Chingchai’s Method for Curing New Live Rock

You need the following equipment:
- suitable size container (plastic garbage cans work well)
- protein skimmer (it will get a major workout)
- powerheads
- good quality salt mix
- a small scrub brush
- ammonia, nitrite, nitrate test kits

The basic method is as follows:
- scrub off any sponges and soft corals that have turned black
- water should have pH at 8.2-8.4 and S.G. at 1.023-1.025
- no lights for 7-10 days to avoid an algae bloom (high nutrients)
- keep water heated (74-80F°)
- do not do any water changes until Ammonia and Nitrites tests both read zero. Then do a 50-75% water change, vacuuming up as much loose sediment as possible.
- provide plenty of water movement within the container (powerheads)
- provide plenty of oxygenation in the water (done by skimmer which will need frequent cleaning)

The curing process will take 2-4 weeks depending on the amount of die-off on your rock and the effectiveness of your protein skimmer.

A simple but very effective treatment for eliminating unwanted critters in your Live Rock is to dip each piece in a bucket of very saline water (SG 1.030) for a few moments. Mantis shrimp will quickly
evacuate the rock. Bristle worms will also crawl out and can be pulled from their holes with a pair of tweezers.

January’s meeting was an intro to diving by divemaster Brian Burgener of Colt Creek Diving. Brian was kind enough to share some of the pictures from his collection. Enjoy these ocean shots!

MAST gratefully acknowledges Aquatic Kingdom again this year supporting our members. Daniel, the owner is offering a special discount on livestock for MAST members. Starting in December, during the week of each meeting, Aquatic Kingdom will give 20% off all livestock to anyone with a valid MAST membership card. Discounts will be honoured starting on the Monday the same week of the MAST meeting and continues to the following Sunday. For December, the discount period runs from the 12th until the 18th

The Marine Aquarium Conference of North America is one of the premier conferences for marine aquarium enthusiasts. Each year thousands of fans of captive reefs congregate on the host city to hear talks, check out the new trends in reef keeping and meet up with old friends.

While recent MACNAs have largely been held in the United States, it might be a surprise to some MAST members to learn that MAST held the very first MACNA back in 1989.

Here’s a list of previous host cities:

This year MACNA will be hosted in Dallas/Fort Worth. There’s an early bird sale price of $109.99 US so sign up soon and save. There’s also plenty of travel information for Dallas along with deals on hotels. I’ve already purchased my tickets, so I hope to see you there!

On October 30th, Peter was kind enough to offer MAST the opportunity to visit his 1350 gallon aquarium in Oakville. If you were lucky enough to attend, I’m sure you’ll agree his tank is stunning in person. If you didn’t attend, please enjoy the photos below.

Peter has a website where he’s sharing more detail on his aquarium.

Welcome to MAST, our new website, new executive and a whole new look and feel.

Following is the new board for the upcoming season:

Steve Karakatsanis – President
Dayne Lyn – Vice President
Betty Vinson – Treasurer
Brian Reid – Atoll
Fred Mammoliti – Director
Jeff Kolesnikowicz – Website
Mike Caruso- Membership

The MAST website is in the process of being redesigned to simplify navigation and facilitate access to current articles and information. We will be updating the site regularly with information we are sure will be of interest to you and your marine life. The site is also navigable through all your devices from iPhones, iPads to Blackberrys as well as all browsers at this time.

We hope that you will join us for our kick-off meeting on September 14th at Hillcrest Public Library at 7:30 to discover what’s new for the 2011-2012 season. Among other programs, we will be unveiling the new plastic MAST membership card and available discounts. To date we have partnered with Sea-U-Marine, Aquatic Kingdom andOakville Reef Gallery who will offer card carrying members a 10% discount on all purchases. We are currently working with a number of quality retailers to set up similar arrangements and promote MAST membership. Posters will be placed prominently at each cooperating store advising potential members of our organization and all that it offers.

Another change that we will explain at the meeting is a September annual membership renewal. This will reduce the administration necessary to maintain the membership and let the executive focus on the content of both meetings and the website. We feel that this is a better way to ensure that all members get value out of their annual fee which should in turn attract more members. Behind the scenes we are managing mastcanada.org in a new environment which should prove to be interactive among the executive and an easy transition for new directors volunteering.

The September 14th meeting will be the first meeting to follow our new and improved format. Focus will be placed on concise 20 minute presentations, topics will be suggested by members and there will be adequate time allowed for interactive round table discussions.

We will also be looking for articles or suggestions with regard to the website, so please feel free to offer suggestions or comments. The more communication we have regarding content the more we will be able to deliver relevant interesting information to everyone.

Personally, i am hoping for an increase in membership and great participation from our members in meetings and presentations.

Steve K

President
stevek@mastcanada.org