads. The lateral line organ consists of neuromasts located on the body surface (fee neuromasts) or in shallow pits, grooves, or canal (most reef bony fishes have the latter arrangement).

The neuromast is made up of a cupula, a long jelly-filled projection that ensheathes sensory hairs. These hairs are embedded in a sensory cell under the epidermis and are stimulated when the cupula is bent. Although the neuromasts continuously send nerve impulses to the brain, the frequency of impulses increases when the cupula is flexed in one direction and decreases when it is bent the opposite way.

This organ provides a sense of "distant touch." Because water is a noncompressible medium, molecules move when it is displaced or disturbed. The lateral line organ detects these movements, allowing a fish to gauge approximately how fast an object is approaching and how far away it is.

That brings us to the malady head and lateral line erosion (HLLE), which is also known as "hole-in-the head disease." This is a very unattractive condition that is common in certain groups of fishes. Although this is usually not immediately fatal to the fish, it can turn a radiant individual into a real eye sore! In a highly advanced stage, the ailing fish may become weak and have a suppressed appetite. Some groups of fishes that seem to be especially susceptible to this condition are the angelfishes, surgeonfish’s and Moorish idols. However, I have seen species representing numerous families suffering from this malady, including groupers, comets, dottybacks, grunts, butterflyfishes, damselfishes and wrasses.

Lateral line erosion usually begins to manifest itself after the fish has been in the home aquarium for several weeks to several months - this seems is in part a function of the fish species. In most cases, the first sign of the condition are light blotches on the head, namely around the eyes and nostrils. The skin around the pores of trunk-canal system then begins to erode exposing pigment free flesh. In more advanced cases, all the pigment on the face may deteriorate and the fins and even the gill covers may also begin to deteriorate.

So what causes this common malady? Some authors have suggested that HLLE is caused by a parasite in the genus Spironucleus - a close relative of the freshwater dinoflagellate, Hexamita that is thought to cause this condition in freshwater fishes (Bassler, 1996). It is thought that this parasite infects the digestive tract, causing stress and the associated loss of tissue around the lateral line organ. Bassler suggests using Metronidazole and antibiotics to treat the problem. However, in other studies, where fishes with advanced HLLE were examined (externally and internally) significant numbers of parasites were not found and this cause was ruled out (e.g., Blasiola 1989).

Another possible cause of HLLE is inadequate nutrition. Blasiola (1989) reported that Pacific blue tangs (Paracanthurus hepatus) with advanced HLLE that were given flake food supplemented with Vitamin C showed signs of improvement. Also, other aquarists have reported that Vitamin C supplementation did prevent or reverse this condition. Collins (1995) states that in his experience it is a lack of Vitamin A, not Vitamin C that is a primary cause of this condition. He reports having successfully reversed HLLE by increasing the amount of Vitamin A in the diets of surgeonfish’s. In his report, the water quality of the aquarium where the ailing fish were kept was good, they did not use carbon on the tank and they fed their fish a varied diet that included lots of Vitamin C, but still their Atlantic blue tangs (Acanthurus coeruleus) suffered from HLLE.
They began adding more Vitamin A to the diet, in the form of fresh broccoli, and the tangs were free of HLLE in six to eight weeks. He found that surgeonfish of varying sizes readily ate the flowerets of the broccoli, while only the larger acanthurids would feed on the woodier stalk. They also added fresh peas and shredded carrots to the diet (that latter is messier to feed then broccoli).

It has also been reported that the removal of valuable trace minerals by, or the leaching of harmful products from, activated carbon may incite the condition (T.
Frakes personal communication, 1992). Recently, I had the good fortune of being able to spend sometime with one of my favorite "fish guys," Jay Hemdal. We were talking with Omaha Henry Doorly Zoo aquarist, Mitch Carl, about a chronic problem they have been having in their largest display aquarium. Although sharks and rays do well in this enclosure, all the bony fishes suffer from advanced HLLE. Jay speculated that carbon dust might be a culprit in cases of this malady he had observed in the past. Mitch shared that they did have a problem with carbon dust, which was accidentally purged into the tank several years ago. After that, the HLLE had become a chronic problem. A chemist, John Austin, who was also involved in our conversation, suggested that the carbon powder would act as an irritant to the fishes integument, causing irritation within the neuromast pores (where the carbon dust may actually accumulate). This could result in the skin sloughing off along the head and trunk canal system.

Although more study is required to see if carbon dust is responsible for advanced cases of HLLE, I have seen and heard of other instances where fishes were suffering from HLLE in aquariums where carbon was constantly employed.

In one pet store I visited, almost all the fishes kept in the tanks were suffering from HLLE! Upon removing the carbon, the fish recovered. When employing carbon in your filters, you should be sure to rinse off as much of the dust as possible. Also, change it regularly so it does not break down and end up in your tank. It may be that other irritants, like silica, could cause HLLE as well. More research is necessary to confirm this.

Researcher, Dr. Robert Hildreth, reported that by employing an EcoSystem Aquarium filter with Miracle Mud® substrate he was able to stop and even reverse HLLE in two surgeonfish species (see www.ecosystemaquarium.com). These surgeonfish’s were healed in four to six weeks after being placed in a tank with this type of filter. In his article, Dr. Hildreth makes no claims as to how this filter prevents HLLE. But he once told me it may have to do with the increased presence of trace minerals and elements, like iodine, in aquariums that use the Miracle Mud® filtrant. A lack of iodine in the diet is known to cause goiter in fishes and may also be somehow related to HLLE.

Another cause of HLLE may be high nitrates. Frakes (1993) reported that nitrate levels higher than 160mg/l NO3-N might cause this condition.

In conclusion, there are possibly a number of causative agents when it comes to HLLE. The primary cause may be stress, including physical stress (e.g., irritants like carbon dust), malnutrition (e.g., lack of certain vitamins), mineral deficiencies (e.g., iodine), parasitic infection (i.e., Spironucleus) and poor water quality (e.g., high nitrate levels). The key then is providing your fish with as stress free of an environment as possible, making sure to address the specific stress factors discussed above.
Good luck and happy fish watching!

References:

Bassler, G. 1996. Diseases in Marine Aquarium Fish. Bassler Biofish, Belgium, 96 pp.

Blasiola, G. C. 1989. Lateral line erosion. Pet Age December (1989): 19-21.

Collins, S. 1995. Dietary control of HLLE in blue tangs. Sea Scope, 12 (Summer): 4.

Frakes, T. 1993. Nitrate Menace? Sea Scope 10 (Winter): 1-2.

Next Meeting:

Our next meeting will be on January 12, 2005. This is a Wednesday evening meeting, from 7pm to 9pm. Our host is Fish Gallery, and I look forward to seeing all of you there.