The New Wave
by Sam Gamble & Bob
Goemans
A
‘Book Review’ by Martin Moe Jr.
The New Wave: Aquarium
Husbandry, A More Natural Approach
Author: Sam Gamble and
Bob Goemans
Format: Computer
document (Acrobat Reader 5.0) 10 chapters, glossary, references and
illustrations. This computer book contains 351 pages (the pages are relatively
short, 25 lines each), 16 illustrations and 40 color photographs.
Publisher: Keys
Mariculture, Inc. Key Largo, FL. 33037, USA keysmariculture@yahoo.com
Price: $34.95 plus
$4.95 shipping and handling
Reviewed By
Martin A. Moe, Jr.
It’s just a little
piece of plastic, a tiny compact disk about the size and shape of a business
card (yep, sort of rectangular, but with rounded corners). It fits into the
small inner depression of the CD tray in your computer, and then, like magic,
it expands into a real book right inside the computer. Acrobat Reader 5.0 for
Windows and for the Mac is also on the disk and it installs automatically so
there is no problem in making the disk work on almost any computer. You can bounce around to any of the ten
chapters, the illustrations, and the glossary faster than you can find a page
in a regular book just by clicking on that choice in the left hand window. With
Acrobat reader you can scroll up and down and zoom in and out, adjust the size
of the print to your liking and also adjust the size of the contents window and
the text window to fit your pattern of usage. Moving from page to page can be
done by scrolling, or by clicking on the page advance arrow or with the page up
and down keys on the keyboard. Individual words or phrases can be quickly found
with the “find” feature and all the words defined in the glossary are
highlighted in the text so you can call up the definition of that word with
just a click of the mouse. And if you really have to have it on paper, you can
print out whatever you need. Of course one can’t cuddle up with a big monitor
in an easy chair, but with a little adjustment, I suppose a laptop computer
might make this position acceptable.
As one about to become
a “Senior Citizen”, I don’t think a little disk and a computer will ever
replace a real book in my world, but there are amazing advantages to this
method of book production. Cost of publication is minimal, distribution is
easy, storage is a breeze, running off more copies only when needed is a real
cost saver, and even copy protection is possible. This title, “The New Wave” may apply to much more
than just the marine aquarium hobby.
One usually purchases a
book for content, however, not for format, and my job in reviewing this book is
to provide you with a description and critique of the contents.
The New Wave is not a typical “how
to” or “what is it” marine aquarium book. Basically, this book is a treatise on
the function of deep sand bed filters that incorporate a relatively small,
confined, water filled open space (a plenum), built-in under a deep sand bed
substrate. Relatively recently, deep sand beds, usually including the presence
of an infauna that processes waste products to various degrees, have become
quite popular for marine reef systems The deep sand bed and the plenum interact
though gradual diffusion of water between the two areas and this functions as a
biological filter in a closed marine aquarium system. The value of equipping a
deep sand bed, biological filter system with a plenum (a modification of the
system used by Professor Jean Jaubert at the Monaco Aquarium to culture corals)
has been a subject of great controversy among marine aquarists. The New Wave presents the authors
theories and rationale to explain why a marine aquarium system with a plenum
equipped deep sand bed is functionally superior to other methods of providing
biological filtration, including systems with deep sand beds without a plenum.
However, although the major thrust of the book deals with the function and
construction of plenum-based systems, the last third of the book explores the
theoretical interactions and functions of many physical, chemical, and
biological phenomena that occur in captive and natural marine environments.
The book opens with a
foreword by Marc Wiess and an introductory essay by each of the authors. It is
then partitioned into three sections that group the chapters into the
categories of Introduction, the Processes, and a third section, Results, which
addresses a wide variety of topics.
Chapter 1 presents a
brief history of marine aquaria starting in the mid 19th century and
finishing with publication of The New Wave.
The history of “natural” methods of marine aquarium structure and maintenance
are emphasized. The second chapter deals with “artificial” systems”. These are
marine aquarium systems that the authors define as systems that “have a
bio-load that exceeds what can be maintained with naturally occurring
microbes”. Such systems require use of a variety of filters and water
processing equipment and management techniques that are not desired nor
necessary in natural systems. Although the authors are not enamored with the
use of such supplemental devices, and they are of the opinion that artificial
systems that use supplemental devices “…. become more maintenance intensive,
time consuming and usually more expensive to adequately support...” They make
the point, however, that special systems designed for care and culture of
particular organisms do require use of supplementary water management devices.
The third chapter in this introductory section presents the authors definition
of a natural system, which hinges on balancing the flow of energy within the
web of microscopic and macroscopic life in the system. This is done through
establishment of a natural substrate with the associated fauna and flora that
utilizes, exchanges, and balances the available energy sources in the system.
Chapter 3 also introduces pore water as one of the key concepts in this book.
Pore water is explained as the water that is present at the interface of
microbe and substrate, the core aquatic area where diffusion, energy flow and
nutrient cycling takes place.
The second section of
the book, Processes, chapters 4, 5, 6, and 7, is concerned with the structure
and function of the plenum and the sand bed above it. Chapter 4 contains the
heart of the authors’ arguments on the functions of the plenum. The first of
the two key concepts in this chapter concerns pore water. The authors state “A
plenum enhances and facilitates natural equilibrium and balance in aquariums by
increasing efficient pore water area throughout most of its sandbed.” Meaning that
the plenum functions to greatly enhance diffusion and microbial processing of
nutrients throughout the entire base of the sandbed. The other key concept
presented in this chapter, along with the great expansion and enhancement of
pore water function that the plenum provides, is that the plenum, by providing
for greater environmental variability, oxygen levels in particular, in the
deepest areas of the captive substrate, encourages establishment of facultative
microbes rather than the obligate microbes that develop in the relatively
static environment of a deep sand bed without a plenum. The theory is that a
facultative microbe, with the ability to quickly adapt to changes in oxygen and
nutrient availability, represents a “safety net” that continues to process
waste and nutrients in the system despite changes in oxygen availability that
may occur in the substrate of a captive marine environment. An obligate
microbe, without the ability to respond to changes in environmental oxygen
variation, would not function as well in an aquarium substrate. The authors
support these theoretical concepts with discussions of sandbed dynamics, energy
sources and routes, carbon and nitrogen cycles, and sediment mineralization and
other topics. The authors also explore the nitrogen cycle in this chapter and
present a theory that plenum equipped systems are better able to complete
denitrification of nitrate to nitrogen gas where as deep sand beds without a
plenum may more often allow the cycle to stop at ammonification and not complete
denitrification.
Chapter 5, Microbial
Constituents and Pathways, introduces the author’s concept of a
“no-maintenance, balanced aquarium” as a “black box” where the energy input is
balanced with the energy discarded from the system. The biological and chemical
processes that occur within the aquarium are explored from the standpoint of a
confined system. The distribution of oxygen is considered to be the most
controlling factor in the function of the substrate and so oxygen and redox
levels within the substrate define the activity and health of the
sandbed/plenum. Energy pathways and zonation are discussed as is the nitrogen
cycle, the presence and function of sulfur, metabolism within the aquarium, and
the activity of the various microbial groups.
Chapter 6, Sandbed
Variations & Misconceptions, investigates the various ways deep sandbeds
can be constructed in marine aquarium systems. This includes sandbeds with and
without a plenum, shallow sand beds, deep sandbeds, sand grain size, connections
between the plenum and aquarium water, protein skimming, remote or refugia sand
beds, the size of the grids between plenum and sand bed and numerous
misconceptions about plenums and sand beds.
Chapter 7 contains the
essence of the book for those interested in building a plenum-based marine
aquarium system. It describes the construction and maintenance of a marine
aquarium built with a plenum under a deep sandbed. The topics of grid assembly,
type and size of sand, and construction and maintenance of the functioning
system are covered in detail. The authors note that some augmentation of
calcium and carbonate will be necessary for systems that contain extensive
populations of calcifying organisms, and prevention of the formation of
chemical binding of sand grains into concrete-like patches can be avoided by
keeping the pH below 8.2.
The third section of
the book, Results: Today and in the Future, is composed of Chapters 8, 9, and
10. This section contains 114 pages and represents almost half the text in the
book. Chapter 8 is titled Myths and Dragons and covers many topics. The chapter
discusses topics such as algal mats, light, nutrients, the structure of water,
oxygen, free radicals, pH, layering of nutrients in aquarium water, and the
biochemistry of sugars from the standpoint of elucidating fundamentals and
correcting current misunderstandings as applied to marine aquaristics. Chapter
9, The Future, looks at many of these topics in unusual ways, for example under
the topic Light and Water, the authors discuss using magnetism to “realign”
light and polluting nutrients which “can have positive effects”. There is also
the claim that this has been done successfully, and that formulas must still be
perfected and patents obtained. One can only wonder. Other topics covered in
this chapter include electromagnetic energy, osmotic pressure, mitochondria,
organic and inorganic phenomena, and, among others, magnetotactic bacteria.
Chapter 10, A Vision for the Next Century, is very short and is a final appeal
for the aquarist to consider the advantages of the plenum-equipped, deep sand
system for marine aquariums.
In The New Wave the authors advance three recommendations for
maintenance and management of plenum equipped deep sand bed systems that are
somewhat contrary to the practices of many aquarists that employ deep sandbeds
in their systems. These are application of only small, infrequent water changes
(Chapter 7), use of a very limited infauna in the sandbed and frequent cleaning
of the sand bed by vacuuming (Chapters 6 and 9) and a recommended use of
biochemical additives, in particular, sugar based compounds (Chapters 6 and 8).
In fact, 20 pages in Chapter 8 are devoted to a highly technical polemic
justifying the use of such additives through an explanation of metabolic
pathways (including membrane formation and function, glycolysis, the citric
acid cycle, and oxidative phosphorylation). Although a degree in biochemistry
is certainly required to understand this argument, one does come away with the
understanding that sugar compounds are extremely important to the conduct of
life. The authors state, “When microbes use the correct blends of sugars
supplied in appropriate amounts there are specific byproducts created that aid
efficient metabolism—the goal in especially closed systems.” Specifically,
whether and how these additives are necessary or important to a marine aquarium
is not presented. The hypothesis that such additives are helpful has been made,
however, and this opens the door for the future accomplishment of controlled
experiments that can provide more specific answers.
It should be noted that
throughout the book there is neither direct reference to specific experimental
results or presentation of data that would provide experimental evidence to
prove or support the theories that are presented. But then the purpose of the
book seems not to be to unequivocally prove the case for the superiority of the
plenum, but rather to advance theories and a rational to support the author’s
observations and to stimulate additional thought and experimentation into use
of plenums under deep sandbeds to create a biologically balanced marine
aquarium system.
The diagrams and
illustrations are clear and very well done. As included in the text, they
appear small and obscure, but clicking on the title instantly moves you to the
full page presentation of the illustration, which also provides for a quick
return to the text. The 40 photographs are not referred to in the text but
serve to illustrate the construction and operation of the plenum system, and in
a “the proof is in the pudding” sense, there are about 35 photos that document
the growth and healthy condition of many beautiful corals in Bob Goeman’s
plenum based 75 and 125 gallon marine aquarium systems. Seven pages of references
are supplied under the heading of “Further Reading”. Unfortunately, these
references are not cited in the text so the technical reader will find it
difficult to trace the literature that supports many of the author’s arguments,
but the general reader may appreciate a text unencumbered with references.
The glossary is
extensive, 16 pages, and the included terms are well defined. It is a good
reference tool for understanding the technical terms that describe the function
of deep sand bed biological filtration and many other topics of interest to
marine aquarists. There is no index, which would ordinarily be considered a
lack of a very important feature in a technical book, but in this instance, a
computer document, the find feature in the software functions well to find
particular words or phrases and adequately takes the place of an index.
In a nutshell, The New Wave presents a theoretical
argument for the biological and chemical advantages of a plenum based deep sand
system in maintaining a marine aquarium balanced on natural processes and
describes the construction of such a system in detail. Any aquarist interested
in establishing a deep sand bed, plenum-based system will find much to work
with here. There is also a lot of “out of the box” thought in this book that
may well point toward new directions in marine aquaristics. On the other hand,
an aquarist who does not wish to include a plenum in a marine aquarium system,
and who is not interested in exploring theoretical biological and chemical
interactions and functions in the aquatic marine environment may find the book
difficult to read and comprehend.
Continuous education
and critical thought, however, are part of an aquarist’s responsibility to
craft and to care of aquatic creatures, and this book will be helpful in this
regard. It is an interesting and thought-provoking read for scientifically
minded aquarists who ponder and debate the deeper issues in the structure and
function of marine aquarium systems.
Quotes from readers:
Martin Moe, Jr. —
‘Gamble and Goemans have created a fascinating journey through the structure
and function of plenums and sand beds. Truly a "New Wave" in marine
aquaristics.’
Dr. Jean Jaubert — 'An
enormous effort to explain the
complicated processes that underpin the homeostasis of an enclosed ecosystem'
Dr. Paul Carpender —
‘The perfect combination of commonsense and science.’
Marc Weiss — ‘Sam
Gamble and Bob Goemans are two of the world’s most advanced natural system
enthusiasts. They have produced a work written with the beginner in mind, yet
presents enough advanced information to satisfy both the sophisticated aquarist
and professional aquarium caretaker.’
At the present time
there are two disc size versions. Both work in Apple and PC systems, however,
the small disc will not work in a CD slot-loading machine.
Marc Weiss Companies,
Inc. is distributing the regular size version, and its availability will be
though businesses selling Marc Weiss products. For a listing of those
companies, contact Marc Weiss at discus@marcweissco.com or visit his website at
www.MarcWeissCo.com.
It has just come to my attention one of those companies is Doctors
Foster &
Smith Pet Warehouse, (800) 443-1160 (www.DrsFosterSmith.com). Another is Mark Barnett (www.fishbookstore.com) Please
contact either of these companies with your order.
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The business card sized
disc, which is in very limited supply (and may become a collectors item!) is
only available from Sam Gamble or myself. Contact Sam at keysmariculture@yahoo.com or myself at saltcorner@cs.com
with your order or by writing to:
New Wave CD
Keysmariculture
339 Mahogany Dr.
Key Largo, Florida 33037
When procured through
us, the "The New Wave" is
priced at $40 US, and includes priority mail shipping in the USA (no priority
mail outside the USA, however, postage is included in the purchase price).
Please be sure to provide your full name, postal address, number of copies
required, and your payment made to ‘KMI.’ Checks or money orders welcome.
Please feel free to
contact us if you have any questions or special requirements.
Thank you for your
interest and your order. Our aim is to help improve the quality of care
provided to closed system inhabitants.
