Harlequinmania

Click through to see the images. While the adult forms of these five labriformes species look different from one another as adults, here in their larval stage they are all very similar. A: Halichoeres bivittatus, B: Halichoeres garnoti, C: Halichoeres maculipinna, D: Halichoeres poeyi, E: Thalassoma bifasciatum. Credit: Photos A−C by Julie Mounts and David Smith; D, E by Lee Weigt and Carole Baldwin. Many marine fish species spend their larval stage near the ocean's surface―an environment completely different than the one they are in as adults. Two different environments often require two different body shapes and appearances, resulting in fish in their larval stage that bear little to no resemblance to their adult counterparts. Carole Baldwin, a zoologist at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History, examined more than 200 species of marine fishes in their larval stage, primarily from the western Caribbean. She found that in many cases larval color patterns of different species were very similar, contributing evidence to a phylogenic relationship. "Biologists, artists and tropical fish aquarists have described, illustrated or photographed color patterns in adult marine fishes for centuries, but color patterns in marine fish larvae have largely been neglected," said Baldwin. "Yet the larval stages of many marine fishes have subtle to striking, ephemeral color patterns that can potentially tell us a lot about a species' place on the taxonomic family tree." Adult mullets, for instance, are very different in appearance than adult flying fish, yet when Baldwin examined these fishes in the larval stage she noticed that they share a unique transformation of color pattern that supports the idea that they could be closely related. Larvae of some species in the order Tetraodontiforme, like the pufferfish, and those in the order Lophiiforme, like the anglerfish, are strikingly similar in having the trunks of their bodies enclosed in an inflated yellow sac. Their appearance as adults, however, would not hint at a close relationship. "More investigation of larval color patterns in marine fish is needed to fully assess their value in phylogenic reconstruction," said Baldwin. "But the evidence I've found so far is promising that this will be an important taxonomic resource in the future." Color information on many more marine fish larvae is needed to fully use this new suite of evolutionary information, and Baldwin will encourage colleagues to obtain color photographs of larvae when possible. And studies on the formation of pigment, such as those conducted on the model freshwater zebrafish (Danio species), are needed. View the full article

Click through to see the images. It is well known that seagrass beds can provide significant benefits to surrounding ecosystems such as coral reefs. Not only do seagrass meadows potentially help promote coral calcification, but certain corals may actually ingest seagrass particulate matter and use it for growth. Published this week in the journal Coral Reefs, Lai, Gills, and others report on this first in their paper First experimental evidence of corals feeding on seagrass matter. What Lai's team did was perform feeding experiments on the coral Oulastrea crispata, which lives in and around seagrass meadows. Stable isotope analysis was used to measure the intake of 15N-enriched seagrass particulates and dissolved organic matter into coral tissue and the team found the coral ingested similar quantities of both seagrass particulates and dissolved organic matter in the span of their experiments. This study suggests a new, previously un-researched route for coral to obtain nutritional sustenance from its surroundings and that further research is necessary to better understand this relationship. View the full article

Click through to see the images. Blue Eye FX Productions shot and produced this "Red Sea in Motion" video series for Four Seasons Resort in Sharm el Sheikh and Sinai Blues Diving Center to promote tourism. We'd say they succeeded. The full production is actually 60 minutes in length and is available through Four Seasons Resort Sharm el Sheikh, but these 20+ minutes of high definition footage more than exemplifies the diverse splendor of the Red Sea. </p> <p> View the full article

Click through to see the images. View the full article

Click through to see the images. The most unique element of the Innovative Marine HydroFill ATO system is the controller's magnetically-mounted sensors. Instead of physical float switches, IR sensors, or pressure sensors, the HydroFill uses low voltage electrical circuits to detect water. When water comes into contact with a sensor's two miniature graphite electrodes, it completes a 5V circuit to signal the controller to deactivate. This is a similar design as water detection alarms some aquarists may have used in the past. But unlike previous electrode-based sensors which were made of metal, the inert graphite electrodes of the HydroFill allow it to work reliably in marine environments. The HydroFill ATO Controller System has more stages of redundancy than we've seen in any ATO system. In the photos, you see two electrodes per sensor. These actually are not separate positive and negative electrodes but two fully-functioning +/- electrodes. In other words, each sensor is actually two sensors. Then there is the second supplied sensor (with two more electrodes) which act as additional redundancy to make sure your controller turns off when it's suppose to. That's a total of four sensors for anyone counting. The two sensors also allow for flexibility setting the water levels in tanks with sloshing water to prevent the ATO pump from constantly cycling on/off. The HydroFill ATO Pump is like a Tom's Aqua-Lifter on steroids. This diaphragm pump outputs five times more water (through 1/4" I.D. tubing) with a max head of 60". It's also thermally protected to insure the pump will not burn out if ran dry. Overall, the diminutive form factor (especially the sensors and return plumbing), apparent ease of installation and operation, and multi-redundancy/safeguards make this tidy ATO system very promising. We hope to review this unit for you in an upcoming article. The HydroFill ATO Controller and ATO Pump are sold separately. Aquarists can choose to use both parts for a complete ATO system or pair each part with other pumps or controllers. Note: The HydroFill controller comes with a standard 3-prong grounded power plug so you can use most standard pumps. " height="383" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="680"> "> "> Innovative Marine has provided Advanced Aquarist with their literature and pricing for the HydroFill ATO products: HydroFill – ATO Controller System Automate freshwater replenishment, and say farewell to heavy lifting, unstable water parameters, and the need to frequently watch your water line. Topping off evaporated water for our aquariums is a tedious but essential task that every hobbyist encounters to maintain stable specific gravity & salinity levels. The HydroFill ATO Controller System takes advantage of your water's conductive properties to complete a low voltage circuit and cause a control relay to actuate and replenish water as it evaporates. This departure from outdated float sensors, offers the latest automation in electronic sensing for precise accuracy, repeatability, and no-moving part reliability. Customize your own "High and Low" set points to prevent constant On/Off cycling prone to single sensor design Sensors utilize rare earth neodymium magnets for stationary placement and simple out of the box installation. Small form factor makes it the ideal choice for nano to full size aquariums. Two chemically inert graphite electrodes are housed in each sensor for redundancy & consistent long-term performance in harsh marine environments. FEATURES: Controller: 2 Year Warranty Conductivity Method For use in Fresh & Marine Applications Controller Dims: 3.35” x 1.18” x 5.12” Includes Double Sided Adhesive 1000W, 8Amp/120V Pump Capacity Power Consumption: 1 Watt Visual LED indicators Power -Red Level - Green Low Level – Green Water Filling – Pulsing Green Sensors: Small Form Factor: 0.91” x 1.06” x 2.64” (2) Sensor Design Safe 5V Low Voltage 6 foot sensor cables (2) Rare Earth Neodymium Magnetic Sensor Holders Chemically Inert Graphite Electrodes MSRP AUQA Gadget ATO Controller System - $199 HydroFill – ATO Pump System Pair your auto top off with the industry's first low voltage air lift pump specifically designed for ATO controllers. The HydroFill ATO Pump System eliminates the guess work, and comes complete with a lift pump, acrylic bracket, return pipe, 10 feet of silicone tubing, 3 hose clamps, , and an optional hanging mount. Engineered for high performance, this external positive displacement diaphragm pump, outputs up to 15 gallons per hour and max 5 feet of head. This self-priming pump is equipped with a built-in check valve to safeguard against back siphoning. The HydroFill diaphragm pump is the smart alternative when compared to submersible pumps, diaphragm pumps offer the benefit of safely running dry and are thermally protected against heat build-up. Versatile design offers 3 options for pump placement: hang-on, cabinet mount, or simply place on noise dampening rubber feet. FEATURES: Pump: Positive Displacement Diaphragm Pump Method Self-Priming Built-in Check valve Dry Run Protection Thermally Protected Low Voltage ¼â€ Barb Fitting Up to 15 Gallons per Hour Pump mounting bracket Return Kit: 10 feet of silicone tubing (3) ratchet clamps Acrylic mounting bracket Return pipe Inlet Hose Strainer MSRP AUQA Gadget ATO Pump System: $99 View the full article

Click through to see the images. The fighter planes were forced to jettison their payloads after several failed attempts to drop the bombs over their intended targets on a practice range on Townshend Island. The planes were running low on fuel and were unable to land while carrying extra weight, forcing the pilots to ditch the bombs over water. The bombs did not detonate. The US Navy and Australian Defence Force say the bombs were dropped in 164 feet (50 meters) of water away from coral for "minimal damage." The US Navy may recover the bombs from the seafloor. Damage (if any) to the site is unclear at this time. View the full article

Click through to see the images. The fighter planes were forced to jettison their payloads after several failed attempts to drop the bombs over their intended targets on a practice range on Townshend Island. The planes were running low on fuel and were unable to land while carrying extra weight, forcing the pilots to ditch the bombs over water. The bombs did not detonate. The US Navy and Australian Defence Force say the bombs were dropped in 164 feet (50 meters) of water away from coral for "minimal damage." The US Navy may recover the bombs from the seafloor. Damage (if any) to the site is unclear at this time. View the full article

Click through to see the images. The fighter planes were forced to jettison their payloads after several failed attempts to drop the bombs over their intended targets on a practice range on Townshend Island. The planes were running low on fuel and were unable to land while carrying an extra 4,000 combined pounds (1.8 metric ton), forcing the pilots to ditch the bombs over water. The US Navy and Australian Defence Force say the bombs were dropped in 164 feet (50 meters) of water away from coral with minimal damage. The US Navy intends to recover the bombs from the seafloor. Damage (if any) to the coral reef is unclear at this time. View the full article

Click through to see the images. The following post just showed up on MASNA's Facebook page: MASNA is looking to fill two Board of Director positions. These would be for the remainder of the year with the ability to run for the 2014 year. You must be a MASNA member to hold any BOD position, be able to provide a minimum of 10 hours a month, and attend 2 BOD meetings monthly via IRC & Skype. We are looking to fill immediately: * Treasurer * Webmaster To view the position descriptions: http://goo.gl/mVrpD You can apply at our website MASNA.org: http://goo.gl/cH4Wz For more information you can email president@masna.org. If you have a finance background or are a web designer or sysadmin, check out the position descriptions and apply! View the full article

Click through to see the images. Art Aquarium 2013 runs between July 13-September 23 at Nihonbashi Mitsui Hall in Tokyo. This year's theme is called "Cool Goldfish of Edo" (Edo is the former name of Tokyo). The exhibition features 5,000 goldfish displayed in 17 installations comprised of 70 aquariums. At night and during the weekends, the exhibition turns into a music lounge aptly named "Night Aquarium" with live music and DJs. If you can read Japanese, here is the link to the exhibition website. Otherwise, just let the photos and video below tell the story. " height="360" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="640"> "> "> THE FOUR SEASONS AQUARIUM ELEGANCE DANCE THE FIRST LADY’S BEAUTIFUL MEMORY KINGYO COLLECTION KIMONORIUM View the full article

Click through to see the images. The Phylum Echinodermata is home to the asteroids (sea stars), ophiuroids (brittle and serpent stars), echinoids (sea urchins and sand dollars), holothuroids (sea cucumbers and apples), and the feather stars and sea lilies (crinoids), all of which share a few distinctive common features despite their highly variable appearances and lifestyles. While there are a few odd exceptions, all of these have a body plan based on a five-fold radial symmetry, meaning the members of the phylum generally have a body that can be divided into five (or a multiple of 5) roughly equal parts, which are laid out around a central axis. If present, the number of arms, spines, or other structures that protrude from the body typically come in multiples of five, as well. The most obvious example is a typical sea star, which bears five equal-sized arms radiating from its central body. All members of the phylum also posses a water vascular system, which is a collection of fluid-filled tubes and bladders used for respiration and circulation that also gives rise to numerous tube feet (podia) used for locomotion and feeding. Again, looking at the underside of a typical sea star is a good way to see part of the water vascular system in the form of its sucker-tipped podia emerging from grooves in its arms. Here you can see a sea star's five-fold radial symmetry and sucker-tipped tube feet, the hallmark characteristics of typical echinoderms. In the case of crinoids, there are approximately 625 living species (Brusca & Brusca 2003), all of which have a small organ-holding central body called a theca, with numerous long arms/rays radiating from it. These arms are used primarily for feeding and sometimes for locomotion, and there are oftentimes five or ten of them. However, these may branch repeatedly near their base, eventually giving rise to as many as 200 arms (Clarkson 1987). Interestingly enough, Shibata & Oji(2003) found that this increase in arm number sometimes occurs during development as a single arm is intentionally dropped at its connection to the body, after which two new arms grow from the point of detachment. This can apparently occur repeatedly to produce the number of arms possessed by an adult. Crinoids often have only 5 or 10 arms, but may possess as many as 200. Each of these arms is also covered by numerous small branches called pinnules, and both the arms and their pinnules are lined with rows of tiny food-grabbing podia. The pinnules and arms also have grooves that run down their centers, which are used to transport collected food particles to the mouth at the theca. On the bottom of the theca, most crinoids also possess a series of short non-feeding tentacle-like appendages called cirri. These are used to walk around and also act like grasping legs, which can hold onto the substrate. On the left you can see a relatively thin arm running horizontally across the photograph, with pinnules emerging from it vertically. The thin and sucker-less podia are also visible. In the middle and on the right you can see the tentacle-like cirri used for locomotion and grasping. It's the long, slender, feeding arms covered by the smaller pinnules that make many crinoids appear to be a small body surrounded by numerous feathers. So, once you take a look at one it's easy to see where the common name feather star comes from. Do note that these feathery arms can be rolled up tightly at times though, and aren't always extended out from the body. Some crinoids also have a long, slender, segmented stalk coming off the bottom of their body, which allows them to hold their theca and its crown of feeding arms well off the substrate. The stalk is often lined with rings of cirri, and terminates with cirri, as well. So, they can hold themselves in place in an upright position, and can also crawl about, sometimes doing so while laying down on their sides, so to speak. More on this below... These stalked species are typically called sea lilies, as they resemble flowers on a stem, but there aren't very many of them around today. While there are over 6,000 described fossil species of sea lilies, almost all of these were wiped out during the great mass extinction event that occurred about a quarter-billion years ago. In fact, only 95 species or so are extant (UCMP undated, Roux et al. 2002). These are hard to come by too, as almost all of them live at depths greater than 100 meters, with many living on the abyssal plains at depths greater than 6,000 meters (Fossa & Nilsen 2002). So, I don't think you're going to be seeing any of these for sale at an aquarium shop. Note that the arms can be loosely to tightly rolled up at times, and that some crinoids have long stalks that allow them to hold their crown of feeding arms well above the substrate. Feeding Crinoids are passive suspension feeders that consume food items captured from surrounding waters, being passive because they don't generate any sort of current themselves. Instead, they let the water bring food to them. However, they can change their location, overall orientation, and arm and pinnule extension to maximize food collection under different environmental conditions. Also note that some species apparently prefer strong currents while others prefer lower to weak currents (Meyer 1982, Meyer et al. 1984, Baumiller 1997). When feeding, the adhesive podia emerging from the arms and pinnules snare food items, sometimes with the assistance of mucous threads, and then pass them into the grooves that line them. Cilia in the grooves then guide the items to the mouth where they are ingested (Nichols 1960, Byrne & Fontaine 1981, Meyer 1982, Holland et al. 1986). So, what is it that they eat? Lots of things, with diets being highly variable from species to species. Known food items include: particles of detritus, ciliated protozoans, diatoms, foraminifera, and crustacean zooplankton, as well as several types of eggs, embryos, and larvae, with most all items being in the range of 0.05 to 0.4mm in size (Rutman & Fishelson 1969, West 1978, Meyer 1979 & 1982, La Touche & West 1980, Holland et al. 1991, Fossa & Nilsen 2002, Kitazawa et al. 2007). Behavior Crinoids typically sit in place with their arms extended to feed. However, as noted above, they can ball up when not feeding by rolling their arms up into tight coils, or by wrapping them around their body. Feather stars can also crawl around by using the cirri on their underside, and as mentioned above, sea lilies can also crawl about using their arms and/or the cirri on their stalks. This allows crinoids to move to a location where the current is suitable for feeding and/or to avoid predation. While crinoids are passive suspension feeders, they can crawl about and find locations where currents are suitable for feeding. Many are also nocturnal and hide during the day, which is one of the problems with trying to keep some species in captivity. It's obviously no fun to have something in an aquarium that hides all day and only comes out only at night to feed. However, there are some species that can be seen on reefs day and night. While there are many nocturnal species that come out and feed at night, others feed during the day and are common sights on many Indo-Pacific reefs. Surprisingly, in addition to crawling around, many feather stars can also swim, typically in response to predation by several types of fishes, crabs, and sea stars (Meyer & Ausich 1983, Mladenov 1983, Meyer 1985). This is accomplished by quickly and alternately raising and lowering their arms. They certainly aren't fast, and they swim around rather clumsily, but it's still swimming nonetheless. Crinoids do have their predators, and it's very common to see them missing one or more arms. However, like sea stars and their other cousins, they can eventually regenerate these if healthy. Here you can see crinoids in motion! Problems At the start, I pointed out that the survival rate of crinoids in aquariums is terrible - and starvation is the primary reason. With the exception of detritus, appropriate food items are typically in short supply in aquariums, and crinoids apparently need far more than they can get. Each species can be very picky about the particles they'll accept too, and apparently it's just about impossible to provide enough of the right foods to keep them healthy long-term. Some hobbyists' first thought is likely something along the lines of dosing a tank with one of the many phytoplankton, zooplankton, or plankton substitute products that are available, but I don't think you'll have much luck at all. They simply need more food of the right sort than you can add without negatively affecting your aquarium's water quality. And, as far as them feeding on detritus goes, there's certainly no shortage of detritus in most aquariums, but I have to assume that the species of crinoids that feed primarily on detritus are not the species that get collected and imported. Otherwise, at least some offered species should be fine in some aquariums, but they aren't. In addition, some filter-feeding organisms, like clams, generate currents by some means and actually pump water into their bodies in order to feed. So, they can control water flow to some degree, choosing whatever rate works best for capturing particles with their own unique feeding structures. However, different species of crinoids may require a specific flow rate moving over their arms for them to feed. Studies of some corals have shown that many can effectively capture particles only when water is moving by at a certain speed, and like crinoids, some species prefer faster while some prefer slower movement (see Delbeek 2002 for more on this). This is due to the way that water moves around their polyps and feeding tentacles at different velocities, with food particles being easier to grab when everything is just right. Thus, something like this could also affect an animal like a crinoid, and they may require a certain range of flow velocity in order to capture whatever food is present in the water. In other words, it's possible that even if you were to add large doses of a suitable food, without the right flow a crinoid may not be able to capture it. Suffice to say, I've heard very, very few stories of hobbyists keeping a crinoid alive long-term, and I'm skeptical of many of the survival stories offered on some of the online forums that I read. Some peoples' idea of long-term is a month, or a few, when it should be years for many creatures. Maybe a crinoid or two can survive long-term in a relatively large well-stocked aquarium with a deep sand bed and/or refugium, etc. with suitable currents, but I have yet to see this with my own eyes. Conversely, what I have seen, after trying my best to keep a handful of crinoids myself over the years, is a slow death over a period of several weeks to a few months. When crinoids begin to starve they actually shrink in size, and their arms get shorter and shorter until they finally die. I haven't seen any other specific symptoms of trouble other than the wasting away, but the end result has always been the same, and many other hobbyists and authors have reported the same thing. I still see them offered from time to time, but the chances of keeping a crinoid alive long-term in home aquariums are near zero. To make matters worse, crinoids can also be very difficult to collect and typically do not handle shipping very well. The podia are very sticky, and if you ever touch a crinoid's arms, they tend to tear apart when you pull away. The arms will stick to your fingers and then won't let go. So, sections of the frail segmented arms end up stuck to your skin and tend to break off and stay stuck to you when you try to let go of one. The little ring of cirri that they use to hold on to the bottom can also get a good grip on things and will wrap tightly around coral branches and such, too. Thus, crinoids can be very difficult to remove from whatever substrate they're on and to handle through the whole collection and shipping process without tearing them up. As I said, they don't ship very well at all from what I've seen, and I think that it's probably because it's so difficult to collect one without injuring it in the process. Of course, they might be especially sensitive to changes in temperature and/or pH and such for some reason too, and may still fare poorly through the process even if uninjured. That's only speculation on my part, though. Despite all this, there have been a few legitimate success stories, though. But, I'll give you some details about one of them, more as a warning than encouragement. Lukaczyn (2010) reported having an aquarium (of an unspecified volume) housing 10 crinoids, one of which had been maintained in captivity for 2.5 years, and some azooxanthellate corals. His feeding regimen is as follows: Four times per day a mixture of Fauna Marin Ultra Sea fan, Fauna Marin Ultra Clam, and Fauna Marin Ultramin F is added to the aquarium over a two hour period. Fauna Marin UltraMin D and Fauna Marin UltraMin S are also added daily at 7am. Reef Nutrition Rotifeast is added at 6:30am and 6pm. Reef Nutrition OysterFeast is added at 7am. Piscine Energetics or Hikari mysis shrimp is added at 6pm. Reef Nutrition Shellfish Diet is added at 7pm. Argent Cyclop-eeze is added at 8pm. A mixture of Ultra Min F, Argent Cyclop-eeze, and Reef Nutrition OysterFeast is also used to target feed "frequently". Fauna Marin Ultra Bio and Ultra Bak are added daily. The substrate is stirred lightly to release detritus daily. A bag of Fauna Marin Ultralith stones in the sump is shaken to release detritus daily. So, what does it take to keep water quality where it should be after all this? Water changes of 25% are done twice a week, by doing numerous, slow, one gallon changes at a time. Yes, that's a whole lot of food and 200% water changes per month - and a lot of time, effort, and money, too. Get the idea? Lastly, a bit about fossil crinoids If you ever look around at a natural history museum, or at a rock and fossil shop, you're almost certain to see fossil sea lilies. These were some of the most common invertebrates around long ago, with many being preserved at least partially intact. While many fossil specimens consist of the theca and arms without the long stalks, there are some that have been found all together, and some of the largest of them had stalks that ranged from 100 to 130 feet in length with crowns that were roughly 3 feet in diameter (Clarkson 1987, Ponsonby & Dussart 2005)! Far more common are fossilized bits and pieces of them though, as all crinoids are composed of great numbers of articulated calcium carbonate bits and pieces called ossicles that are joined by a relatively thin layer of connective tissue and sometimes ligaments. Upon decay of these soft tissues, the ossicles typically just fall apart from each other and get scattered about to some degree. So, those specimens that are semi-complete to complete must have been buried in sediment relatively rapidly before they had time to fall apart, or in areas with very low water flow. Where large numbers of them did fall apart, and pieces got scattered, significant deposits of the ossicles that make up the stalks can often be found. These are called crinoid buttons by collectors, and are most commonly round with a round or star-shaped hole in the middle, but may also be pentagonal. So, if you ever find a rock with a lot of little disks in it, you're probably looking at some of the fossilized remains of a sea lily that lived sometime between roughly 480 and 250 million years ago (Guensburg & Sprinkle 2001). Kind of hard to really wrap your head around... On the left is a pair of complete fossilized sea lilies, which are not commonly found. On the right, you can see the segmented stalk of a couple of sea lilies and a deposit of "crinoid buttons" that are commonly found in ancient limestones. References Baumiller, T.K. 1997. Crinoid functional morphology. In: Waters, J.A. & Maples, C.G. (eds.) Geobiology of Echinoderms. Paleontological Society Papers 3. Brusca, R.C. and Brusca G.J. 2003. Invertebrates. 2nd ed. Sinauer Associates, Sunderland, Massachusetts. 936pp. Byrne, M. & Fontaine, A.R. 1981. The feeding behavior of Florometra serratissima (Echinodermata: Crinoidea). Canadian Journal of Zoology 59(1). Clarkson, E.N.K. 1987. Invertebrate Palaeontology and Evolution, 2nd ed. Allen and Unwin, London. 382pp. Delbeek, J.C. 2002. Non-photosynthetic Corals: They really are hard! Advanced Aquarist Online Magazine. URL: http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2002/1/aafeature Fossa, S. and A. Nilsen. 2002. The Modern Coral Reef Aquarium, Volume 4. Birgit Schmettkamp Velag, Bornheim, Germany. 480pp. Guensburg, T.E. & Sprinkle, J. 2001. Earliest crinoids: New evidence for the origin of the dominant Paleozoic echinoderms. Geology 29: 131-134. Holland, N.D., Strickler, J.R. & Leonard, A.B. 1986. Particle interception, transport and rejection by the feather star Oligometra serripinna (Echinodermata: Crinoidea), studied by frame analysis of videotapes. Marine Biology 93:111-126. Holland, N.D., Leonard, A.B. & Meyer, D.L. 1991. Digestive mechanics and gluttonous feeding in the feather star Oligometra serripinna (Echinodermata: Crinoidea). Marine Biology 111:113-119. Kitazawa, K., Oji, T., & Sunamura, M. 2007. Food composition of crinoids (Crinoidea: Echinodermata) in relation to stalk length and fan density: their paleoecological implications, Marine Biology 152:959-968. LaTouche, R.W. & West, A.B. 1980. Observations on the food of Antedon bifida (Echinodermata: Crinoidea). Marine Biology 60:39-46. Lukaczyn, M. 2010. A Journey in Crinoid Keeping. Reefs. summer issue. Meyer, D.L. 1979. Length and spacing of the tube feet in crinoids (Echinodermata) and their role in suspension-feeding. Marine Biology 51:361-369. Meyer, D.L. 1982. Food and feeding mechanisms: Crinozoa. In: Jangoux, M. & Lawrence, J.M. (eds.) Echinoderm Nutrition. Balkema, Rotterdam. 654pp. Meyer, D.L. 1985. Evolutionary implications of predation on Recent comatulid crinoids from the Great Barrier Reef. Paleobiology 11(2):154-164. Meyer, D.L. & Ausich, W.I. 1983. Biotic interactions among Recent and among fossil crinoids. In: Tevesz, M.J.S. & McCall, P.L. (eds.) Biotic Interactions in Recent and Fossil Benthic Communities. Plenum, NY. 303pp. Meyer, D.L., LaHaye, C.A., Holland, N.D., Arneson, A.C. & Strickler, J.R. 1984. Time-lapse cinematography of feather stars (Echinodermata: Crinoidea) on the Great Barrier Reef, Australia: demonstrations of posture changes, locomotion, spawning and possible predation by fish. Marine Biology 78:179-184. Mladenov, P.V. 1983. Rate of arm regeneration and potential causes of arm loss in the feather star Florometra serratissima (Echinodermata: Crinoidea). Canadian Journal of Zoology 61(12):2873-2879. Nichols, D. 1960. The histology and activities of the tube-feet of Antedon bifida. Quarterly Journal of Microscopical Science 101:105-117. Ponsonby, D. & Dussart, G. 2005. The Anatomy of the Sea: Over 600 Creatures of the Deep. Raincoast Books, Vancouver. 288pp. Roux, M., Messing, C.G. & Améziane, N. 2002. Artificial keys to the genera of living stalked crinoids (Echinodermata). Bulletin of Marine Science 70(3):799-830. Shibata, T.F. & Oji, T. 2003. Autotomy and arm number increase in Oxycomanthus japonicus (Echinodermata, Crinoidea). Invertebrate Biology 122:373-377. Rutman, J. & Fishelson, L. 1969. Food composition and feeding behavior of shallow-water crinoids at Eilat (Red Sea). Marine Biology 3:46-57. University of California Museum of Paleontology, undated. Introduction to the Crinoidea. URL: http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/echinodermata/crinsys.html West, B. 1978. Utilisation of dissolved glucose and amino acids by Leptometra phalangium (J. Müll.). Scientific Proceedings of the Royal Dublin Society (Series A) 6:77-85. View the full article

Click through to see the images. From the USGS newsroom A new more sensitive weight-based approach for monitoring coral growth in the wild has been developed by U.S. Geological Survey researchers leading to more definitive answers about the status of coral reefs. Corals and other marine organisms build their skeletons and shells through calcification, the biological process of secreting calcium carbonate obtained from ocean water. This new approach to measuring corals can provide finer-scale resolution than traditional linear measurements of coral growth. "A coral may grow two millimeters in height on the left side of the colony and five millimeters on the right, so linear measurements are inherently variable and require sampling hundreds of corals to detect changes in growth over time… our method requires only 10 corals per site," said Ilsa Kuffner, USGS scientist and lead author of the study. Using the weight-based approach, Kuffner's team discovered that colonies of the Massive Starlet coral calcified about 50 percent faster in the remote Dry Tortugas National Park compared to three sites along the rest of the island chain from Miami to Marathon, Fla. The reasons behind this surprising pattern are not clear, leaving a mystery sure to pique the interest of many reef managers. The new approach could be highly useful to managers because it can detect small changes over space and time due to its high level of precision. Also, the method uses inexpensive and easy-to-find materials, and no corals are harmed in the process. "This tool provides the kind of scientific information needed to manage coral reefs at the ecosystem scale by looking at the relationships between coral health, climate change, and water-quality. It provides partners and reef managers with better, more sensitive metrics to assess coral growth, identify the most important variables, and prioritize strategies to protect and preserve these valuable ecosystems," said Acting USGS Director, Suzette Kimball. "It is also one of the ways USGS science is advancing the National Ocean Policy by supporting a number of on-the-ground priority actions." A next step in understanding declines in coral growth is discerning the different components of water-quality that are driving calcification rates, and this can only be achieved through the cooperation of reef managers and scientists around the world. The real power in the new approach will be realized if it is applied across many reefs that naturally have different temperature regimes, water quality, and pH conditions. "The study results suggest that we should pay more attention to different aspects of water-quality if we hope to understand and predict what will happen to coral reefs as oceans continue to change," said Kuffner. According to Kuffner, managers already know coral reefs are in decline, but they want to know why. They need a linkage between cause and effect that explains why reefs are not growing like they used to or are not recovering from disease or die-off events. Correlating finely measured coral growth rates with water quality and other environmental information is an important step to making these linkages so they can inform management decisions. Coral reefs are in decline globally with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration currently proposing to list 66 reef-building coral species under the Endangered Species Act. Identifying the cause of the decline is not straightforward. Oceanographic instruments have confirmed that the ocean is warming, acidifying, and changing in other aspects of water quality. The first two are a direct result of altered carbon distribution due to burning of fossil fuels; the latter stems largely from land-use changes. Laboratory studies demonstrate that all three of these environmental stressors can hinder coral growth, but linking the causative agents to reef decline in the natural environment requires dependable, precise methods to detect change over time. This study is part of a larger USGS Coral Reef Ecosystem Studies project aimed at understanding the status, construction, and resilience of shallow-water reef environments and forecasting future change to inform reef management strategies. Current areas of research include the Dry Tortugas, U.S. Virgin Islands and Biscayne National Parks, and selected areas of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. To learn more about the Coral Reef Ecosystem Studies Project, please visit the website. View the full article

Click through to see the images. Large aquarium tear-downs are no small undertaking. Keith compresses nearly four hours of hard work dismantling his tank into this two minute video. As a result of his labor of love, his fish and corals now happily reside in their new 300 gallon home. Keith describes his video: This time lapse shows the complete tear down of my 6'x20"x22" salt water reef tank. All the creatures made the trip to their new bigger home safely. It was just a very long day. I spent 3 hours and 50 minutes taking down the tank, then all the inhabitants had to be transferred to the new tank some 20 miles away. View the full article

Click through to see the images. Large aquarium tear-downs are no small undertaking. Keith compresses nearly four hours of hard work dismantling his tank into this two minute video. As a result of his labor of love, his fish and corals now happily reside in their new 300 gallon home. Keith describes his video: This time lapse shows the complete tear down of my 6'x20"x22" salt water reef tank. All the creatures made the trip to their new bigger home safely. It was just a very long day. I spent 3 hours and 50 minutes taking down the tank, then all the inhabitants had to be transferred to the new tank some 20 miles away. View the full article

Click through to see the images. The Intricate Interwoven Tapestry of Life Just last week, we reported on research that found corals harbor bacteria within their tissue much like they do symbiotic algae. Now we may have learned one important reason why corals host them. As suspected by the aforementioned research, another study shows that bacteria pass nitrogen on to corals ... at least when it comes to Pocillopora damicornis larvae. A new open-access paper published in the journal Ecology and Evolution discovered using mass spectrometry that bacteria exchange nitrogen to their co-tenant within coral, Symbiodinium (zooxanthallae). To put it another way: Zooxanthallae feed coral energy with their photosynthetic byproducts, while bacteria feed zooxanthallae with the life-sustaining nitrogen they require. The researchers aren't yet clear of the mechanism for the nutrient exchange. The bacteria may "feed" corals with nitrogen, or the corals may actually feed on the bacteria to consume the nitrogen. Past studies have shown corals pass bacteria on to their offspring. This new study helps shed light on how corals, and especially developing coral, benefit from their relationship with bacteria. The microbial partners help corals acquire valuable nitrogen in the nutrient-poor coral seas. Reefkeepers should appreciate bacteria for more than their nitrifying and denitrifying abilities. They help corals live and thrive. The relationships between corals and many microbial life forms is incredibly rich and fascinating. For example, might this new study help explain why "Zeovit corals" grow so well and look the way they do? Understanding these complex relationships will help us better understand corals and their care (both in the wild and in captivity). View the full article

Click through to see the images. The Intricate Interwoven Tapestry of Life Just last week, we reported on research that found corals harbor bacteria within their tissue much like they do with symbiotic algae. Now we may have one important reason why corals host them. As suspected by the aforementioned research, another study shows that bacteria pass nitrogen on to corals ... at least when it comes to Pocillopora damicornis larvae. A new open-access paper published in the journal Ecology and Evolution discovered using mass spectrometry that bacteria exchange nitrogen to their host coral, specifically to another co-tenant within in coral, Symbiodinium (zooxanthallae). To put it another way: Zooxanthallae feed coral energy with their photosynthetic byproducts, while bacteria feed zooxanthallae with the life-sustaining nitrogen they require. The researchers aren't yet clear of the mechanism for the nutrient exchange. The bacteria may "feed" corals with nitrogen, or the corals may actually feed on the bacteria to consume the nitrogen. Past studies have shown corals pass bacteria on to their offspring. This new study helps shed light on how corals, and especially developing coral, benefit from their relationship with bacteria. The microbial partners help corals acquire valuable nitrogen in the nutrient-poor coral seas. Reefkeepers should appreciate bacteria for more than their nitrifying and denitrifying abilities. They help corals live and thrive. The relationships between corals and many microbial life forms is incredibly rich and fascinating. For example, might this new study help explain why "Zeovit corals" grow so well and look the way they do? Understanding these complex relationships will help us better understand corals and their care (both in the wild and in captivity). View the full article

Click through to see the images. “We expected some populations of lionfish at that depth, but their numbers and size were a surprise. ... This was kind of an ‘Ah hah!’ moment. It was immediately clear that this is a new frontier in the lionfish crisis, and that something is going to have to be done about it. Seeing it up-close really brought home the nature of the problem” stated Stephanie Green, the David H. Smith Conservation Research Fellow in the College of Science at Oregon State University, who participated in the dives. Ohio State University has been one of the early leaders in the study of the lionfish invasion, and this dive off the coast of Florida drove home the prevalence of this invasive species in Florida waters. The submersible, provided by OceanGate, Inc., named “Antipodes” was used in the study and can carry five people down to depth for research. On this particular dive, it descended down to approximately 300 feet near the “Bill Boyd” cargo ship that was sunk back in 1986 to create an artificial reef for marine life. “Regarding the large fish we observed in the submersible dives, a real concern is that they could migrate to shallower depths as well and eat many of the fish there. And the control measures we’re using at shallower depths – catch them and let people eat them – are not as practical at great depth" stated Green. What is particularly scary is the researchers found lionfish up to 16 inches in length in these areas! Fortunately, Florida has recently removed all restrictions on fishing for this species, so people can now take as many as they want. Read the full article over at OSU's News and Research Communications. View the full article

Click through to see the images. KAUST-based coral scientist Christian Voolstra gathered samples of the coral species Stylophora pistillata. Earlier sampling methods ground up and mixed together the coral’s surface, tissue, and skeletal layers to obtain genetic information, making it impossible to tell where exactly the genetic information came from. This time, Voolstra and the researchers used a microscopy-based technique and were able to determine that Endozoicomonas lives within the tissue layer. (Photo by Michael Berumen, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution “We have evidence that other species of coral also host these bacteria, and that they may play an important role in keeping a coral healthy,” says Amy Apprill, a WHOI assistant scientist who co-directed the study along with KAUST Assistant Professor Christian Voolstra. KAUST post-doctoral scholar Till Bayer was the lead author of the study. Researchers have known for decades that most corals don’t like to live alone. Reef-building corals are known to have symbiotic, or mutually beneficial, relationships with single-celled algae. More recent evidence has suggested that bacteria, fungi, and viruses are also part of the mix—especially a group of bacteria called Endozoicomonas, which has been associated with a number of coral species around the world. But scientists haven’t been able to pinpoint where exactly Endozoicomonas lives—in the coral’s tissues or on its surface layer—or what it does there. Through a research partnership between WHOI and KAUST in Saudi Arabia, Apprill and a diverse team of WHOI and KAUST researchers were able to gain access to the pristine coral reef colonies of the Red Sea. There, they used DNA-based techniques to uncover an abundance of Endozoicomonas genes associated with the coral Stylophora pistillata. The team then created a DNA “probe”—a fragment of DNA designed to fit into the bacterium’s genetic code like a missing puzzle piece—that would light up when it connected with Endozoicomonas genes. Guided by the probe’s fluorescence, the researchers were able to spot Endozoicomonas living deep within the coral’s tissue. “These weren’t single cells—they were living together in a clump, like a bunch of grapes on a stem,” says Apprill. “That was pretty exciting, because we had not thought about them living like this before.” Although Endozoicomonas bacteria had previously been linked to coral colonies throughout the world’s oceans, as well as to some species of sponges and sea slugs, this study is the first to directly show the bacteria living within any marine animal. Now, Apprill says, the real mystery is what it’s doing there. “When we look at healthy corals, we see these really well-established microbial relationships,” says Apprill. Voolstra further adds: “Endozoicomonas make up a good portion of the bacterial biomass which further tells us that they must be doing something important.” Both researchers agree that the next task is to figure out what they’re doing—why the coral lets them in at all—to understand how they benefit the coral. Apprill suspects the bacteria may help the coral recycle nutrients to stay healthy. She and her colleagues are currently designing new experiments to determine how the coral’s relationship with its bacterial companions works. “This is not an easy task,” says Apprill, who plans to draw from studies of the human bacterial microbiome to explore the role of the coral’s bacterial communities. Future studies will focus on searching the Endozoicomonas group’s genetic code for bits of DNA that are associated with particular functions in other bacteria, and looking at other coral species to see if the bacteria lives inside them as well. Understanding the bacteria’s relationship with Stylophora pistillata and other reef-building species could prove critical as corals face a growing number of threats to their health and survival. “Corals are highly susceptible to the impacts of climate change, coastal development and overfishing,” says Apprill. “In order for scientists to predict the future success of corals, we need to understand their basic biology, including how their microorganisms may aid in keeping them healthy.” As the team works to shed light on coral’s symbiosis with bacteria, it’s strengthening another mutually beneficial partnership: the multi-year collaboration between WHOI and KAUST, a new world-class, graduate-level scientific research university opened in 2009 along the shores of the Red Sea. Apprill worked closely with a number of KAUST researchers, including marine scientist Christian Voolstra, Syrian-born graduate student Areej Alsheikh-Hussain and WHOI-KAUST joint postdoctoral scholar Matthew Neave, to gather Stylophora pistillata samples, to extract and to analyze the genetic data it contained. “This study wouldn’t have been possible without this collaboration,” says Apprill. “Working with people from different institutions who think differently from you leads you to think about things in new ways, and in this case to make new discoveries.” The research was supported by a KAUST-WHOI Special Academic Partnership Fellows award, the WHOI internal funds, and a grant from the National Science Foundation. [via Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute] View the full article

Click through to see the images. A study has shown for the first time that starfish use primitive eyes at the tip of their arms to visually navigate their environment. Research headed by Dr. Anders Garm at the Marine Biological Section of the University of Copenhagen in Denmark, showed that starfish eyes are image-forming and could be an essential stage in eye evolution. The researchers removed starfish with and without eyes from their food rich habitat, the coral reef, and placed them on the sand bottom one metre away, where they would starve. They monitored the starfishes' behaviour from the surface and found that while starfish with intact eyes head towards the direction of the reef, starfish without eyes walk randomly. Dr Garm said: "The results show that the starfish nervous system must be able to process visual information, which points to a clear underestimation of the capacity found in the circular and somewhat dispersed central nervous system of echinoderms." Analysing the morphology of the photoreceptors in the starfish eyes the researchers further confirmed that they constitute an intermediate state between the two large known groups of rhabdomeric and ciliary photoreceptors, in that they have both microvilli and a modified cilium. Dr Garm added: "From an evolutionary point of view it is interesting because the morphology of the starfish eyes along with their optical quality (quality of the image) is close to the theoretical eye early in eye evolution when image formation first appeared. In this way it can help clarify what the first visual tasks were that drove this important step in eye evolution, namely navigation towards the preferred habitat using large stationary objects (here the reef)." Most known starfish species possess a compound eye at the tip of each arm, which, except for the lack of true optics, resembles arthropod compound eye. Despite being known for about two centuries, no visually guided behaviour has ever been documented before. (Press Release: EurekAlert) View the full article

Click through to see the images. View the full article

Click through to see the images. While researching UV curable resins the other night, I happened upon an interesting product on Solarez's website about using UV curable adhesives for fly tying. The stuff comes in a small squeeze tube, comparible in size to the small superglue tubes sold in most stores. In the video on their website, the person tying the fly places a blob of the adhesive onto the fly and then uses a UV dental light to cure the blob of gel. This adhesive in particular appeared a similar viscosity to the superglue gel we use for attaching coral frags to frag plugs and I wondered: could we use something like this for attaching coral frags to plugs and speed up our fragging sessions? The Solarez fly tying product would not work in our application as the resin must be exposed to UV light to cure the blob of adhesive. Any residual gel under the frag would not cure. However, I remember from my past UV formulating career that there are UV curable cyanoacrylates that not only cure by typical means (weak bases, such as water), but it can also cure using a UV light source. A quick Google and Ebay search turned up a number of light curable cyanoacrylates, which might work (depending on the photoinitiator present in the glue) in conjunction with a dental UV light source, which is ~405nm. The cost of the cyanoacrylate is comparable to the gels we use for fragging. However, the UV light source (available on Ebay) runs around $90-$110. What do you think? Would this idea speed up your fragging sessions? View the full article

Click through to see the images. While it's unlikely your tank contains this particular strain of bacteria, the truth is your aquarium water (both saltwater or freshwater) is full of potentially nasty bacteria and toxins that all aquarist must take seriously. We previously reported about a girl that contracted another type of bacteria after she scratched herself in her freshwater aquarium when she was 8 years old. The bacteria lingered in her system for over five years and became so bad that doctors considered amputating her infected hand. We're happy to report she eventually won her battle with the infection but not after it caused permanent neuro-vascular damage. Then there's palytoxin, the world's second deadliest toxin, that many reefkeepers may expose themselves to unknowingly. We've shared several stories from aquarists exposed to palytoxin which sent one into near respiratory arrest, another almost killed his whole family, and yet another who suffered eye damage because of palytoxin. This is just the tip of the iceberg. Our aquariums, particularly saltwater aquariums, are veritable petri dishes and chemical soups. The moral of the story is simple: Be careful. We've preached this many times before and we'll take every opportunity to continue to preach safety first when working around your aquarium. Wear gloves. Wear protective eyewear (like you would while woodworking). Never work in your aquarium with an open wound. Be especially careful around sharp objects around tank-water. We really don't want to write a story about you. View the full article

Click through to see the images. While it's unlikely your tank contains this particular strain of bacteria, the truth is your aquarium water (both saltwater or freshwater) is full of potentially nasty bacteria and toxins that all aquarist must take seriously. We previously reported about a girl that contracted another type of bacteria after she scratched herself in her freshwater aquarium when she was 8 years old. The bacteria lingered in her system for over five years and became so bad that doctors considered amputating her infected hand. We're happy to report she eventually won her battle with the infection but not after it caused permanent neuro-vascular damage. Then there's palytoxin, the world's second deadliest toxin, that many reefkeepers may expose themselves to unknowingly. We've shared several stories from aquarists exposed to palytoxin which sent one into near respiratory arrest, another almost killed his whole family, and yet another who suffered eye damage. This is just the tip of the iceberg. Our aquariums, particularly saltwater aquariums, are veritable petri dishes and chemical soups. The moral of the story is simple: Be careful. We've preached this many times before and we'll take every opportunity to continue to preach safety first when working around your aquarium. Wear gloves. Wear protective eyewear (like you would while woodworking). Never work in your aquarium with an open wound. Be especially careful with sharp objects (pruning/propagation tools, rocks, decorations, etc.) around tank-water. We really don't want to write a story about you. View the full article

Click through to see the images. Grand Theft Aqua In June 2013, two men in their 50s dressed in white shirts and khakis walked into Dulles Corner Park (Herndon, Virginia) with large fish nets and coolers in tow. On the Saturdays and Sundays of two consecutive weekends, they removed four hundred koi from the park pond, and they did so right in front of Dell and Northrop Grumman employees and park security. So how did they pull off such a brazen theft? The two men masqueraded as aquatic-care specialists from a real company named DSC Aquatic Solutions claiming they were assigned to remove sick fish from the pond. The men spoke knowledgeably about fish and even handed business cards to security officials. DSC really does manage the pond at Dulles Corner Park, but their owner David Cutlip has no idea who these men are and how they had DSC business cards. In all, the stolen koi is conservatively estimated at $20,000. Fairfax police is now investigating the grand theft. It goes without saying they have never seen anything like this fish crime. Holy carp! [via Seattle Times] View the full article

Click through to see the images. 43 year old Dave Ascough from Stockport found the cephalopod while leading a recent trash pickup on the mountain. The octopus measured 8 inches in length and was found 33 feet from the summit. David stated "My first reaction was that someone might have carried it up there, but it's quite possible a bird could have brought it up there." Not much else is known as to how the octopus found its way to the summit. It is certain, however, that it did not climb up there itself. (Via BBC) View the full article