Harlequinmania

Click through to see the images. Along with the rare (first ever) Splittail Bass we introduced yesterday, these popular Eastern Pacific tropical fishes will once again be available to marine aquarists in the coming weeks. Blue Spot Jawfish (Opistognathus rosenblatti). Photo by Gerald R. Allen Limbaughi Chromis (Chromis limbaughi). photo by Gerald R. Allen Cortez Angelfish (Pomacanthus zonipectus). Photo by Munson, L. View the full article

New Fuji / Tonga and Philippine shipment arrived in Aquamarin, anyone went there yet ?

During a survey on Guyana's Cuyuni River, researcher Devin Bloom utilized Facebook to help identify thousands of fish specimens in less than 24 hours. View the full article

Click through to see the images. Many corals reproduce by releasing millions of eggs and sperm into the water in coordinated events. What better way to ensure you'll find a mate than triggering a mass orgy? The coral gametes are positively buoyant and collect at the water surface, where fertilization takes place. Within a few days the fertilized eggs develop into what are called planula larvae, a small sausage shaped stage of the coral which has the sole task of finding and settling on a suitable location where the coral colony will spend the rest of its life. For public aquariums interested in displaying corals in captivity, spawning events are a big deal. The collection of millions of potential coral fragments can be accomplished in a sustainable way with no damage to the existing coral colonies. An initiative of public aquariums and coral reef scientists called SECORE (SExual COral REproduction) collects gametes from spawning events and carefully holds them until they are fertilized and ready to settle in captivity. SECORE's tireless work in the Caribbean has resulted in thousands of captively grown fragments of the critically endangered stony coral Acropora palmata. On the second day of the Philippine expedition Steinhart staff collected several hundred egg and sperm bundles from two yet-to-be-identified spawning Acropora spp. Tending to the fertilized eggs is a delicate task, but we hope to have fantastic news of settlement in the next few days. Update During the Hearst Expedition, biologist from the California Academy of Sciences witnessed Acropora sp spawning (video below). They collected the spawn and are attempting to get it to settle while in the field. http://vimeo.com/23717993 View the full article

Click through to see the images. Many corals reproduce by releasing millions of eggs and sperm into the water in coordinated events. What better way to ensure you'll find a mate than triggering a mass orgy? The coral gametes are positively buoyant and collect at the water surface, where fertilization takes place. Within a few days the fertilized eggs develop into what are called planula larvae, a small sausage shaped stage of the coral which has the sole task of finding and settling on a suitable location where the coral colony will spend the rest of its life. For public aquariums interested in displaying corals in captivity, spawning events are a big deal. The collection of millions of potential coral fragments can be accomplished in a sustainable way with no damage to the existing coral colonies. An initiative of public aquariums and coral reef scientists called SECORE (SExual COral REproduction) collects gametes from spawning events and carefully holds them until they are fertilized and ready to settle in captivity. SECORE's tireless work in the Caribbean has resulted in thousands of captively grown fragments of the critically endangered stony coral Acropora palmata. On the second day of the Philippine expedition Steinhart staff collected several hundred egg and sperm bundles from two yet-to-be-identified spawning Acropora spp. Tending to the fertilized eggs is a delicate task, but we hope to have fantastic news of settlement in the next few days. View the full article

Click through to see the images. The networked cables will be placed along the Juan de Fuca Ridge as well as other oceanic sites, in the water column, and on the ocean floor. These sensors and cameras will be linked via the Internet using electro-optical cables and will measure things like underwater eruptions, earthquakes, storms. Watch John's TED video below: http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/john_delaney_wiring_an_interactive_ocean.html (via TED) View the full article

Click through to see the images. Stuart is the co-director of Europe's D-D The Aquarium Solution, a supplier of specialty equipment for both saltwater and freshwater aquariums. Information on the specifics of this tank is scant, but that just means you'll have to pick up the June issue of Practical Fishkeeping at your local newsstand to read about it. What I can tell you is that it's a sight to behold: (via Practical Fishkeeping) View the full article

Click through to see the images. The Splittail Bass (Hemanthias peruanus) is a deep water species from tropical Eastern Pacific waters (from Baja California down to Northern Chili). They are found at depths between 20 meters (65 feet) and 120 meters (400 feet!). This species is a mix of vibrant red and yellow, with a very pronounced third dorsal fin filament and an impressive red/yellow split tail - hence its common name. This species (along with a few other rare Eastern Pacific deep water species we'll reveal this week) will be available for the first time in the aquarium trade through Cortez Marine (wholesale only). The net-caught specimens require two days of decompression. photo by D. Ross Robertson (www.fishbase.org) To the best of my knowledge and also that of the collector, H.peruanus has never been collected for live display. Documentation on captive care is nonexistent. On the Baja reefs, the Splittail Bass forms patriarchal schools and feed on zooplankton from the water column. Hemanthias essentially behave like giant Anthias (Hemanthias are, after all, in the subfamily Anthiinae). A fair warning to anyone interested in the Splittail Bass: Hemanthias peruanus grows up to 45cm (18 inches). This fish would make a stunning addition to any larger aquarium. Can you just imagine a school of Splittail Basses in a huge aquarium? View the full article

Your Topic title stated free purple monti plating not wondering people get mislead

Just joking lah Mike.. We got a different theme in mind for the marine tank competition.

Click through to see the images. Flatworm infestations are a bane to reefkeepers. Once our tanks are infested, flatworms are very hard to get rid of even with medicated treatments to kill them off. The reason is their ease in reproduction and regeneration. If you were to cut a flatworm in half, two adults would regenerate from the split tissue. Scientists wanted to see how far they could push this amazing regenerative ability of flatworms and in this week's issue of Science, they reported their findings in their paper Clonogenic Neoblasts Are Pluripotent Adult Stem Cells That Underlie Planarian Regeneration. In the lab they gave flatworms a lethal dose of radiation and then implanted a single special cell called a c-Neoblast from a healthy donor adult flatworm into the tail end of the dying flatworm. Within a week they found healthy adult tissue growing throughout the dying flatworm. Within two weeks a completely new adult emerged - like a phoenix from the ashes: Planaria regeneration after c-Neoblast insertion. Remember that the next time you're trying to get rid of these pests. (via Discover Magazine) View the full article

Nice corals !! Can we borrow your corals for the upcoming marine tank competition ?

Click through to see the images. An international team of researchers led by scientists at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego has sequenced the genome of Lyngbya majuscula, a tropical species of filamentous cyanobacteria. The study is presented in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). Lyngbya cyanobacteria are known to produce chemicals which hold exciting biomedical promise but are also toxic to marine life (fish and corals) and humans alike. As the authors of the study write: "These compounds have gained considerable attention due to their pharmaceutical and biotechnology potential, but they are also notorious for their environmental toxicity and threats to humans, wildlife and livestock." One of the first discoveries uncovered by the unlocking of the genome is Lyngbya majuscula does not have the genes necessary for nitrogen fixation, despite past assumptions. via Science Daily View the full article

Satellite tracking of olive ridley sea turtles off the coast of Central Africa has revealed that existing protected areas may be inadequate to safeguard turtles from fishing nets, according to scientists. Researchers involved in the study recommended the extension of an international marine park that spans the waters of Gabon and the Republic of Congo. View the full article

Satellite tracking of olive ridley sea turtles off the coast of Central Africa has revealed that existing protected areas may be inadequate to safeguard turtles from fishing nets, according to scientists. Researchers involved in the study recommended the extension of an international marine park that spans the waters of Gabon and the Republic of Congo. View the full article

Seals whiskers are remarkably sensitive. They can even pick up a fish's trail up to 35 seconds after it passed. Now a team of scientists in Germany has discovered that seals can tell differently shaped objects apart by sensing the objects' wake structures with their whiskers. This ability could help seals to identify prey before investing in a costly pursuit. View the full article

Seals whiskers are remarkably sensitive. They can even pick up a fish's trail up to 35 seconds after it passed. Now a team of scientists in Germany has discovered that seals can tell differently shaped objects apart by sensing the objects' wake structures with their whiskers. This ability could help seals to identify prey before investing in a costly pursuit. View the full article

Emperor penguins routinely dive for tens of minutes before returning to the surface, but about 5.6 minutes into a dive, the birds switch from oxygen-fueled aerobic metabolism to anaerobic metabolism. So what causes this change? Researchers show that emperor penguins' dive muscles trigger the switch to anaerobic metabolism and set the aerobic dive limit when they run out of oxygen. View the full article

Click through to see the images. This is something you need to see to believe. It was open to the public on December 2003, so this tank might be old news to some of you, but it's impressive none-the-less. The AquaDom is a huge cylindrical acrylic and glass aquarium measuring 25 meter (82 feet) tall by 11 meter (36 feet) in diameter. It holds 900,000 liters (237,755 gallons) of water, contains over 1500 fish spanning roughly 50 species, and sits on a 9 meter (30 feet) thick base. The acrylic at the top measures 6.3" thick and at the bottom it's 8.7" thick. According to the Radisson's website, the fish species include: Trigger fish, hogfish, humphead wrasse (Cheilinus undulatus), blowfish (Tetraodontidae), surgeonfish (Myripristinae), soldierfish (Tetraodontidae) and swarm fish, like Cero mackerel (Scomberomorus regalis) and Silver moonfish (Monodactylus argenteus). In order to keep the tank clean, it takes a team of two full-time divers to scrape the tank walls and clean the tank daily. Check out the video below for a detailed look at the tank: (via Gizmodo, Wikipedia) View the full article

Many variety of corals left and some nice pink zoas at GO.

Some nice orange hammer spotted at GO . Surprising going at a very affordable price ! Photo taken from my iphone so cant see the color clearly.

Click through to see the images. Scientists from the California Academy of Sciences have launched the most comprehensive scientific survey effort ever conducted in the Philippines, documenting both terrestrial and marine life forms from the tops of the highest mountains to the depths of the sea. They will be joined by colleagues from the University of the Philippines, De La Salle University, the Philippines National Museum and the Philippines Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, as well as by a team of Academy educators who will work to share the expedition’s findings with local community and conservation groups. The expedition, which will conclude with a symposium at the University of the Philippines on June 8, is funded by a generous gift from Margaret and Will Hearst. “The Philippines is one of the hottest of the hotspots for diverse and threatened life on Earth,” says Dr. Terrence Gosliner, Dean of Science and Research Collections at the California Academy of Sciences and leader of the 2011 Philippine Biodiversity Expedition. “Despite this designation, however, the biodiversity here is still relatively unknown, and we expect to find dozens of new species as we survey the country’s reefs, rainforests, and even the ocean floor. The species lists and distribution maps that we create during this expedition will help to inform future conservation decisions and ensure that this remarkable biodiversity is afforded the best possible chance of survival.” The expedition’s shallow water team will conduct most of their research off the coast of Batangas Province on Luzon Island, in an area called the Verde Island Passage. Past research by scientists from the California Academy of Sciences and other institutions has suggested that this area is the “center of the center of marine biodiversity,” home to more documented species than any other marine habitat on Earth. However, many new species remain to be discovered—Academy scientists regularly find at least one new species on every dive in this area. During the expedition, the participating scientists will conduct side-by-side surveys of marine protected areas and non-protected areas to help the government determine how successful their current conservation plans are at fostering biodiversity. “The expedition’s results will help our government better promote integrated coastal resource management,” said Malcom Sarmiento, Director of the Philippines Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources. “The data they collect will also help us decide if and where to establish new sanctuaries.” Of particular interest to the reefkeeping community will be the Steinhart Aquariums additions to the expedition. From May 10 through May 26 2011 Bart Shepherd, Richard Ross and Matt Wandell will survey and document the dive sites that served as the inspiration for the Steinhart Aquarium's 212,000 gallon Philippine Coral Reef exhibit. They will also will responsibly collect coral, cephalopods and other invertebrates for captive propagation, research and display at our Golden Gate Park facility. As the the only public aquarium permitted to collect stony corals in the Philippines, the three are excited to obtain these unique species for study, captive culture research, and to display for visitors. California Academy of Sciences staff and our Filipino colleagues are able to support aquarium trade needs with minimal impact. Look for new additions to the Coral Reef and Rainforest exhibits. Coral fragments collected in PI by Steinhart biologists in 2009 have grown to more than twice what is pictured here. In 2011, more coral will be collected for culture, display and sharing with other institutions. For more information, please see http://www.calacademy.org/science/hearst/ View the full article

Click through to see the images. In January 2011, The Steinhart Aquarium in the California Academy of Sciences received a Caribbean Octopus 'vulgaris' for display. It quickly took up residence inside a glass bottle, which is exactly what I wanted it to do so it would always be visible to guests. Just as quickly, it moved back under some rock and started denning, and my heart sank because we knew it was a she, and the she had laid eggs. While eggs being laid in captivity is generally an exciting event, this particular species, like many but not all octopus, stops eating after it lays eggs and dies soon after they hatch which tends to put a damper on joyous hooplah. Even worse, this species is 'small egged' meaning it produces large numbers of very small planktonic 'paralarvae' which are notoriously difficult to feed and raise. So, we tilted the rock where the eggs were laid to make them visible to the public (but in a high flow area so they would continue to develop), and the adult octopus moved back into the bottle making for an all round cool and educational display of something most people don't get to see. The unexpected icing on the cake was catching the hatching of the eggs from start to finish, and also being able to get much of it on video. Although we weren't able to raise the hatchlings to maturity, something few have done (if at all), we were able to keep them alive for 26 days, and the image of a waterfall of tiny octopus paralarve flowing up from the egg mass to the surface of the water is something I don’t think we will ever forget. http://vimeo.com/20288962 Nuts and bolts Caribbean Octopus 'vulgaris' (there are several Octopus that use the species name vulgaris which is why its in quotes) Roughly 3 weeks between eggs being laid and eggs hatching. Hatching occurred at 9 am. When I turned off the flow to better witness the hatching, the female octopus quickly left her bottle den, agitated the eggs presumably to help the hatch, and is now sadly protecting the space where the eggs were. The female many hatchlings will be on display at the Steinhart Aquarium in the California Academy of Sciences until they can no longer be displayed. The hatchlings are 1-2 mm in length. There are 1000's of them. The hatchings are in a Kreisel tank and being offered 24 hour Artemia, which the literature suggests is the correct size to be eaten by the little octos, along with rotifers which are smaller to cover all the bases we can reasonably cover. A previous batch of hatchlings from my home had individual paralarvae survive until day 9, some of these survived until day 26 The Caribbean Octopus 'vulgaris' seems to be a smaller species than its larger Mediterranean Octopus vulgaris cousins For more information on keeping and breeding cephalopods check out www.TOMNO.com. Some pics A very posed photo in a drop of water The lines in the upper corner are millimeters. The female in her bottle. Note she has plugged the opening with rubble. After I disturbed her den and eggs, she moved into the bottle and laid 4 or 5 additional strands of eggs in the bottle. View the full article

Click through to see the images. In January 2011, The Steinhart Aquarium in the California Academy of Sciences received a Caribbean Octopus 'vulgaris' for display. It quickly took up residence inside a glass bottle, which is exactly what I wanted it to do so it would always be visible to guests. Just as quickly, it moved back under some rock and started denning, and my heart sank because we knew it was a she, and the she had laid eggs. While eggs being laid in captivity is generally an exciting event, this particular species, like many but not all octopus, stops eating after it lays eggs and dies soon after they hatch which tends to put a damper on joyous hooplah. Even worse, this species is 'small egged' meaning it produces large numbers of very small planktonic 'paralarvae' which are notoriously difficult to feed and raise. So, we tilted the rock where the eggs were laid to make them visible to the public (but in a high flow area so they would continue to develop), and the adult octopus moved back into the bottle making for an all round cool and educational display of something most people don't get to see. The unexpected icing on the cake was catching the hatching of the eggs from start to finish, and also being able to get much of it on video. Although we weren't able to raise the hatchlings to maturity, something few have done (if at all), we were able to keep them alive for 26 days, and the image of a waterfall of tiny octopus paralarve flowing up from the egg mass to the surface of the water is something I don’t think we will ever forget. http://vimeo.com/20288962 Nuts and bolts Caribbean Octopus 'vulgaris' (there are several Octopus that use the species name vulgaris which is why its in quotes) Roughly 3 weeks between eggs being laid and eggs hatching. Hatching occurred at 9 am. When I turned off the flow to better witness the hatching, the female octopus quickly left her bottle den, agitated the eggs presumably to help the hatch, and is now sadly protecting the space where the eggs were. The female many hatchlings will be on display at the Steinhart Aquarium in the California Academy of Sciences until they can no longer be displayed. The hatchlings are 1-2 mm in length. There are 1000's of them. The hatchings are in a Kreisel tank and being offered 24 hour Artemia, which the literature suggests is the correct size to be eaten by the little octos, along with rotifers which are smaller to cover all the bases we can reasonably cover. A previous batch of hatchlings from my home had individual paralarvae survive until day 9, some of these survived until day 26 The Caribbean Octopus 'vulgaris' seems to be a smaller species than its larger Mediterranean Octopus vulgaris cousins For more information on keeping and breeding cephalopods check out www.TOMNO.com. Some pics A very posed photo in a drop of water The lines in the upper corner are millimeters. The female in her bottle. Note she has plugged the opening with rubble. After I disturbed her den and eggs, she moved into the bottle and laid 4 or 5 additional strands of eggs in the bottle. View the full article

Click through to see the images. In January 2011, The Steinhart Aquarium in the California Academy of Sciences received a Caribbean Octopus 'vulgaris' for display. It quickly took up residence inside a glass bottle, which is exactly what I wanted it to do so it would always be visible to guests. Just as quickly, it moved back under some rock and started denning, and my heart sank because we knew it was a she, and the she had laid eggs. While eggs being laid in captivity is generally an exciting event, this particular species, like many but not all octopus, stops eating after it lays eggs and dies soon after they hatch which tends to put a damper on joyous hooplah. Even worse, this species is 'small egged' meaning it produces large numbers of very small planktonic 'paralarvae' which are notoriously difficult to feed and raise. So, we tilted the rock where the eggs were laid to make them visible to the public (but in a high flow area so they would continue to develop), and the adult octopus moved back into the bottle making for an all round cool and educational display of something most people don't get to see. The unexpected icing on the cake was catching the hatching of the eggs from start to finish, and also being able to get much of it on video. Although we weren't able to raise the hatchlings to maturity, something few have done (if at all), we were able to keep them alive for 26 days, and the image of a waterfall of tiny octopus paralarve flowing up from the egg mass to the surface of the water is something I don’t think we will ever forget. http://vimeo.com/20288962 Nuts and bolts Caribbean Octopus 'vulgaris' (there are several Octopus that use the species name vulgaris which is why its in quotes) Roughly 3 weeks between eggs being laid and eggs hatching. Hatching occurred at 9 am. When I turned off the flow to better witness the hatching, the female octopus quickly left her bottle den, agitated the eggs presumably to help the hatch, and is now sadly protecting the space where the eggs were. The female many hatchlings will be on display at the Steinhart Aquarium in the California Academy of Sciences until they can no longer be displayed. The hatchlings are 1-2 mm in length. There are 1000's of them. The hatchings are in a Kreisel tank and being offered 24 hour Artemia, which the literature suggests is the correct size to be eaten by the little octos, along with rotifers which are smaller to cover all the bases we can reasonably cover. A previous batch of hatchlings from my home had individual paralarvae survive until day 9, some of these survived until day 26 The Caribbean Octopus 'vulgaris' seems to be a smaller species than its larger Mediterranean Octopus vulgaris cousins For more information on keeping and breeding cephalopods check out www.TOMNO.com. Some pics A very posed photo in a drop of water The lines in the upper corner are millimeters. The female in her bottle. Note she has plugged the opening with rubble. After I disturbed her den and eggs, she moved into the bottle and laid 4 or 5 additional strands of eggs in the bottle. View the full article