Harlequinmania

Click through to see the images. This three-mouthed Scolymia is one of the most incredible specimens I've seen ... in essence three "Ultra" Scolys fused into a symmetrical rosette. Bright reds, neon greens, and purple bands ... just one of these polyps would turn every coral lover's head. And to think it almost never made it State-side! The flight was delayed 24 hours due to a typhoon in Hong Kong, which meant this coral had to endure over 72 hours in transit. It was also initially offered to an overseas customer, but fortunately for ACI Aquaculture (who sold it to coralgasm.com which was then almost immediately sold to a US coral enthusiast), it was turned down due to the price. It's hard to imagine how any one can turn this piece down. Chris Meckley at ACI Aquaculture (wholesale only) named this specimen the Tri-Master Scoly. ACI launches a WYSIWYG photo gallery after each shipment (check out photos of other amazing corals). To no one's surprise, when the Tri-Master Scoly was posted, it immediately started quite a buzz. This is one bizarre Bleeding Apple. This Scolymia is actually a double-mouthed coral, but it probably isn't what you think. The top is not an oversized mouth nor polyp, but rather the remnants where a coral or rock had broken off during shipping. The two mouths are located on opposite sides beneath the center protrusion. The coral had simply grown up and around whatever was in the middle. Chris Meckley says "It's really interesting to ponder how these solitary animals formed such unusual growth patterns." Anyone want to venture their guess? Finally, here is a "Grade A" (one grade below "Ultra") triple-headed green and purple Scolymia. Three distinct polyps are lined side by side, arranged from smallest to largest, like the three lil' piggies. It's not quite as cool as the other two, but any cluster of Scolymia is nothing to sneeze at. Got an exceptional coral you'd like to share with Advanced Aquarist? Let us know! View the full article

Ok , these are the spare SRC shirt i have ; - 1 x Black ( M size ) - Ezie - 2 x White ( M size ) - Price @ $ 23.00 each Please PM me if you are keen

Maybe you would like to share with us more on the equipment which you are currently running ? i.e skimmer, return pump ect.. From the look of the photo i suggest ; 1) remove your Bio ball and replace it with other filter media instead i.e ; Biohome or bacteria king ect.. 2) Have more live rock inside your main tank to boost up the biological system if you would like to keep more coral / fishes in future 3) I think the wave maker which you are currently using is too small for your tank size. 4) I am not sure what skimmer you are using but i also feel it is a little bit small for a 7 footer tank 5) The algae bloom on your glass can also be cause by high N03 and not only P04. 6) The best effective way to reduce N03 and improve your overallwater quality is to do a major water change . You can give irwanna a call, and they can do the water change for you . Price is base on trip irregardless of litres of water. 7) You would need some time for the algae scrubber to work Activated carbon will help to clear your water, if possible run it in a FR for best result and use those pallet types . Hope the above helps

Click through to see the images. Advanced Aquarist thanks Marine Depot for sharing these photos with our readers. Photos of Radion Premium Hanging Kit unboxing (larger photos available on Marine Depot's facebook page): View the full article

Scientists have discovered two new, closely related bee species: one from Coiba Island in Panama and another from northern Colombia. Both descended from of a group of stingless bees that originated in the Amazon and moved into Central America, the ancestors of Mayan honeybees. View the full article

As tidewater glaciers beat a hasty retreat up Glacier Bay in southeast Alaska, they uncover rocky, barren landscapes and feed cold lakes and streams -- new habitat for life's hardy explorers. Researchers have now described the evolution and assembly of a stream ecosystem in newly de-glaciated terrain, from early insect and crustacean invaders to the arrival of migrating salmon. View the full article

As tidewater glaciers beat a hasty retreat up Glacier Bay in southeast Alaska, they uncover rocky, barren landscapes and feed cold lakes and streams -- new habitat for life's hardy explorers. Researchers have now described the evolution and assembly of a stream ecosystem in newly de-glaciated terrain, from early insect and crustacean invaders to the arrival of migrating salmon. View the full article

Fishermen care about more than the quantity of fish in a pond. Access, beauty, distance from home and fishing regulations play into the choice of which lake to fish on a given Saturday. How deep into the woods will fishermen hike to find a lake brimming with fish? Do recreational fishermen avoid overfished lakes? View the full article

Scientists have increased the estimate on the number of humpback whales in the North Pacific Ocean. The increase follows a refined statistical analysis of data compiled in 2008 from the largest whale survey ever undertaken to assess humpback whale populations throughout the North Pacific. View the full article

5) LumenAqua Max 200 ( 5 white 2 Blue LEDs) - $ 100.00 ( tentatively reserved )

Of course

Click through to see the images. In order to test this theory, researchers threaded eight different Fijian seaweeds through heads of coral including Acropora millepora. The results confirmed their suspicions. Within two weeks the coral tissue began to discolor and die where the seaweeds touched the corals. Control "seaweed" made out of plastic had no effect. This research was just reported in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in an article titled Macroalgal terpenes function as allelopathic agents against reef corals. When the killer seaweeds were ground up and analyzed, the researchers found the culprit: terpenes. Terpenes are a class of compounds that some seaweeds use to keep herbivorous fish from feeding on them as it makes them sick. One species of seaweed was found to be particular nasty: turtle weed (Chlorodesmis fastigiata). The majority of marine herbivores will not touch it - all except one: a certain species of rabbitfish. This highly specific appetite highlights the need for judicious fishing practices where these and other species of seaweed exist. The paper in its entirity can be read at the following link: Macroalgal terpenes function as allelopathic agents against reef corals Interestingly enough, turtle weed seaweed regularly turns up in the aquarium trade so be on the lookout. (via ScienceNOW, PNAS) View the full article

Click through to see the images. Most of you know about corals' symbiotic relationship with the algae (called zooxanthella) that live within their tissues. Through photosynthesis, zooxanthella provide corals with most of their energy; After all, this is why you spend so much money to light your reef aquarium. The zooxanthellae found in corals belong to the genus Symbiodinium. There are actually many clades ("varieties") of Symbiodinium, and each is particularly suited for different environmental variables such as light levels and temperature tolerances. And science has shown corals can alter the make-up of Symbiodinium clades to adapt to new conditions. "Birdsnest coral tend to keep the type of symbiont they start out with" Well, maybe not all corals. It turns out Seriatopora hystrix do not readily adapt new clades of zooxanthella like other SPS (Acropora sp. Montipora sp. et al.). A new study published in BioMed Central's Evolutionary Biology science journal concludes that "the ability to 'shuffle' or 'switch' symbionts is restricted in S. hystrix." In other words, birdsnest coral tend to keep the type of symbiont they start out with, even if new conditions cry out for different zooxanthallae. Researchers transplanted S.hystrix from three distinct reef habitats - 'Back Reef', 'Upper Slope' and 'Deep Slope' - and discovered Symbiodinium clades remained the same 14 months after transplantation to new reef habitats. If you've got a birdsnest coral that isn't growing well (and these suckers grow like weeds under ideal conditions), there is a good chance you simply do not have your frag/colony situated in the right spot. Do not expect your birdsnest to adapt ... at least not for 14 months, according to the study. I have heard multiple birdsnest keepers say their frags grew excruciatingly slowly for many months but then suddenly started to grow rapidly for no apparent reason. This may suggest that S.hystrix may eventually adapt new zooxanthallae to cope with their new environments. It just might take a very long time. Reefkeepers with early generations of the Ponape Birdsnest (first widely available in 2003 through Reeffarmers.com (read the history of this coral) had difficulty growing them in anything but low light conditions. However, recent frags available through places like ORA appear a lot more tolerant of different lighting conditions. This suggests that over the past eight years, captive Ponape Birdsnest may have slowly adopted more tolerant clades of Symbiodinium as they were traded from tank to tank to tank. This is further proof that captive frags are indeed hardier then wild colonies. View the full article

1) Teco RA200 1/10 HP ( Made in Italy ) - $ 180.00 ** Come with external sensor , and 4 month old new temperature controller. ** Suitable up to 300 Litres tank @ 25 degree 2) Trans Instruments Marin tester 3-in-1 ( Specific Gravity / Temp / Salinity ) - $ 100.00 ( come with original box) ** Used only for a few time. More information can be found here; http://reefbuilders....f-salinity-pen/ 3) Laguna PowerClear Max UV Sterilizer / Clarifier 5000 comes with a 55-watt UV bulb, used for about 3 months - $ 250.00 - Suitable for tank up to 18900 L - Maximum flow : 4900 LPH - Length 43" / 120 CM 4) NEXT REEF double chamber FR ( Made in USA ) - $ 250.00 ** About 6 month old, i ordered it from oversea but due to space constraint, i am using single chamber FR instead. 5) LumenAqua Max 200 ( 5 white 2 Blue LEDs) - $ 100.00 Collection / deal in CCK ave 3 or near clementi MRT during office hour. Can SMS me at 9231 6904 for quick deal.

Your tank is looking good But lack of Fish !!!

I hope i can be able to help you on your questions; 1)what type of test kits do i need for a reef tank? - If you are keeping corals, the basic test kit you would need ; Ca, Mg , KH , PH , P04 and ammonia. If you are keeping more sensitive corals like SPS, then N03 is a must. 2)what type of test kits do i need for a fowlr tank? - if you are setting up a Fowlr tank with mainly fishes, you should have at least PH , ammonia and KH. 3)if test kits are even needed, what brands should i use? - More reputable test kit brand which i usually use include ; Salifest , DD H20, and Redsea. But newly brand like ELOS seem to be pretty good as well. But do note that there is a shelf life for these test kit.

You can find Coral RX from Reef depot or madpetz . Alternatively, you can also try the Revive coral cleaner from Two Little Fishes which i think price is cheaper. Zoas love nutrient rich water with moderate flow and lighting to grow, if the water parameter is good, they will grow like wild fire .

As planktonic organisms the larvae of the marine annelid Platynereis swim freely in the open water. They move by activity of their cilia, thousands of tiny hair-like structures forming a band along the larval body and beating coordinately. With changing environmental conditions the larvae swim upward and downward to their appropriate water depth. Scientists have now identified some signalling substances in the larval nervous system regulating swimming depth of the larvae. These substances influence the ciliary beating and thus hold the larvae in the preferred water depth. The scientists discovered a very simple circuitry of nerve cells underlying this regulation, reflecting an early evolutionary state of the nervous system. View the full article

Or you can check with Mr. Lee @ 9184 5227, they used to be located opp farm mart but i heard they already moved to Bkt batok now. Good workmanship and prices

Click through to see the images. As always, another great podcast was published this past Sunday by Gary and Christine. In this episode, Richard Ross and Matt Wandell are interviewed about their dual roles at the California Academy of Science's Steinhart Aquarium where Gary recently visited. Rich and Matt discuss the areas they are responsible for at the Steinhart, what it takes to make changes to exhibits, and some of the things they enjoy the most about their jobs. If you ever are in San Francisco, the Steinhart is a must-see. To listen to this week's episode, you can either listen to it on iTunes or download it directly from the Reef Threads website. Keep up the great work Gary and Christine! View the full article

Heard you got a new toy light.. Looking forward to your review here LOL..

Wow.. i like the look of the bubble boiling..

ok

i think pinnacle usually close earlier on monday since not many customer. Any idea if there is still any AT left in LCK ?

Preliminary results from a 2011 survey reveal a strong class of young-of-year striped bass will enter Chesapeake Bay's adult population in 2012. That's good news for anglers and the Bay ecosystem. View the full article