Seawater Aquaria Research Articles

Effects of Antarctic sea ice biota on seeding as studied in aquarium experiments

The potential seeding impact of sea ice microbial communities was studied during late austral winter early spring 1988 in the Weddell Sea, Antarctica. Experiments were performed in seawater aquariums with natural seawater and seawater enriched with crushed ice. Algal, protozoan and bacterial cell numbers were followed, as well as nutrients and DOC levels. The results showed a potential seeding effect of sea ice communities to the water column. However, the type of ice communities differed greatly from each other and the effect of such seeding will be patchy. In our experiments seeding of seawater by ice rich in algae, flagellates and/or particulate organic carbon lead to the development of communities dominated either by diatoms or bacteria.

Influence of concurrent exposure to crude oil and infection with Trypanosoma murmanensis (Protozoa: Mastigophora) on mortality in winter flounder, Pseudopleuronectes americanus

A study was conducted to determine the influence of concurrent exposure to crude oil and a hemoprotozoan parasite, Trypanosoma murmanensis, on mortality in winter flounder, Pseudopleuronectes americanus. Both juvenile and adult flounder were infected and exposed to sediment contaminated with various concentrations (~100, 300, 600, 1000, and 2200 μg/g) of oil for 8 weeks at 0–1 °C in flow-through seawater aquaria with corresponding uncontaminated infected and uninfected groups. Mortality occurred earlier and was greater in juvenile fish exposed to crude oil than in adults. However, a larger percentage of oil-treated, infected adult flounder died after exposure at the highest concentrations. At the highest concentrations, selected organ somatic indices and blood values in surviving flounder were affected more in the infected, oil-treated fish than in corresponding controls. The prolonged period of patency of T. murmanensis in the oil-treated groups might be associated with immunosuppression.

The isolation of a rickettsia‐like organism causing disease and mortality in Chilean salmonids and its confirmation by Koch's postulate

Abstract. A rickettsia‐like organism (RLO) was isolated from infected coho salmon, Oncorhynchus kisutch (Walbaum), in cultures from six fish cell lines, but could not be cultured on 41 artificial media. The organism was confirmed by Koch's postulates as the aetiological agent of a systemic disease causing signifieant mortality among coho in Chile. The organism was a Gram‐negative, obligate intracellular pathogen frequently observed within intracyto‐plasmic vacuoles or inclusions of host cells, and appears to belong to the order Rickettsiales, family Rickettsiaceae and possibly the tribe Ehrlichiae. The organism, as well as the clinical signs and pathology it produces, is described. The disease, originally observed only in coho raised in seawater net pens, was reproduced experimentally in fish in both freshwater and seawater aquaria. Horizontal transmission without parasite vectors was observed in fish in both aquaria. The organism was shown, for the first time, to cause disease and mortality in Atlantic, Salmo salar L., and Chinook, O. tshawytscha (Walbaum), salmon and rainbow trout, O. mykiss (Walbaum). Because of the systemic nature of the disease, it is proposed that it be called ‘salmonid rickettsial septicaemia’.

Metal pollution assessment of the marine environment by determination of metal-binding proteins in Mytilus sp.

Adult mussels ( Mytilus galloprovincialis) (shell length 5–7 cm) exposed to elevated concentrations of Cd (0.1–1.3 mg l −1), in a flowing seawater aquarium under laboratory conditions, responded by elevated synthesis of metal-binding proteins in a digestive gland. Response depended on the Cd concentration level as well as on duration of the exposure time. Results obtained show that inducible proteins (isolated by gel-filtration column chromatography and characterized by electrochemical and spectrophotometric methods) should be considered metallothionein-like proteins. The induced metal-binding proteins of mussels in specific organs or tissues are considered to be a potential biological indicator of metal pollution, taking into account specific qualities of the mussel response to different metals. The advantages of the analytical methods applied (gel-chromatography and polarography) and the relevance of the laboratory data when transferred to environmental conditions are discussed. Previously reported results dealing with metal-binding proteins of Mytilus species are also summarized.

Exorcising sea water. A review of seawater aquariums, the captive environment, by Stephen Spotte. New York, John Wiley and Sons, 1979

Exorcising sea water. A review of seawater aquariums, the captive environment, by Stephen Spotte. New York, John Wiley and Sons, 1979

Evaluation of two commercial nitrification accelerators in closed seawater culture systems

Commercial bacterial formulations were added to new seawater aquariums, and their ability to accelerate the establishment of nitrification was compared with untreated controls. Fritz-Zyme No. 9, a liquid formulation, markedly decreased the time to complete oxidation of ammonia but did not accelerate the oxidation of nitrite; Bio-Con CRC-610, a dry formulation, did not accelerate ammonia or nitrite oxidation.

A green alga with minimal eukaryotic features:Nanochlorum eucaryotum

Recently we discovered a new, very small eukaryotic alga Nanochlorum eucaryotum (N. e.) (Wilhelm et al., 1982) in our sea water aquarium in the institute at Mainz. Growth and photosynthesis of Nanochlorum have been described (Wilhelm and Wild, 1982). The organism grows autotrophically in our laboratory in continuous culture in logarithmic phase at more than twice the salt concentration of sea water with a generation time of 27 hr.

Fine Structure of Small Free-Living Paramoeba (Amoebida) and Taxonomy of the Genus

INTRODUCTIONAmoebae of the genus Paramoeba Schaudinn, 1896, are among the Gymnamoebia most frequently isolated from marine habitats, and individual species have a wide distribution throughout the world. Unlike many genera of Gymnamoebia, Paramoeba is exclusively marine. The type species, P. eilhardi Schaudinn, 1896, was originally described from a marine aquarium in Berlin with no further information on origin (Schaudinn, 1896); it has been found in the Mediterranean off France (Chatton, 1953; Grell, 1961) and Italy (Grell & Benwitz, 1970) and the Indian Ocean off Madagascar (Grell & Benwitz, 1970). P. schaudinni de Faria, da Cunha & Pinto, 1922, originally described from a sea-water aquarium at Rio de Janeiro, has recently been reported from the Gulf of Mexico (Sawyer, 1980). P. pemaquidensis Page, 1970, has been found on the coasts of Maine, U.S.A. (Page, 1970), Norfolk (Page, 1973), and Essex (Page, unpublished); in open waters off the eastern coast of the U.S.A. (Davis, Caron & Sieburth, 1978); in marine sediments of the western North Atlantic, the Bight of New York, and the Gulf of Mexico (Sawyer, 1980); and in the present study on the shores of North Wales and western Scotland. Paramoeba aestuarina Page, 1970, though not found as often as P. pemaquidensis, is also widely distributed (Page, 1970; Davis et al. 1978; Sawyer, 1980). The first European finding of P. aestuarina is reported in the present paper, but the exact origin of the strain is uncertain. P. perniciosa Sprague, Beckett & Sawyer, 1969, which appears to be an obligate parasite, has thus far been reported only from crustaceans off the eastern coast of the U.S.A. (Sprague, Beckett & Sawyer, 1969; Sawyer, 1976).

Nanochlorum eucaryotum: a Very Reduced Coccoid Species of Marine Chlorophyceae

Nanochlorum eucaryotum was isolated from a sea water aquarium housing different sponge species, cucumarias, small crustaceans and annelids. This bright green marine alga differs from all other known coccoid species. Its most prominent features are its very small cell size (1.5 pm) and its reduced cellular organization. Its cell contains one nucleus, one chloroplast, one mitochondrium and small vacuoles. Sometimes a Golgi apparatus can be seen. No other subcellular features have been observed. The cell wall is thin and smooth and does not contain any material of high electron density; only dividing cells show a rougher surface. The cells split into two daughter cells. No sexual reproduction has been observed in this organism. We have analyzed the ultrastructural cell organization, the amount of total DNA and RNA per cell, the pigment composition, the growth requirements and the sensitivity towards different inhibitors (chloramphenicol, cycloheximid, penicillin, lysozym and cellulase). The results afford the introduction of a new species; a new family or suborder of coccoid green algae is discussed.

Lipid Synthesis and Reproduction in the Polar Shrimp Chorismus antarcticus

Lipid Synthesis and Reproduction in the Polar Shrimp Chorismus antarcticus

Modeling Nutrient Regeneration in the Ocean with an Aquarium System

Dynamic processes in a recirculating seawater aquarium system have been studied in a n attempt to assess nutrient regeneration. Sufficient monitoring has been done over time to construct elemental budgets. Results in nutrient and organic chemistry of this system are compared to published bottle experiments, bell jar experiments, and open system modellng. In regard to chemical specles and regeneration rates, the aquarium system is a better model than bottle or bell jar experiments for assessing natural mixed water-column phenomena. An aquarium provides a useful experimental tool: regeneration can be measured and the otherwise unquantifiable organic source can be back calculated. Such a system can give realistic regeneration rates, provide information on chemical species produced, and serve for exploring geochemical behavior. Data on elemental budgets on incoming water and the regeneration products indicate that the dissolved organic phosphorus pool is small and rather labile when compared to the dissolved organic nitrogen pool. From this study and analysis of published coastal water works, it appears that a relatively consistent 54 to 62 % of the total nitrogen (excluding gases) are In the dissolved organic pool.

Methods for the aquarium maintenance of the common octopus of British waters, Eledone cirrhosa.

Healthy, undamaged specimens survive well in recirculating aquarium seawater of about 36 parts per thousand salinity and PH 7.4, having 50 mg.1(-1) nitrogen as nitrate, less than 0.1 mg.1(-1) nitrogen as nitrite, nitrogen as nitrate, and less than 0.1 mg.1(-1) nitrogen as ammonia, and a m ean annual temperature of 14-15 degree C, about 5 degree C above ambient. For maximal growth rates, the gross wet weight of liver crabs required as food ranges up to 10% of the weight of the octopus. Weight-specific growth rates fall from 3.4% day-1 at 100-200 g bodyweight, to 1-1.5% day-1 at greater than 500 g bodyweight. Survival of healthy, wild-caught animals, commonly 4.6 months and up to 8 months, is apparently limited more by endogenous factors concerned with sexual maturation and lifespan than by aquarium conditions. Eggs have been laid but it has not yet been possible to hatch and rear them.

Accelerated nitrification in new seawater culture systems: Effectiveness of commercial additives and seed media from established systems

The conditioning period or time required to establish nitrification in new seawater culture systems was reduced substantially or eliminated after seeding with various media from established seawater aquariums. The relative effectiveness of the seed media was: 10% wet filtrant > 5% wet filtrant > 20% seawater > 10% dry filtrant. The introduction of commercial additives containing nitrifying bacteria or of filtrant from an established freshwater culture system did not accelerate the nitrification sequence in new seawater aquariums.

Review: Seawater Aquariums, by Stephen Spotte

Book Review| November 01 1980 Review Seawater AquariumsStephen Spotte G. C. Cororan G. C. Cororan Search for other works by this author on: This Site PubMed Google Scholar The American Biology Teacher (1980) 42 (8): 502. https://doi.org/10.2307/4447079 Views Icon Views Article contents Figures & tables Video Audio Supplementary Data Peer Review Share Icon Share Twitter LinkedIn Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Cite Icon Cite Search Site Citation G. C. Cororan; Review. The American Biology Teacher 1 November 1980; 42 (8): 502. doi: https://doi.org/10.2307/4447079 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu nav search search input Search input auto suggest search filter All ContentThe American Biology Teacher Search This content is only available via PDF. Copyright 1980 The National Association of Biology Teachers Article PDF first page preview Close Modal You do not currently have access to this content.

Book Reviews

Book reviewed in this article: Seawater Aquariums: The Captive Environment. By S. Spotte. Fish Cultivation in Sewage Stabilization Pond Effluent. By P. Edwards The Use and Potential of Aquatic Species for Wastewater Treatment. Publication No. 65. Appendix B. The Environmental Requirements of Fish. By J. Colt, S. Mitchell, G. Tchobanoglais & A. Knight. Marine Maladies? Worms, Germs and Other Symbionts from the Northern Gulf of Mexico. By R. M. Overstreet

BOOK REVIEWS

Book reviewed in this article:FISH AND INVERTEBRATE CULTURE, WATER MANAGEMENT IN CLOSED SYSTEMS, by Stephen Spotte.REVIEW OF SEA WATER AQUARIUMS. THE AQUATIC ENVIRONMENT, by Stephen Spotte.ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL STRESS IN AQUATIC SYSTEMS. Edited by J. H. Thorp and J. W. Gibbons.

The Sea-Water Well System at the Fisheries Laboratory, Lowestoft and the Methods in Use for Keeping Marine Fish

Facilities for keeping marine fish for experimental purposes or for display to the public are usually run on either an open system with direct supplies of water from the sea, as in the Bergen Aquarium (Rollefsen, 1962), or on a mainly closed system in which the sea water is continually recirculated (Saeki, 1958). The pros and cons of each system are well known and have been discussed in the published papers of the 1960 1st International Congress of Aquarology held in Monaco (Comité Scientifique et Technique du Congrés International d'Aquariologie, 1962–63) and in the report of the ad hoc meeting in 1975 on design and practical operation of research aquarium systems held at Texel, The Netherlands (International Council for the Exploration of the Sea, 1975). A combination of the two types of system is often used in research institutions and series of papers on sea-water aquarium designs and methods of operation have been collected by Clark & Clark (1964).

Vertebral Anomaly in Fundulus similis

On May 11, 1978, a longnose killifish, Fundulus similis. exhibiting an extreme lordotic, scoliotic condition was collected on the north shore of Big Lagoon in Escambia County, Florida. The specimen was held for observation in a flow-through seawater aquarium for several weeks prior to being preserved and placed in the Gulf Breeze Environmental Research Laboratory Museum (No. AN-2146).

Ultrastructural study of the adrenocortical homologue in freshwater and seawater adapted eels

The teleost fishes have been extensively utilized to explore the biochemical nature of adrenocortical steroids, pathways of steroidogenesis and the metabolic role of adrenocortical steroids. The adrenocortical homologue (AH) has been localized in more than two hundred species of teleosts, although the fine structure of teleost AH has been studied only in the goldfish. It seemed to be of interest to investigate the normal fine structure of this endocrine organ in another zoologically important teleost species, the north American eel (Anguilla rostrata) as a baseline for experimental studies. This animal being a euryhaline species, the AH ultrastructure of animals exposed to artificial seawater for a long period (1 1/2 years) was also examined.Mature female silver eels held in freshwater(FW) and seawater(SW) aquaria were anesthetized and perfused with glutaraldehyde in phosphate buffer or formaldehyde-glutaraldehyde in cacodylate buffer, and glutaraldehyde containing 0. 2% digitonin for demonstration of cholesterol.

Diaseris distorta, an “Acrobatic” Coral

Diaseris distorta (Michelin), a free living scleractinian coral, is a common fungiid in muddy sands such as those on the leeward side of Lizard Island in the Australian Great Barrier Reef (Australian Survey Map SD 55.9, grid reference 33143). Goreau and Yonge1 collected the specimens here described from this locality, in 12 m of water, where densities reacheda thousand per square metre. In these clones most of the corals were lessthan 10 mm in diameter. Eighteen months later, when their activities wereinvestigated, these specimens, less than 10 mm in diameter, were still active in the open sea-water aquarium at Discovery Bay Marine Laboratory, Jamaica.