| Sabella |
polychaetes, several species of which have colorful
radioles and are often exhibited in marine aquariums |
| |
|
| Sabellastarte |
feather duster worms, including several species from both the Atlantic
and the Indo-Pacific, characterized by unusually large radioles that
are rapidly withdrawn into a protective tube when the animal is disturbed |
| |
|
| Sabellid |
any polychaete annelid of Family Sabellidae, commonly known as fanworms
or feather duster worms |
| |
|
| Sagittaria |
arrowhead plant, aquatic to marsh plants of the temperate, subtropical,
and tropical regions of the Americas; widely used in both aquariums
and garden ponds |
| |
|
| Saline |
water with sodium chloride dissolved in it, often of a precise concentration
chosen to match that of the body fluids of a living organism; as an
adjective, having to do with water of any salt content |
| |
|
| Salinity |
describes the relative concentration of minerals (salts) that are
present in sea water. |
| |
|
| Salmo |
type genus of the Family Salmonidae, including trout and salmon,
some smaller species of which are exhibited in aquariums |
| |
|
| Salt |
another name for sodium chloride, which is used in marine aquariums |
| |
|
| Salvinia |
a floating freshwater fern with pendant, fibrous roots and small,
paired, rounded leaves covered with water repellent hairs |
|
|
| Sand |
any aggregate material having grains smaller than 1/16 inch (1.6
mm) in diameter, but large enough to be individually discrenible with
the unaided eye |
| |
|
| Sand dollar |
the calcified test of any several species of flattened sea urchins
found on sandy sea bottoms |
| |
|
| Sarcophyton |
mushroom corals, several species of alcyonarians so named because
of the resemblance of the colony to the edible funngus; they are widely
maintained in the minireef aquariums and can be easily propagated
by cuttings |
| |
|
| Sargassum |
a brown seaweed bearing rounded, gas-filled floats often forming
large masses on the ocean surface, especially the tropical Atlantic,
in, under and upon which live a variety of organisms specialized for
this habitat, including some that are collected for the aquarium |
| |
|
| Saururus |
lizard's tail, a bog plant of warm temperate, subtropical, and tropical
habitats in the Americas, so named because of the appearance of its
flower |
|
|
| Scale |
an outgrowth of the skin of most fish, flattened and arranged in
overlapping rows and variously modified depending upon species |
| |
|
| Scarisoma |
parrotfish, Family Scaridae; sometimes exhibited in large aquariums |
| |
|
| Scarus |
type genus of the parrotfish family, Scaridae |
| |
|
| Scatophagus |
scats, Family Scatophagidae, with round, flattened bodies, found
in estuaries i Southeast Asia, East Africa, and Australia; S. argus
is frequently imported |
| |
|
| Schilbe |
Asian catfish, Family Schilbeidae, lively, schooling species sold
as; "mystic sharks" |
| |
|
| Schooling |
fish behavior in which numerous individuals swim coordinately |
| |
|
| Scleractinian |
a stony coral, or member of the cnidarian Order Scleractinia |
| |
|
| Scorpionfish |
any member of Family Scorpaenidaw, venomous marine fish of uncertain
taxonomic affiliation, but especially the species in the genus Scorpaena |
| |
|
| Scyphomedusa |
the body of a scyphozoan, or sea jelly |
| |
|
| Scyphozoan |
a sea jelly, any of the cnidarian Class Schyphozoa, in which the
medusa is the dominant or only form that occours during the life cycle |
|
|
| Sea cucumber |
any of the echinoderm Class Holothuroidea, so named because of the
resemblance in shape of many species to the common vegetable |
| |
|
| Sea grass |
any marine flowering plant with straplike leaves, including species
of Thalassia and Syringodium |
| |
|
| Sea jelly |
a scyphozoan, or jellyfish |
| |
|
| Sea star |
a starfish, or any of the echinoderm Class Asteroidea |
| |
|
| Sea urchin |
an echinoid, or any of the echinoderm Class Echinoidea |
| |
|
| Seasonality |
life cycle variations coordinated with environmental changes that
regularly occur at specific times of year |
| |
|
| Seawall |
a structure intended to prevent erosion due to wave action |
| |
|
| Seawater |
the contents of the ocean, containing, on average, 35 grams (1.24
ounces) of dissolved solids per liter |
| |
|
| Seaweed |
any marine algae visible to the unaided eye, especially one having
a structure superficially similar to a terrestrial plant |
| |
|
| Sedentary |
spending most or all of one's time in the same spot |
| |
|
| Segment |
a repeated body element |
|
|
| Septa |
walls that separate a biological structure, especially those in
the corallites of stony corals |
| |
|
| Septicemia |
a pathological condition in which bacteria grow in the blood |
| |
|
| Seriatopora |
a branching, small-polyped stony coral easily propagated from cuttings |
| |
|
| Serpulid |
a polychaete in which the radioles are arranged in one or more spiral
structures, and that secretes a protective, calcified tube around
itself |
| |
|
| Serranocirrhitus |
a solitary sea bass, Family Serranidae, from deep waters in the
Indo-Pacific; often exhibited in reef aquariums and adapts readily
to captivity |
| |
|
| Serrasalmus |
one genus of piranhas, South American predatory characins with an
undeserved reputation for human fatalities; they are often chosen
for single-species aquariums |
| |
|
| Sessile |
among animals, one that is attached to a substrate |
| |
|
| Shell |
a calcareous integument enclosing the body of an animal, but especially
that of a mollusk |
| |
|
| Shock |
a physiological response to stress or injury; also, a flow of electricity
through the body of an organism |
| |
|
| Shoreward |
in the direction away from the open sea |
| |
|
| Shrimp |
any small crustacean, but especially a decapod of Order Natantia |
|
|
| Siganus |
type genus of Family Siganidae, the rabbitfish |
| |
|
| Signigobiuss |
signal gobies, Family Gobidae, benthic species that mimic the appearance
and movements of a crab; pairs are sometimes exhibited in minireef
aquariums |
| |
|
| Silicone cement |
an adheasive suitable for the manufacture of all glass aquarium
tanks, the development of which in the 1960s made keeping marine aquariums
feasible for home hobbists for the first time |
| |
|
| Sinularia |
an alcyonarian soft coral often maintained in minireef aqariums |
| |
|
| Siphon |
suction created by the movement of water through a pipe in response
to gravity, or to transfer water by means of such a pipe, or the pipe
itself; also, a duct through which water enters or leaves the body
of a mollusk |
| |
|
| Siphonoglyph |
a ciliated slit or groove leading to the mouth of a sea anemone |
| |
|
| Sipunculid |
any worm of Phylum Sipunculida, a small marine group notable for
the ability of some species to bore into rocks, and in which state
they are often introduced into marine reef aquariums |
| |
|
| Sluff |
to discard, as of dead skin |
|
|
| Small-polyped stony |
(SPS) corals those species in which the individual corallites are
only a few millimeters in diameter, generally amenable to aquarium
propagation by cutting up the colony into daughter colonies |
| |
|
| Snout |
length the distance from the most anterior margin of the eye to
the anterior end of the upper jaw |
| |
|
| Soft dorsal fin |
one in which the rays are bilaterally paired, segmented structures
usually branching one or more times toward the extremities |
| |
|
| Soft rays |
supporting fin elements that are bilaterally paired, segmented,
and usually branching toward the extremities |
| |
|
| Soft water |
water that has dissolved solids amounting to less than 100 parts
per million |
| |
|
| Solubility |
the tendency of a substance to form a solution, usually with water
as the solute |
| |
|
| Sorubim |
shovelnosed catfish, Family Pimelodontidae, a predatory through
docile species from the Amazon, Venezuela, and Paraguay |
|
|
| Sparge |
to discharge air or other gasses under pressure into a tank of
water |
| |
|
| Spathiphyllum |
flowering tropical plants of the Arum family forming rosettes of
stiff, glossy leaves; sometimes included in freshwater aquariums,
although not truly aquatic |
| |
|
| Spawn |
to release eggs and sperm into the surrounding water, or to engage
in ritualized behavior associated with such release |
| |
|
| Spawning media |
an artifical substrate for the deposition of fish eggs, varied according
to the needs of a particular species |
| |
|
| Spawning mop |
an arrangement of short filaments affixed to a float, intended as
a substitute for floating vegetation into which fish will deposit
eggs |
| |
|
| Spawning plate |
a piece of hard, flat material, such as slate, plastic. or glass
intended as a substitute for a natural substrate onto which fish will
deposit eggs |
| |
|
| Species |
one or more genetically distinct populations of organisms that actually
or potentially interbreed but are reproductively isolated from other
such groups |
| |
|
| Species tank |
a tank specifically set up to hold only a single species of fish |
| |
|
| Specific gravity |
The ratio of the density of a substance to that of pure water. Can
be measured with a Hydrometer |
| |
|
| Sphaeramia |
cardinalfish, Family Apogonidae; the pajama cardinal, S. nematoptera,
is regularly imported for marine aquariums |
| |
|
| Sphincter |
a muscular ring surrounding a body opening, permitting it to be
opened and closed |
|
|
| Spicule |
a microscopic structural element, of silica, lime, or protein, found
in several plant and invertebrate gourps and sometimes useful for
the identification of taxa |
| |
|
| Spinous |
dorsal fin one in which the supporting elements are solid, unpaired,
and unsegmented |
| |
|
| Spirobranchus |
Christmas tree worms, polychaete annelids of Family Serpulidae;
exhibited in marine aquariums because of their brulliantly colored
spiral radioles that are immediately withdrawn into a protective tube
at the slightest disturbance |
| |
|
| Spirocysts |
a type of nemotocyst from which a coiled filament is ejected |
| |
|
| Spirographis |
an Indo-Pacific serpulid worm exhibited in minireef aquariums because
of its delicate white or pink radioles |
| |
|
| Sponge filter |
one in which water is drawn through an element made of plastic foam,
the pores of which trap particulate matter and provide a surfave for
the growth of nitrifying bacteria; useful as a temporary filter for
small aqariums |
|
|
| Standard length |
the distance measured from the tip of the snout to the base of the
tail |
| |
|
| Stand |
a support for an aquarium tank, usually not enclosed below the tank |
| |
|
| Standpipe |
a tube extending vertically from a drain, allowing the level of
water in the container to rise, or "stand," above the level
at which the drain exists |
| |
|
| Steatocranus |
cichlids from Central Africa bearing a fatty hump on the forehead;
they are of interest to aquarists because they form lifelong sexual
pairs |
| |
|
| Stegastes |
gregory or farmerfish, Family Pomacentridae; they cultivate algae
upon branching coral heads within their territories by weeding out
undesirable growth |
| |
|
| Stenopus |
barber shrimps, Family Stenopodidae, including the commonly imported
species S. hispidus, the banded coral shrimp, and several other species
that exhibit cleaning behavior |
| |
|
| Stenorhynchus |
the arrow crab, S. seticornis, often collected in Florida for exhibition
in home aquariums; it feeds on polychate worms and other small invertebrates |
| |
|
| Stichodactyla |
carpet anemones, at least three species of which are known in the
marine aquarium trade; all host anemonefish are difficult for many
hobbyists to maintain successfully |
| |
|
| Stolon |
a runner, or horizontal plant stem, that gives rise to a daughter
plant at its tip, or any anatomical structure that resembles such
a stem |
| |
|
| Stoloniferan |
soft corals in which the individual polyps are connected by horizontal
threads of tissue resembeling stolons, including several species maintained
in a minireef aquarium |
| |
|
| Stonefish |
scorpaenid fish, of the genus Synancea, bearing venomous spines;
S. verrucosa has caused human fatalities; it should never be exhibited
in a home aquarium |
|
|
| Streptomycin |
an antibiotic derived from the actinomyceter Streptomyces |
| |
|
| Strombus |
conchs, S. gigas, cultivated in the Caribbean for food and as algae
eaters for the marine aquarium |
| |
|
| Stylophora |
a small-polyped stony coral forming rounded colonies of finger branches,
widely distributed in the Indo-Pacific and easily propagated in minireef
aquariums |
| |
|
| Subcellular |
having to do with anatomical structures smaller than a single cell,
or those located within a cell |
| |
|
| Subcutaneous |
of the area just beneath the skin of an animal |
| |
|
| Submersible heater |
an electrically operated device for raising the temperature of aquarium
water that can be completely covered with water without creating a
shock hazard |
| |
|
| Substrate |
1) the materal placed on the bottom of an aqurium tank;
2) any surface to which a living organism attaches itself;
3) the particular compound acted upon by an enzyme |
| |
|
| Sump |
a reservoir for water being transproted by a pump |
| |
|
| Supernatant |
the liquid phase above a sediment layer |
| |
|
| Surgeonfish |
any of Fmaily Acanthuridae, so called because of a bladelike modified
scale, often retractable into a sheath on the caudal peduncle, that
can deliver a serious cut |
| |
|
| Sustainable |
harvest the removal of individuals from a habitat, in a manner and
under such circumstances that permit the taking to continue without
measurable reducing the size of the reproducing population of the
target species, or upon other species, such as predators, that are
ecologically related to the target species |
| |
|
| Sweeper |
tentacle an elongated appendage produced by some stony corals that
stings other organisms that move or grow too near the coral colony |
| |
|
| Swim blatter |
a thin-walled, gasfilled sac found in bony fish that permits them
to control their bouyancy and thus to rise or sink in the water column |
|
|
| Symbiont |
any species characteristically found only in the presence of another |
| |
|
| Symbiosis |
an ecological relationship between two different species;a symbiotic
relationship |
| |
|
| Sympatric |
said of species that occour in the same geographic location |
| |
|
| Symphysodon |
South American discus fish, cichlids in which parental care extends
to the production of a skin exudate upon which the fry feed |
| |
|
| Symptom |
any measurable evidence of a pathological condition, especially
if employed in the diagnosis of such condition |
| |
|
| Synalpheus |
snapping or popping shrimps, Family Alpheidae; they are able to
make a loud "pop" by means of a specially modified chela |
| |
|
| Synanceia |
stonefish, potentially deadly scorpaenids |
| |
|
| Synchiropus |
the target fish or spotted mandarin, Family Callonymidae, exhibited
in minireef aquariums where it feeds only on tiny, living crustaceans |
| |
|
| Syngnathus |
pipefish, type genus of Famaily Syngnathidae |
| |
|
| Synodontis |
Type genus of the Family Synodontidae, African catfish including
the upsidedown catfish |
