# help, applying for job at marine centre!!



## zero (Mar 27, 2012)

hi all, 
i never post in the salt section but am a regular in the fresh water forum. any who, im applying for a job in a marine centre (only as a fish house cleaner) and i dont actually know anything about salt water so is there any good websites you could recommend that has basic info on salt water fish keeping?

this is the place im applying for:

Tropical Marine Centre


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## Reefing Madness (Aug 12, 2011)

Just need to Google that one. There are a bunch of sites with basic info in them. Just need to know about, Skimmers (aka Foam Fractioner), Live Rock, Salinity, Calcium Levels, PH, Temp.
Fish Index
Marine Plants in the Aquarium
Aquarium Lighting; Reef, Planted Light Information. PAR, Bulb, Watt, Kelvin, Nanometers, MH, LED.
What Your Coral Needs | Successful Reef Keeping
Live Rock Hitch Hikers
Aquarium Chemistry; Calcium, KH, GH, pH, Electrolytes, Magnesium, Mineral Ions, Cations


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## zero (Mar 27, 2012)

thanks for all the links! ill read them all tonight. failing to prepare is preparing to fail!


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## Reefing Madness (Aug 12, 2011)

zero said:


> thanks for all the links! ill read them all tonight. failing to prepare is preparing to fail!


Right on.
*rotating smile


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## zero (Mar 27, 2012)

wow just the lighting is blowing my mind!!


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## snail (Aug 6, 2010)

I'm sure the fact that you have experience with FW and you are ready to learn will put you ahead of lots of people, hope you get the job


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## zero (Mar 27, 2012)

ok so i have some questions: i understand theres 3 types you can have FO, FOWLR and reef. whats the diffference between reef and live rock? im getting really confused about coral, is that what a reef is?! ive read all of the links and most of the links on there but its so advanced in places! i must say the sea anemones sound horrible!!!!!!


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## beaslbob (May 29, 2009)

zero said:


> hi all,
> i never post in the salt section but am a regular in the fresh water forum. any who, im applying for a job in a marine centre (only as a fish house cleaner) and i dont actually know anything about salt water so is there any good websites you could recommend that has basic info on salt water fish keeping?
> 
> this is the place im applying for:
> ...


Hope you get the job. I'm sure they will train you so the main thing is to show some interest and a little know-how aquarium wise.

perhaps you could just state you disagree with beaslbob? *old dude

my .02


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## zero (Mar 27, 2012)

haha if only it were that simple! but thank you  i really hope i get it, myplan is to gain enought knowledge to get a marine biology degree then i can think about trying for a job in an aquarium or even going on research missions.


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## Reefing Madness (Aug 12, 2011)

Reef= Tanks with Corals


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## beaslbob (May 29, 2009)

Reefing Madness said:


> Reef= Tanks with Corals


only if it's a coral reef. *old dude

my .02


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## zero (Mar 27, 2012)

so live rock isnt coral? coral is a living creature and its dead self makes the coral rock?


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## snail (Aug 6, 2010)

zero said:


> ok so i have some questions: i understand theres 3 types you can have FO, FOWLR and reef. whats the diffference between reef and live rock? im getting really confused about coral, is that what a reef is?! ive read all of the links and most of the links on there but its so advanced in places! i must say the sea anemones sound horrible!!!!!!


I'm not really much of a salt water person but this is what I understand:

FO= Fish Only

LR= Live Rock. It is used as a filter in SW tanks. It is made up of old coral skeletons and is not live in it'self, the live part refers to the stuff living in and on it contains bacteria like the filter media in a FW tank and lots of small critters, coralline etc. For this life not to die Live rock is kept in water. Base rock is often the same as live rock but has been allowed to dry out so is no longer alive. It can become alive again by keeping it in the aquarium with live rock.

FOWLR= Fish Only With Live Rock. This is similar to a fish only aquarium but uses live rock as the filter. It is 'fish only' in the sense it doesn't have corals but sometimes includes inverts like hermit crabs and snails as well as whatever comes on the live rock. 

Reef tank= usually contains lots of corals as well as fish and inverts. A reef tank is harder to maintain than a fish only aquarium because it requires special lighting and feeding as well as near perfect water quality to keep healthy corals.


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## beaslbob (May 29, 2009)

zero said:


> so live rock isnt coral? coral is a living creature and its dead self makes the coral rock?


not necessairly.


any rock that has been in salt water is sold in aquarium stores as live rock.

my .02


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## snail (Aug 6, 2010)

zero said:


> so live rock isnt coral? coral is a living creature and its dead self makes the coral rock?


I would say that is basically right. There are different grades of live rock, as Bob says sometimes other rock might be used by being seeded with live rock. Some people even make their own 'rock' but most of what is sold has come from a reef and is made up of long dead coral.

This might help:
What Is Live Rock - Why Is It Used In Saltwater Aquariums?


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## beaslbob (May 29, 2009)

snail said:


> I would say that is basically right. There are different grades of live rock, as Bob says sometimes other rock might be used by being seeded with live rock. Some people even make their own 'rock' but most of what is sold has come from a reef and is made up of* long dead coral*.
> 
> This might help:
> What Is Live Rock - Why Is It Used In Saltwater Aquariums?


Including limestome rock from your local quarry. *old dude

my .02


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## zero (Mar 27, 2012)

soooooo (sorry if im sounding dumb and not getting it) a reef tank has live rock but has coral living on it?

so if you was to get a reef tank you could get all those crazy looking plant things that 'sway' with the water (coral?) ?

but a FOWLR wouldnt have the crazy plant things (coral)?

or is it those crazy plant things arnt attatched to anything?


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## beaslbob (May 29, 2009)

zero said:


> soooooo (sorry if im sounding dumb and not getting it) a reef tank has live rock but has coral living on it?
> 
> so if you was to get a reef tank you could get all those crazy looking plant things that 'sway' with the water (coral?) ?
> 
> ...




first the only dumb question is the one not asked.

A coral reef tank by definition has corals in it.

Although the live rock my have some corals on it by accident fish only with live rock kinda says no coral.

Corals do attach to things like rocks and sometime even the aquarium glass. generally not free floating.


like the crazy plant things *r2

Corals are animals but some do have imbedded algae like stuff to react with light much the same as other forms of plant life. Just like cyano bacteria is actually a combination of animal and plant life.

my .02


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## Reefing Madness (Aug 12, 2011)

beaslbob said:


> only if it's a coral reef. *old dude
> 
> my .02


Reef tank does not mean Live Rock Tank.......Hey I have a Reef tank....umm no, I don't have corals in it, just rock...*lurk

*run over


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