Achilles Tang

Scientists were surprised with findings of a recent study that reveals many animal species believed to persist in small contained areas actually need broad, landscape level conservation to survive. Overall, the study provides strong new evidence supporting the integration of multiple scales of conservation, including protected areas as well as landscape and seascape level conservation strategies. View the full article

New evidence that chemical contaminants are finding their way into the deep-sea food web has been found in deep-sea squids and octopods, including the strange-looking "vampire squid." These species are food for deep-diving toothed whales and other predators View the full article

Europe requires a common management strategy for cormorants in order to reconcile nature conservation and fishing interests. An effective regulation of cormorant populations can only work at the European level, researchers from the Helmholtz Center for Environmental Research write in the scientific journal Environmental Conservation. Furthermore, they suggest a five-step action plan, which would start with a consensus on the real numbers of animals and end in an international management plan. View the full article

He's not well known like President Bush and musician Neil Young, but Philadelphian Frank Gallagher now has something in common with them: He has a new species named after him. New species often are named for prominent scientists, generous benefactors or even spouses. A biologist recently named a new trapdoor spider after popular singer-songwriter Neil Young. A few years ago an entomologist named a new slime-mold beetle after the president. Rarely, if ever, has a new species been named for a postman. View the full article

An increase of epileptic seizures and behavioral abnormalities in California sea lions can result from low-dose exposure to domoic acid from toxic algal blooms as a fetus. This brain disturbance is a newly recognized chronic disease. View the full article

Join us in a slideshow featuring a variety of refugiums. View the full article

Dang describes his 240-gallon reef aquarium. View the full article

Jim discusses how these reflectors are consideration-worthy. View the full article

In this eigth article of our "Newbie Corner" column, Tom Murphy (Waterkeeper) discusses Natural Filtration Part III View the full article

This month we are showcasing the Southern Colorado Marine Aquarist Society (SCMAS). View the full article

Check out the latest upcoming events of interest to marine aquarists. View the full article

Top Ten Reasons Why That Fatality In The Tank Was Not Your Fault... View the full article

Great Barrier Reef WARNING LOTS OF PHOTOS! View the full article

After a five year review, NOAA's Fisheries Service has determined that the Caribbean monk seal, which has not been seen for more than 50 years, has gone extinct--the first type of seal to go extinct from human causes. View the full article

Example: Giving away sand. (oh wow, ok i'm going to get it) Ok here's your sand. (what? only one grain???) Yeah, I didn't say how much i'm giving away. Thank you for coming all the way from Jurong.

Try this: aim your water pump outlet near the surface so it sucks in air. The air bubbles plus the surface turbulence will break up the oil layer over a day. I use a Tunze stream. Very effective but you have to be careful of salt spray.

Classic example of 'please read my mind'

A new barley that benefits the environment as well as farm animals has just been developed. "Clearwater" hulless barley is rich in the kinds of phosphorus -- an essential nutrient -- that pigs, fish and other single-stomached, or "monogastric," animals can use. That's unlike grain from conventional barleys, which contains more of the phytate type of phosphorus, the kind that monogastric animals find difficult to digest. View the full article

Archaeologists have discovered a remarkable 380 million year old fossil placoderm fish with intact embryo and mineralized umbilical cord. The discovery makes the fossil the world's oldest known vertebrate mother. It also provides the earliest evidence of vertebrate sexual reproduction, wherein the males (which possessed clasping organs similar to modern sharks and rays) internally fertilized females. View the full article

The international science community must devote more resources to research into the effects climate change is having on ocean environments, according to a paper recently published in the journal Science. View the full article

Researchers have developed two new methods, in order to be able to better estimate the numbers of European otters (Lutra lutra) and their effects on the fish farming industry. Genetic analyses of the feces could prove to be a promising approach when investigating otter populations, as reported in the scientific journal Conservation Genetics. The new method does not only apply to otters, but also to all vertebrates. View the full article

Current coastal management practices are ineffective and their continuation endangers ecosystems that support the economies on which over half the world's population depend, United Nations University experts warn in a new report offering a major prescription for sweeping change. View the full article

A professor has developed a new water treatment that could help keep a deadly fish disease out of Lake Superior. It involves bleach and vitamin C. View the full article

Researchers have discovered what may be a clue to the mystery of why marine mammals around the world are succumbing to a parasite that is typically only associated with cats. The key may just be the lowly anchovy, according to new research. View the full article

A strain of marine bacteria produces large amounts of bright red pigments that can be used as a natural dye for wool, nylon, silk and other fabrics, scientists in California are reporting. The dyes from Mother Nature's palate also have an anti-bacterial effect that could discourage harmful bacteria from growing on socks, undergarments, and other clothing, they report in a new study. View the full article