Harlequinmania

Click through to see the images. Blackfish premiered on January 19, 2013 and was later acquired and broadcast by CNN in October of the same year. The film by Director Gabriela Cowperthwaite tells the story of the death of Seaworld Trainer Dawn Brancheau caused by the captive killer whale, Tilikum. In the process, the director's narrative also cast Seaworld in a most negative light. I have no vested interest in Seaworld nor do I have any intention of espousing my opinion about killer whales in captivity. My concern is that Blackfish purposefully misleads viewers to convince viewers of its agenda. It succeeds at this goal (judging by the public's reaction) by appealing to the viewer's emotions through selective story-telling. Sensationalist productions like Blackfish unfortunately seem to be the new standard content for documentary networks like Discovery and History and news networks like CNN. What concerns me even more is that Blackfish seems to have served as a referendum against all zoological institutions by portraying Seaworld and its sister parks as inhumane and uncaring profit-driven corporations ... and by extension zoos and aquariums as a whole. The film does absolutely nothing to present a balanced depiction about the educational, conservation, and research work done at these institutions. As a consequence, many Blackfish viewers adopted a new-found loathing of zoos and public aquariums and have consequently taken their new keyboard crusade to social media, chatrooms, and discussion boards. And that's a tragedy. I know many zoo and aquarium staff, I can attest that they are some of most passionate advocates for the animal welfare both under their care and in the wild. Simply put, it's why they do what they do. I am aware of the many research and conservation work conducted at these facilities (some of which Advanced Aquarist has reported). Whatever your personal beliefs are about the ethics of keeping killer whales (or any animal) in captivity, this topic merits rational dialogue, not demagoguery through cheap emotional ploys and scripted trickery to vilify opposing views. This recent interview with a former Seaworld killer whale trainer encapsulates much of my opinion. I thank Tal Sweet for bringing it to my attention. " height="383" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="680"> "> "> View the full article

Click through to see the images. I would like the thank Advanced Aquarist for selecting my planted aquarium as a featured aquarium. It's very exciting to be able to share this setup with fellow hobbyists. I have been involved with aquaria for the better part of my life and have always been a gear-head (both in the hobby and out). Up until recently I kept a very successful 265 Gallon reef with enough equipment to automate the entire thing. Unfortunately, real life got in the way and a series of events led to the dismantling of my elaborate contraption. I parted out the tank, packed up all of my equipment and put it all in storage. Fast forward one year and I found myself desperately missing having an aquarium. So what does a former reefer do with piles of equipment and no time or space to set up a reef tank? The answer for me was simple: high tech planted tank. I've been keeping planted tanks since about 2002, but took a lengthy hiatus when the reef bug bit. Full shot of aquarium (January 9, 2014) The money I was able to recoup from the sale of my unused equipment and aquarium almost completely funded the purchase of this tank and the various pieces of equipment I needed to make it a reality. The remainder of my unsold equipment was reused to help create some of the more technical aspects of this aquarium. Equipment Summary Having an entire stockpile of reef equipment and lighting at my disposal was a pretty exciting prospect. From the get go I had intended this tank to be as technically oriented as my former reef aquarium had been. This meant that my collection of Profilux equipment and DIY LED fixtures would be put to use almost immediately. The aquarium stand open with all equipment visible Basic Equipment Summary Aquarium: 48" x 18" x 18" Rimless aquarium, ½" glass Stand: Marineland 48" x 18" Montery Stand Lighting: Custom built canopy housing 2 x 54w HOT5's, 48 Cree XP-G Cool white LEDs, 48 Cree XP-E Royal Blue, 24 Cree XP-E Red, 12 Cree XP-E Green, and 4 x GHL Simu Spots for moonlights/storm simulation Heater: JBJ True Temp Titanium 500w Chiller: 1/10th HP Eco Plus CO2 System: 10lb Bottle, Reef Fanatic CO2 Regulator, Aqua Medic CO2 Reactor 1000 driven by a Mag 3 pump Filter: API Filstar Medium Circulation: EcoTech MP10wES Pump with Battery Backup Dosing Chambers: 2 x 5L Bubble Magus, 2 x 2.5L Bubble Magus Sterilization: 25watt Aqua UV Ultraviolet Sterilizer Automation Equipment Summary GHL Profilux 3eX with temperature/ph probes, and ADIN module for analog and digital inputs GHL Profilux Expansion Box (full of 0-10V PLM-4L expansion cards to drive the individual LED channels of the lighting) GHL Profilux 4 Pump Doser (Slave) 3 x GHL Profilux 6 Outlet Digital Power Bars GHL Profilux Touch 3 x GHL EVG-AP-2F 0-10V Ballast control boards 2 x GHL LEDcontrol4 Modules (PWM controllers) 2 x Custom built pull up resistor circuits (for providing 10V PWM through the LEDControl4 modules) 2 x GHL PropellorControl Modules (for variable fan speed control for the LED heatsink fans) GHL Vortech Controller (wireless control of the Ecotech pump) " height="383" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="680"> "> "> Lighting I had 4 LED pendants from previous tanks that had a 50/50 mix of Cool White and Royal Blue LED's (I actually had 5 but I scrapped one later in favor of adding 2 T5s). While this had served me well for my SPS tank(s) it was far too blue for a shallow water planted aquarium. To combat this, I added several Red and Green LEDs to the mix. The Profilux head unit itself did not have enough 0-10V ports to control all of my lighting channels, nor did it have enough expansion slots to add enough expansion cards. Thankfully I had an Expansion box kicking around and I was able to load it up with enough cards to provide all 10 ports I needed for the LED's and cooling fans. The cooling fans actually speed up and slow down based on the intensity of the LEDs, this actually keeps the ambient volume down in the room not having 10 fans whirring away at full speed constantly. I made use of 4 x GHL Simu Spots to have dimmable moonlights. These units can do a pretty decent cloud simulation, lunar cycle simulation, lightning simulation, and you can dim the Red and White/Blue channel separately (you can also preset to blue/white level from white, light blue or dark blue). In the end I came up with a light that has separately dimmable channels for every colour of LED, the left/right LED clusters are dimmable separately from the center clusters, T5's on their own lighting schedule and fans that change speed to keep everything nice and cool. In the event of a tragic overheating event the lighting will dim down, and eventually turn off if the temperature isn't corrected. A topside view of the aquarium canopy during construction Photo of the Profilux Touch controller mounted to the canopy Underside of the aquarium canopy with the new LED's installed CO2 When you have this much light (which is honestly beyond ridiculous for most freshwater tanks) CO2 becomes an absolute necessity. If I go without CO2 for more than a week this tank suffers greatly. As such I usually have a supply of Gluteraldehyde kicking around as a liquid carbon source for emergencies (in the event of no-CO2 I have to dose 45ml per day to keep up with the plant demand). The Profilux controls the CO2 injection for this aquarium. I manually adjust my kH to 6 dkH so that I can tell the Profilux to inject CO2 until I have a pH of 6.8 (this puts me at roughly about 30ppm of CO2). At night the CO2 control turns off and the pH is allowed to creep back up. Fertilizer With lots of light and CO2 my fertilizer demands are pretty high. The growth rate in this tank is somewhat extreme and as such I need to dose a lot. I made use of my Dosing pump and balling chambers to automate the EI dosing method. I created stock solutions of KNo3, K2SO4, KH2PO4, and CSM+B (for micro nutrients) and have the Profilux dose them separately on alternate days during the week. On the weekends I have to do a little bit more chemistry. Our tap water is extremely soft in my area with a kh of 2 dkH and requires some work to keep the pHstable. I usually just add baking soda to bring the kH up to 6 degrees during the water change. The day following a water change (once the kH has stabilized) I add a mixture of CaCl2, MgSO4·7H2O and chelated iron. Livestock Fish While I would love to have a minimal fish selection and stick to a simple giant school, I am a sucker for brightly coloured fish. I selected fish that contrast against the greens and deep reds of the plants. 6 x Gold Barbs (Puntius semifasciolatus) 32 x Cardinal Tetras (Paracheirodon axelrodi) 7 x German Blue Rams (Mikrogeophagus ramirezi) 6 x Julii Cories (Corydoras julii) 12 x Otocinclus Catfish 1 x Dwarf Gourami (Trichogaster lalius) Too many Platties (Xiphophorus maculates) 2 x Dwarf Aquatic Frogs (Hymenochirus boettgeri) Gold Barbs Female German Blue Ram Cardinal Tetras Plants Like many, I suffer from a serious case of collectoritis. My selection of plants is always changing slightly as I experiment with different species. In my part of Canada selection is VERY limited, so it is a real challenge to find rare plants. Hopefully once the weather improves I will be able to bring in some more interesting species. Dwarf Hairgrass (Eleocharis parvula) Dwarf Babies Tears (Hemianthus callitrichoides) Babies (Hemianthus Micranthemoides) Anubias Nana Java Fern (Microsorum pteropus) Parrot Feather (Myriophyllum aquaticum) Sunset Hygro (Hygrophila polysperma 'Rosanervig') Giant Hygro (Hygrophila corymbosa 'Siamensis') Alternanthera Reineckii Red Ludwigia (Ludwigia repens) Bacopa caroliniana Bacopa australis Ammania senegalensis Ammania gracilis Pogostemon stellata Heteranthera zosterifolia Picture of the aquarium and room (November, 2013) Tank History and Plans This tank was first filled March 8, 2013. It took one solid month to repair the old LED fixtures, build the canopy, wire everything, etc. Unfortunately, the tank suffered from a rather significant disaster around May when the CO2 tank leaked (while I was out of town working). Lack of CO2 led to a nutrient excess, and when combined with high light it caused a massive algae bloom that annihilated most of the plants and some of the fish. It took several months to recover and regrow. After the tank recovered I realized that my lights, while bright, were not putting out enough red for some of the plants. I supplemented with 2 T5s initially (2 x KZ Fiji Pink bulbs), but eventually added Red and Green LED's to help fill in some of the missing spectrum. Future upgrades to the lighting are planned. Deep Red (660nm Red), more Green, and Blue LED's will be added. Filtration upgrades are on the horizon as well; I have my eye on an Eheim Pro 3e filter as I can use the Profilux to control it. Aquascaping and Maintenance Left side of aquarium (January 9, 2014) This aquarium does not adhere to any of the traditional styles of aquascaping. I am not patient enough to craft a "nature aquarium" nor am I a fan of the typical "dutch" style so I kind of do my own thing. I focus heavily on rapid growth so I can constantly tinker with different shapes and looks. This aquarium requires constant pruning. Certain species of plants grow exponentially faster than others so I am often clipping off stems every few days. In a given week I remove about a cubic foot of plant material. One of the things that frustrated me the most about reefing was simply how "long" positive change took to occur. The long term results were amazing, but I really like to get my hands in there and muck around (something that seldom does corals any good). This tank is completely different, and I have a blast knowing I can hack the plants down and in a few days they will be back up at the surface. The net effect of this rapid growth and overall plant health is that maintenance is actually really easy (pruning aside). Every weekend I change about 30-35 gallons of water, and perform filter maintenance about every 6 weeks. I have to calibrate my pH probe periodically, and blow dust out of my chiller and fans but that's about it. I've built this aquarium to automate a lot of the more tedious tasks (fertilizing, lighting, top offs (not implemented yet, but soon) to free up time that I can spend on the plants. The result has been a tank of endless fun that I hope will run for many more years, or at least until I upgrade. Right side of aquarium (January 9, 2014) Additional Photos A baby Longfin Platty And a mature Longfin Platty Gold Barb (Barbodes semifasciolatus) Gold Barbs tussling View the full article

Click through to see the images. A masterful paludarium aquascaped/landscaped by Andreas Ruppert as reported by Team Aqua Rebell. The boundary between water and land is often some of the most unique and vibrant ecosystems, yet palaudriums are poorly represented in the world of vivariums where aquariums dominate. We hope to inspire you to consider a paludrium as your next glass enclosure exhibit. Paludariums are usually the domain of freshwater because there's simply not many terrestrial plants that will grow around saltwater. But that doesn't mean you couldn't create a saltwater paludarium hardscape such as a extremely shallow coral reef and/or tide pool display. Take, for example, the unique "Volcano Reef" of Kyle Verry, one of the few saltwater paludariums we have seen: Adventurous souls may even want to experiment with active tide simulations to recreate dramatic exhibits that mimic tropical tide pools or reef ecosystems such as these Acropora during low tide at Lizard Island (Great Barrier Reef). Maintaining high relative humidity in your enclosure and finding suitable shallow-water corals likely presents the biggest unique challenges. But as we said, freshwater is a lot more accessible because of the variety of flora available to hobbyists. You can create some extremely lush tropical gardens with some imagination and not a whole lot of money. Here are two videos of spectacular freshwater palaudriums to whet your appetite. " height="383" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="680"> "> "> " height="383" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="680"> "> "> View the full article

Letting got these beloved fish for my new setup. All fish feeding on pallets ,seaweed and frozen. Scribble Angel - About 4 " ( $250.00 ) Koran Angel - 3" ( $15.00 ) Ear Spot Angel - 4" ($150.00 ) Collection can only be next week after i start to decomm my current tank. deal at CCK

Click through to see the images. Nope. Not Acropora sp. Not Montipora sp. Not Anacropora sp. This is Eucheuma arnoldii ... a red ALGAE that mimics Acropora. Wild, huh?! Photos A and B are of E.arnoldii, and photo C is Acropora vaughani, which grows in close proximity to the algae on the Great Barrier Reef. E.arnoldii exhibits tapered branches with light colored tips that mimic an Acropora's growing axial corallites. The radial corallites and arborescent growth form are a spitting image of staghorn corals. This is Batesian mimicry at its finest. This algae has found one great way to avoid being eaten by tangs. View the full article

Click through to see the images. If the theory of the invasive origin proposed in the Coral Reefs paper is true, the perpetrator(s) intentionally introducing Xenia into non-native waters has committed a terrible and irresponsible ecological act that may spread like wildfire. The authors of the paper, however, do not explain how they arrived at this theory. View the full article

Click through to see the images. HOB skimmers are difficult to design because their limited real estate creates engineering challenges (if you subscribe to popular skimmer design theory). The small space makes it difficult to design a reaction chamber with high volume of air and water turnover while keeping turbulence low. Thus we were excited when Salty Supply brought to our attention a new HOB protein skimmer manufactured by Taiwanese manufacturer JNS. The Deepwater Aquatics HOB Skimmer by JNS features JNS' unique ConeS bubble/diffuser plate to solve the problem of turbulence. The ConeS diffuser is essentially multiple miniature tapered cone nozzles that direct bubbles upwards in a more controlled manner (nozzles are seen above the blue acrylic plate in the photo, right). The construction of this HOB skimmer is full cell cast acrylic. The majority of the external box is white, but the rear panel features a transparent acrylic viewing panel to help users adjust and maintain their skimmers. The skimmer neck is a diagonal "sloped riser" design. This type of neck has been used in past skimmers but is rarely seen in modern skimmers. Yet, it makes perfect sense for a smaller HOB skimmer; this design allows more foam to gradually rise into the collection cup compared to conventional small diameter necks. The fully submerged Shark 1.0 pump and built-in air silencer are said to help reduce noise levels. One small feature we would like to see added to this well-thought-out design is a waste collection outlet. Small collection cups fill up notoriously quickly so external waste collectors are even more useful for smaller skimmers. Specifications: Dimensions: L7.9" x W4.2" H14.5" Pump: Shark 1.0 Power Consumption: 11 Watts Outlet Size: 3/4" Volume Rating: up to 75 Gallons Retail price: $249 USD ("Street" price ~$209) View the full article

Click through to see the images. The Houston MASNA affiliated club, Marine Aquarium and Reef Society of Houston (MARSH) in conjunction with Steve Tyree's Coral Farmers' Market has organized a one day reef conference called Reef Currents. See reefcurrents.org to BUY your ticket and for more details. Basic info below: Ticket prices are $35 through Feb 16th online. After Feb 16th, tickets will only be available at the door for $45. Just the vendor hall is $15. Children 12 and under are FREE. When: Saturday February 22, 2014 from ~8am to 6pm. Where: Sheraton IAH next to Houston's International Airport (Special rate: $99 single, $119 double, $129 club) What: Speaking conference (John Coppolino, Bob Fenner, and Matt Pedersen), vendor marketplace, MARSH raffle, and Tyree coral auction. View the full article

Click through to see the images. Ecotech Marine supplied Advanced Aquarist with their latest product announcement: The Radion Generation 3 Is Here! The best LED aquarium light fixtures just got even better. EcoTech Marine is excited to announce the Radion XR30wG3 and XR30wG3Pro. Generation 3 Radions are available for immediate order. What's New in the G3? The first thing you'll notice is the sleek updated design, including illuminated tactile buttons, but where you will really see a difference is in the output. The G3 base model now includes indigo/UV LEDs, providing more output, and a wider spectrum than its predecessor the G2. The G3 Pro model further raises the bar for max PAR and spectral output by taking advantage of top bin Cree XP-G2 and Osram Oslon Square LEDs. In addition, reef enthusiasts can further customize their G3 and G3 Pro output at any time by purchasing EcoTech's new 120 degree wide-angle TIR lenses. Best of all, both the G3 and the G3 Pro fully integrate with the EcoSmart Live platform, enabling complete control over your Radion lighting -- any time, anywhere. New Pricing! Radion G2: $549 (Unchanged) Radion Pro: $699 (Effective January 13th, 2014) Radion G3: $649 (Effective January 13th, 2014) Radion G3 Pro: $749 (Effective January 13th, 2014) View the full article

Click through to see the images. This giant squid was captured off Sado Island in the Niigata prefecture of Japan. It measured four meters (~13 feet), making it a relatively small giant squid but still a massive cephlapod. The specimen died shortly after being brought on board the fishing vessel. We're kidding about the calamari bit. According to the Japanese report, no one is going to enjoy eating this squid because of its strong ammonia odor. On January 9, 2014, the specimen was sent off to the prefecture Fisheries Oceanography Institute for further study. Here is a link to the original Japanese post complete with video (we are unfortunately unable to embed the video here). Our thanks to Richard Ross for this awesome link. View the full article

Click through to see the images. From Georgia Tech University Chemical Warfare on Coral Reefs: Suppressing a Competitor Enhances Susceptibility to a Predator Competition may have a high cost for at least one species of tropical seaweed. Researchers examining the chemical warfare taking place on Fijian coral reefs have found that one species of seaweed increases its production of noxious anti-coral compounds when placed into contact with reef-building corals. But as it competes chemically with the corals, the seaweed grows more slowly and becomes more attractive to herbivorous fish, which boost their consumption of the skirmishing seaweed by 80 percent. This appears to be the first demonstration that seaweeds can boost their chemical defenses in response to competition with corals. However, determining whether such responses are common or rare awaits additional studies with a broader range of seaweeds and corals. The research, sponsored by the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health, was published January 8, 2014, in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B. “The important takeaway is that competition between corals and seaweeds can cause dramatic changes in seaweed physiology, both in terms of their growth and their defense,” said Douglas Rasher, who was a graduate student at the Georgia Institute of Technology when the research was conducted. “These changes have potentially cascading effects throughout the rest of the reef community.” Rasher, now a postdoctoral research associate at the Darling Marine Center at the University of Maine, conducted the research in collaboration with Mark Hay, a professor in the Georgia Tech School of Biology. Hay and Rasher have used coral reefs as field laboratories, studying the chemical signaling that occurs during coral-seaweed competition, and evaluating how herbivorous fish affect the interactions – and long-term health of reefs. “We previously found that chemical warfare is fairly common among seaweeds and corals, and that several seaweed species are particularly harmful to corals,” Rasher said. “This research explored the degree to which seaweed allelopathy – chemical warfare – is dynamic, how it changes in response to competition, and also whether competition changes the efficacy of other seaweed defenses used against herbivores.” The findings may also challenge the popular notion that plants cannot change rapidly and strategically in response to their environments. “We tend to think of plants as being fixed in their behavior,” said Hay. “In fact, plants such as these seaweeds assess their environment continuously, altering biochemically what they are doing as they compete with the coral. These algae somehow sense what is happening and respond accordingly. They may appear passive, but they are really the tricky chemical assassins of coral reefs.” For this study, Rasher and Hay selected two seaweed species, one (Galaxaura filamentosa) known for its toxicity to corals, and the other (Sargassum polycystum), which does not chemically damage corals. They fragmented pieces of a common coral, Porites cylindrica, glued them into cement cones and placed them on a rack on a reef located in the shallow ocean off the Fiji Islands. The fragments were allowed to grow in the racks for two years. At the start of the experiment, the researchers took half of the coral samples and dipped them into bleach to kill the living organisms, leaving only the calcium carbonate skeletons. The skeletons served as the control group for the experiments that followed. The researchers collected samples from both species of seaweed, and split each sample in two. One half of each sample was assigned to a treatment group, while the other half went to the control group. The treatment group was placed into contact with living corals, while the control group was placed into contact with coral skeletons. The seaweeds were then allowed to interact with the corals and coral skeletons for eight days. After that, a portion of each sample was removed and chemical compounds extracted from them and embedded into small gel strips that were then adhered to other living corals to assess the toxicity of the compounds. The researchers repeated the experiment, placing entire seaweeds in contact with corals to determine if the plants displayed the same effect. “We saw that Galaxaura, the chemically rich seaweed and the species we knew was allelopathic, had up-regulated its chemistry to become more potent – nearly twice as damaging – when it was in contact with the living coral, compared to those individuals that had only been in contact with the coral skeletons,” Rasher said. None of the extracts from the Sargassum damaged the corals. An experimental coral rack is deployed on a shallow reef within the marine reserve at Totua, Viti Levu, Fiji. The rack was used for research into chemical warfare between seaweeds and corals. (Photo: Hunter Hay) Until this point, the seaweeds and corals had been protected from herbivorous fishes. The next step was to place seaweed samples – both those that had competed with the living coral and those that hadn’t – onto nylon ropes in a location accessible to fish. The researchers created 15 pairs of these samples and placed them at different reef locations. “We saw that for the non-allelopathic seaweed, Sargassum, fishes didn’t differentiate – they consumed both the treatment and control seaweeds at equal rates,” Rasher said. “But given the option to choose between treatment and control Galaxaura, fishes consumed 80 percent more of the seaweed portions that had been in contact with a living coral.” The researchers don’t know all the factors that may have made the chemically noxious seaweed more palatable to the fish. However, those seaweed portions that had been competing with coral had less effective chemical defenses against fish. When the researchers took extracts from treatment seaweed and control seaweed and applied them to a palatable seaweed species not previously used in the experiment, fish preferred the seaweed coated with extracts from the portions that had been competing with corals, indicating that competition had compromised the seaweed’s chemical defenses against herbivores. For the future, the researchers want to study chemical defenses in other seaweeds to determine if what they’ve seen is common among tropical seaweeds that engage in chemical warfare. For now, they don’t know if the chemical defenses evolved to compete with coral or perhaps for another reason, such as fighting off harmful microbes. The fact that corals may cause seaweeds to up-regulate their anti-coral defenses could help explain why coral reefs rarely bounce back once they begin a decline and become dominated by seaweeds. The research also demonstrates the importance of studying broad interactions among numerous species within complex communities like coral reefs. “These kinds of interactions show a mechanism that, once the reef begins to crash, could help maintain that decline,” Hay said. “There may be insights here that we could use to better manage, and hopefully restore, some of these systems. We are also hoping that what we learn may bleed over into other systems.” This research was supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) under award (OCE-0929119), by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) under award (U01-TW007401), and by the Teasley Endowment to Georgia Tech. The conclusions or recommendations contained in this news release are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official positions of the NSF or NIH. CITATION: Douglas B. Rasher and Mark E. Hay, “Competition induces allelopathy but suppresses growth and anti-herbivore defense in a chemically rich seaweed,” (Proceedings of the Royal Society B, January 2014). http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2013.2615 View the full article

Click through to see the images. From Georgia Tech University Chemical Warfare on Coral Reefs: Suppressing a Competitor Enhances Susceptibility to a Predator Competition may have a high cost for at least one species of tropical seaweed. Researchers examining the chemical warfare taking place on Fijian coral reefs have found that one species of seaweed increases its production of noxious anti-coral compounds when placed into contact with reef-building corals. But as it competes chemically with the corals, the seaweed grows more slowly and becomes more attractive to herbivorous fish, which boost their consumption of the skirmishing seaweed by 80 percent. This appears to be the first demonstration that seaweeds can boost their chemical defenses in response to competition with corals. However, determining whether such responses are common or rare awaits additional studies with a broader range of seaweeds and corals. The research, sponsored by the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health, was published January 8, 2014, in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B. “The important takeaway is that competition between corals and seaweeds can cause dramatic changes in seaweed physiology, both in terms of their growth and their defense,” said Douglas Rasher, who was a graduate student at the Georgia Institute of Technology when the research was conducted. “These changes have potentially cascading effects throughout the rest of the reef community.” Rasher, now a postdoctoral research associate at the Darling Marine Center at the University of Maine, conducted the research in collaboration with Mark Hay, a professor in the Georgia Tech School of Biology. Hay and Rasher have used coral reefs as field laboratories, studying the chemical signaling that occurs during coral-seaweed competition, and evaluating how herbivorous fish affect the interactions – and long-term health of reefs. “We previously found that chemical warfare is fairly common among seaweeds and corals, and that several seaweed species are particularly harmful to corals,” Rasher said. “This research explored the degree to which seaweed allelopathy – chemical warfare – is dynamic, how it changes in response to competition, and also whether competition changes the efficacy of other seaweed defenses used against herbivores.” The findings may also challenge the popular notion that plants cannot change rapidly and strategically in response to their environments. “We tend to think of plants as being fixed in their behavior,” said Hay. “In fact, plants such as these seaweeds assess their environment continuously, altering biochemically what they are doing as they compete with the coral. These algae somehow sense what is happening and respond accordingly. They may appear passive, but they are really the tricky chemical assassins of coral reefs.” For this study, Rasher and Hay selected two seaweed species, one (Galaxaura filamentosa) known for its toxicity to corals, and the other (Sargassum polycystum), which does not chemically damage corals. They fragmented pieces of a common coral, Porites cylindrica, glued them into cement cones and placed them on a rack on a reef located in the shallow ocean off the Fiji Islands. The fragments were allowed to grow in the racks for two years. At the start of the experiment, the researchers took half of the coral samples and dipped them into bleach to kill the living organisms, leaving only the calcium carbonate skeletons. The skeletons served as the control group for the experiments that followed. The researchers collected samples from both species of seaweed, and split each sample in two. One half of each sample was assigned to a treatment group, while the other half went to the control group. The treatment group was placed into contact with living corals, while the control group was placed into contact with coral skeletons. The seaweeds were then allowed to interact with the corals and coral skeletons for eight days. After that, a portion of each sample was removed and chemical compounds extracted from them and embedded into small gel strips that were then adhered to other living corals to assess the toxicity of the compounds. The researchers repeated the experiment, placing entire seaweeds in contact with corals to determine if the plants displayed the same effect. “We saw that Galaxaura, the chemically rich seaweed and the species we knew was allelopathic, had up-regulated its chemistry to become more potent – nearly twice as damaging – when it was in contact with the living coral, compared to those individuals that had only been in contact with the coral skeletons,” Rasher said. None of the extracts from the Sargassum damaged the corals. An experimental coral rack is deployed on a shallow reef within the marine reserve at Totua, Viti Levu, Fiji. The rack was used for research into chemical warfare between seaweeds and corals. (Photo: Hunter Hay) Until this point, the seaweeds and corals had been protected from herbivorous fishes. The next step was to place seaweed samples – both those that had competed with the living coral and those that hadn’t – onto nylon ropes in a location accessible to fish. The researchers created 15 pairs of these samples and placed them at different reef locations. “We saw that for the non-allelopathic seaweed, Sargassum, fishes didn’t differentiate – they consumed both the treatment and control seaweeds at equal rates,” Rasher said. “But given the option to choose between treatment and control Galaxaura, fishes consumed 80 percent more of the seaweed portions that had been in contact with a living coral.” The researchers don’t know all the factors that may have made the chemically noxious seaweed more palatable to the fish. However, those seaweed portions that had been competing with coral had less effective chemical defenses against fish. When the researchers took extracts from treatment seaweed and control seaweed and applied them to a palatable seaweed species not previously used in the experiment, fish preferred the seaweed coated with extracts from the portions that had been competing with corals, indicating that competition had compromised the seaweed’s chemical defenses against herbivores. For the future, the researchers want to study chemical defenses in other seaweeds to determine if what they’ve seen is common among tropical seaweeds that engage in chemical warfare. For now, they don’t know if the chemical defenses evolved to compete with coral or perhaps for another reason, such as fighting off harmful microbes. The fact that corals may cause seaweeds to up-regulate their anti-coral defenses could help explain why coral reefs rarely bounce back once they begin a decline and become dominated by seaweeds. The research also demonstrates the importance of studying broad interactions among numerous species within complex communities like coral reefs. “These kinds of interactions show a mechanism that, once the reef begins to crash, could help maintain that decline,” Hay said. “There may be insights here that we could use to better manage, and hopefully restore, some of these systems. We are also hoping that what we learn may bleed over into other systems.” This research was supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) under award (OCE-0929119), by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) under award (U01-TW007401), and by the Teasley Endowment to Georgia Tech. The conclusions or recommendations contained in this news release are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official positions of the NSF or NIH. CITATION: Douglas B. Rasher and Mark E. Hay, “Competition induces allelopathy but suppresses growth and anti-herbivore defense in a chemically rich seaweed,” (Proceedings of the Royal Society B, January 2014). http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2013.2615 View the full article

Click through to see the images. Justin Marshall of the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia, and colleagues are examining the capability of mantis eyes to track objects. Primates (including ourselves) can scan a field of view 200-300 times per second. The mantis doubles that number. These rapid eye movements likely help with tracking, clubbing or stabbing as they have no other mechanism of immobilizing their crustacean and mollusk prey. Locking onto and tracking objects with fast eye movements are called saccades. Saccades are a common phenomenon used by animals with image-forming visual systems, but in this case, they are unique. According to Marshall, “[this ability] implies a ‘primate-like’ awareness of the immediate environment that we do not normally associate with crustaceans.” Mechanically, this could be related to the response time of a photoreceptor being longer than the time a given portion of the image is stimulating that photoreceptor as the image drifts across the eye. Mantis shrimps are the only crustaceans known to possess saccadic eye movements. To learn more about mantis shrimp, read James W Fatherree's "An Introduction to Mantis Shrimps." Journal reference: Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2013.0042 View the full article

Click through to see the images. Most reef aquarium keepers know something about the commonly-offered tridacnids, otherwise known as the giant clams. But, there are a few non-tridacnid clams that are also available to us, some that hitchhike into our aquariums on live rock and such, and some that just show up seemingly from nowhere from time to time, too. These include a variety of scallops and oysters, and a few other species, none of which are well-suited for aquarium life primarily due to their demanding dietary needs. So, I want to provide you with some general information about the biology of clams and some specific information about why they can be difficult to keep alive long-term in aquariums. I'll also give you some information about a few types of clam that are commonly seen in reef environments and sometimes for sale. To start, all clams are bivalves. Each half of a clam's shell is properly called a valve, and the "bi" part is obviously added to it because there are two of them. Like coral skeletons, these valves are composed of calcium carbonate, and are produced by the living tissues of the clam. However, clams are about as distantly related to corals as an animal can be. While corals are members of the Phylum Cnidaria and are relatively simple animals, clams belong to the Phylum Mollusca. This phylum is also home to the snails, cephalopods, and a several other invertebrates that are far more complex than the corals and their kin. Some of these molluscs swim around all the time while some crawl about. Some of them, such as the infaunal clams, live their lives buried in the substrate, too. However, I'll be sticking to the epifaunal clams, which are the ones that live on the bottom rather than in it, or attach themselves to rocks, macroalgae, or other invertebrates, such as corals, etc. And with that said, I want to get back to complexities for a moment. Clams don't appear to be very complicated animals while just sitting around on the bottom of the sea or an aquarium. However, they actually have a full set of well-developed specialized organs. They have complex gills, a mouth, stomach, and intestines, a heart, kidneys, ovaries and/or testes, a well-developed (albeit brainless) nervous system, and more. Many of them even have eyes. So, they're far more complicated than they might seem. Oddly enough, several types of clam have eyes. For example, giant clams may have thousands of very simple lens-less, cup-like eyes covering their fleshy surfaces, as seen on the left.1,2 Many scallops and spiny oysters have surprisingly complex eyes though, which have a lens and two layers of retinal cells, as seen in the other two photos.3 This isn't just trivial information, though. Once you realize that a clam is actually a lot more complex than they appear to be on the outside, it shouldn't be too hard to understand why they have a much higher caloric demand than a much simpler animal like a coral. Clams have a lot going on inside their shells, and it takes a surprising amount of food to keep all of their biological machinery running. To cover their nutritional needs, the vast majority of clams strain various sorts of plankton from the surrounding waters, making them filter-feeders by definition. Their gills are finely branched structures that take in oxygen and give off carbon dioxide, but they're responsible for the capture of food particles, too. They're covered by numerous, microscopic hair-like structures called cilia, which can move back and forth rhythmically to create a current of water that flows over the gills for gas exchange. And, by creating such currents, they also draw in food particles along with the water. As these waterborne particles pass over the gills, many of them stick to their surfaces and are then moved along by cilia into grooves that ultimately direct the particles to a clam's mouth. Various types of particles are also sorted out to some degree along the way to the mouth, and most of the indigestible/unsuitable stuff is discarded. As far as the digestible material goes, many clams can actually use a variety of phytoplankton, zooplankton, and bacteria, but can also make use of some detritus, too. However, for the most part they rely on phytoplankton, specifically.4,5,6,7,8,9 Here you can see a jewel box clam (Chama macerophylla), a species often found on aquacultured live rock from Florida. This one has opened its valves a bit and has extended its tube-like siphons, which are the openings where water is moved into the clam and over its gills, and then back out minus any captured food particles. Water is taken in through the inhalent siphon in the background and leaves through the exhalent siphon in the foreground. Tridacnid clams are a bit different than the rest though, as they can cover their nutritional needs in more than one way. While they can and often do filter-feed, they also contain large complements of live zooxanthellae in their extendable soft tissues, which are the same single-celled algae that corals utilize. This is why tridacnids are known as zooxanthellate clams, while the rest are azooxanthellate. As long as a tridacnid clam gets plenty of light, these algae being maintained within its body can make more food then they need for themselves and can donate the excess to the clam host. So, a tridacnid clam doesn't have to rely on filter-feeding when kept under optimal conditions.10 However, azooxanthellate clams aren't so lucky, as they depend entirely on what they can strain from the water with their gills. That might not sound like too big of a problem, except that the plankton they need is typically in very short supply in aquariums. In fact, there may be essentially none present, even in a well-stocked and established reef aquarium. That means if you don't provide am azooxanthellate clam with a steady supply of food yourself, it is very likely to slowly starve to death. And that's exactly what usually happens. Arc clams (Arca spp.) like these are also found on aquacultured live rock at times. I cannot identify the two small ones on the left to the species level, but the one on the right is the common turkey wing clam, A. zebra, encrusted with coralline algae. Of course, there are several types of preserved and live phytoplankton products available these days, which can be used to feed a clam. But, as I said, clams have a surprising demand for food. So, even if you try using such a product, you'd need to give a clam a steady supply in order to keep it healthy. I've tried this myself over the years with a few different types of clams and a few different products, and all I can say is that even when using the best stuff on a daily basis, the clams still ended up dead (with a scant few exceptions that I'll get to momentarily). This can take as little as a few weeks or as long as a few months, but the end result is the same - a failure to keep azooxanthellate clams alive long-term. This has been the case in smaller aquariums with few inhabitants and in larger heavily-stocked aquariums, too. I don't recall ever talking to anyone that has done any better either, although I have to assume that someone out there has gotten lucky enough to do so. Again, note that it can take up to several months for a clam to starve, which can often leave uninformed aquarists frustrated and scratching their heads. The reason why is that an azooxanthellate clam can look absolutely fine for months in an aquarium and the "suddenly" die for no apparent reason. But the fact is, the clam was probably slowly starving all along. With all that said, now I want to go into a little more detail about one particular type of clam, and also say a bit about some exceptions that I've seen. Dr. Rob Toonen put together an excellent article about flame scallops (Lima spp.)11, which are the most commonly offered azooxanthellate clams out there, and I want to relay some of the info to you. These clams are certainly colorful and cool looking because they have long sensory tentacles that protrude from their shells, but despite their attractiveness, there are actually three reasons to resist buying one. Flame scallops (Lima spp.) are a commonly offered type of clam, but they shouldn't be. First of all, they're very likely to starve over a period of weeks to months. We've been over that though, so I'll move on to the other two reasons. Flame scallops also tend to hide when introduced to aquariums, which ends up being very frustrating. When placed in an aquarium containing live rock, these clams will usually scoot around by rapidly opening and closing their valves until they find some out of sight spot, and will stay there. You might be able to find one after it hides and move it back into view in what looks like a good spot, but it'll very likely end up hiding again. Oftentimes, they'll do this over and over until you give up. So, even though they look neat, chances are you won't get to see much of one once it's in your tank, unless you have a relatively barren aquarium. Also note that if one sits in one place long enough, it can attach itself to anything solid. Many other sorts of clams can do the same thing, including tridacnids, via the production of byssal threads. These tough proteinaceous strands are produced by a specialized organ (the byssal organ), and they're sort of like spider's silk, as they're produced in a liquid form that hardens quickly and can stick to bits of gravel, rubble, or solid substrates. Thus, they can be used by these byssus-producing clams to stay put, making an attached clam more difficult to move. Oftentimes trying to simply pull a clam away from something it's byssally attached to can also damage the clam's byssal organ and associated tissues, sometimes having serious or even fatal consequences. So, you really shouldn't try pulling one off a rock, etc. if it's firmly attached. However, it is possible to carefully cut the threads at their distal end with a razor if you need to, as the clam can discard any damaged ones and produce more when it becomes re-situated. Here you can see a number of thin byssal threads produced by these flame scallops as a means of attaching to the substrate. These should be carefully cut if you ever have to move one of these clams, or any other byssus-producing clam that is utilizing them. Lastly, there's their natural lifespan. It's only five years or so in their natural habitat, and that's from the time they're larvae to the time they die. So, if you happen to find a nice big one, it's very likely to already be a few years old, and getting close to its time to expire. This means that even if you have great water quality, can feed one regularly with an appropriate food, and don't mind it hiding all the time, it's still likely to die within a few months, or maybe a year or two at best. All the more reason to leave them where they belong - in the sea. What about those exceptions I mentioned? Well, for whatever reason, over the years I've had a few jewel box clams and turkey wing clams (both pictured above) that did very well. I didn't buy them as individual specimens though, as they showed up regularly on live rock from Florida waters. I'm not sure how they stayed alive, but I have to assume that these clams in particular weren't as picky about what they ate and could cover their dietary needs with whatever was found in good supply in my aquariums. I'm assuming they could make good use of detritus/bacteria and relied less on plankton, but that's just speculation on my part. Regardless, these clams often lived for years without any troubles. So, if for some reason you're just dying to try an azooxanthellate clam in your aquarium, I suggest trying small specimens of either of these. Lastly, I have on one occasion had an infaunal clam seemingly appear out of nowhere. While cleaning the sand bed in my 125 gallon mixed reef aquarium one day, I managed to accidentally find the clam pictured below. I did not add this one to the aquarium though, so I'm not sure how it got there. It was alive, so I put it back where I found it and have never seen it again (although I haven't tried to find it, either). I never add planktonic foods to this aquarium, so again, I'm going to assume that this unidentified clam can make good use of detritus/bacteria. It might be worth noting that the aquarium has a deep sand bed, is heavily stocked, and is run without a skimmer, too. It seems there are always exceptions to general rules. Much to my surprise, I found this good-size infaunal clam buried in the substrate of one of my aquariums, but I didn't put it there... And, that's about it. One last time I say, the vast majority of azooxanthellate clams do not survive long term in aquariums, unless perhaps you give them a steady supply of an appropriate food. So, they should be avoided and left in their natural habitat unless you're ready to do whatever it takes to keep them alive. On the left is a knotty scallop (Lyropecten nodosus), one of the more commonly-seen clams for sale. On the right is a common scallop (probably Chlamys sp.), which is byssally attached to a rock. These are coral clams (Pedum spongyloideum), which are often called iridescent scallops when brightly colored. These clams spend their lives embedded in various corals, usually Porites spp. On the left is the Atlantic Wing Oyster, Pteria colymbus, which is commonly found byssally attached to the stalks/branches of gorgonians. This one is covered by living sponge, which is also common for this and many other types of epifaunal clam. On the right is a very small specimen of the same species (I believe) that I collected myself. I tried to keep it in one of my big reef aquariums, where it attached itself to the side of a tridacnid's shell, but it died within a month's time. 's comb oysters, Lopha spp. and Pycnodonta spp., like these show up in stores from time to time. While the specimen on the left appears to be bright orange, they really aren't colorful at all. This one is covered by an orange sponge, and sponges are typically difficult to maintain long-term, too. So, both are likely to starve in an aquarium. These are rock oysters, probably Saccostrea sp. or Alectryonella sp. Many oysters live on hard substrates upon which they can fuse their shells as they produce new shell material. These are spiny/thorny oysters, Spondylus spp., which are also commonly-offered azooxanthellate clams. These are variable spiny oysters, Spondylus varius, which are also typically fused to hard substrates. References Fankboner, P.V. 1981. Siphonal eyes of giant clams (Bivalvia:Tridacnidae) and their relation to adjacent zooxanthellae. Veliger 23:245-249. Land, M.F. 2003. The spatial resolution of the pinhole eyes of giant clams (Tridacna maxima). Proceedings of the Royal Society of London Biological Science 270:185-188. Rupert, E.E., R.S. Fox, and R.D. Barnes. 2004. Invertebrate Zoology: A Functional Evolutionary Approach: 7th ed. Brooks, Cole, Thomson, Belmont, CA. 963pp Langdon C.J. and R.I.E. Newell. 1990. Utilization of detritus and bacteria as food sources by 2 bivalve suspension-feeders, the oyster Crassostrea virginica and the mussel Geukensia demissa. Marine Ecology Progress Series58:299-310. Kreeger, D.A. and R.I.E. Newell. 1996. Ingestion and assimilation of carbon from cellulolytic bacteria and heterotrophic flagellates by the mussels Geukensia demissa and Mytilus edulis (Bivalvia, Mollusca). Aquatic Microbial Ecology 11:205-214. Tamburri, M.N. and R.K. Zimmer-Faust. 1996. Suspension feeding: Basic mechanisms controlling recognition and ingestion of larvae. Limnology and Oceanography 41(6):1188-1197. Lehane, C. and J. Davenport. 2002. Ingestion of mesoplankton by three species of bivalve; Mytilus edulis, Cerastoderma edule, and Aequipecten opercularis. Journal of the Marine Biological Association U.K. 82:615-619. Wong, W.H., J.S. Levington, B.S. Twining, N.S. Fisher, K.P. Brendan, and A.K. Alt. 2003. Carbon assimilation from rotifer Branchionus plicatilis by mussels, Mytilus edulis and Perna viridis: a potential food web link between zooplankton and benthic suspension feeders in the marine system. Marine Ecology Progress Series 253:175-182. Wong, W.H. and J.S. Levinton. 2004. Culture of the blue mussel Mytilus edulis (Linnaeus, 1758) fed both phytoplankton and zooplankton: a microcosm experiment. Aquaculture Research 35:965-969. Fatherree, J.W. 2006. Giant Clams in the Sea and the Aquarium. Liquid Medium. Tampa, FL. 227pp. Toonen, R. 2002. Flame Scallops. Advanced Aquarist's Online Magazine, 1(7). URL: http://advancedaquarist.com/issues/july2002/toonen.htm View the full article

Click through to see the images. From the ARC Centre of Excellence Coral Reef Studies: Jumping snails left grounded in future oceans Sea snails that leap to escape their predators may soon lose their extraordinary jumping ability because of rising human carbon dioxide emissions, a team of international scientists has discovered. Lead author of the study published today, Dr Sue-Ann Watson from the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies (Coral CoE) and James Cook University observed that the conch snail, which uses a strong foot to leap away from approaching predators, either stops jumping, or takes longer to jump, when exposed to the levels of carbon dioxide projected for the end of this century. Dr Watson explains that increased carbon dioxide and ocean acidification levels disrupt a particular neurotransmitter receptor in the snail’s nervous system, delaying vital decision-making on escape. This leaves the snail more vulnerable to the poisonous dart of its slow-moving nemesis, the marbled cone shell. The effects may be quite profound. “Altered behaviours between predators and prey have the potential to disrupt ocean food webs,” Dr Watson said. While this study shows that disrupted decision-making with elevated carbon dioxide levels can occur in marine invertebrates, scientists have also observed similar effects before, in fish. Co-author Professor Göran Nilsson, from the University of Oslo, explains, “this neurotransmitter receptor is common in many animals and evolved quite early in the animal kingdom. So what this study suggests is that human carbon dioxide emissions directly alter the behaviour of many marine animals, including much of the seafood that is part of the human diet.” Professor Philip Munday, from the Coral CoE, says past studies on the effects of ocean acidification on animals mostly focused on what would happen to the shells of marine snails and other calcifying animals – how could shells be built and maintained in a more acidic environment? This study shows that they actually face the dual threat of both weaker shells and impaired behaviour. Professor Munday says it is critical to study and understand more about the extent of these behavioural disturbances. The big question now, he adds, is whether sea creatures can adapt fast enough to keep up with the rapid pace of rising carbon dioxide levels and ocean acidification. The article ‘Marine mollusc predator-escape behaviour altered by near-future carbon dioxide levels’ by Sue-Ann Watson, Sjannie Lefevre, Mark I. McCormick, Paolo Domenici, Göran E. Nilsson and Philip L. Munday appears in Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. View the full article

Click through to see the images. Palau is an island nation tucked into the Micronesian archipelago. It is part of the area of the Pacific thought of as the origin of coral speciation. Palau also has an interesting feature associated with one of its coral bays. It is acidic. The waters off of Nikko Bay, near the capitol Koror, are so acidic that calcium deposition should be inhibited and dissolution of corals' carbonate skeletons evident. And yet it is still a thriving reef ecosystem. Of note, as you move further away from the barrier reefs offshore into Palau’s island bays the acidity rises, and so does coral cover and diveristy, which is even more unusual. This finding is the result of work being performed by Anne Cohen’s lab at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, which earned the ‘Best Paper of 2012 Award’ for a publication in Coral Reefs, a well-respected scientific journal on the topic. As initially reported by PRI, her lab is looking into how corals are thriving in this area where, at least by current thought, they should not be capable of even surviving. By taking core samples from corals, they hope to gain an understanding of how increasing acidification of the oceans may impact coral populations – and how they may survive the stress of an increasingly hostile ocean environment. Listen to PRI's interview with Anne Cohen: " height="383" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="680"> "> "> For a general overview of ocean acidification, here for a brief summary of scientific findings on the topic. View the full article

Click through to see the images. Chinese student Kwan Chun-lok walked into his LFS where he secretly netted four Zebra acara (Nannacara adoketa). He then stashed all the fish in his trouser pockets! Yes; You read that right. He put the four live fish in his pant pockets obviously leading to their deaths. After the LFS manager noticed the four missing fish during a routine stock check, the store reviewed CCTV footage to witness Kwan committing the bizarre crime. Even more bizarre: After literally pocketing the four fish (which the store values at HK$1400/~$180 USD each), Kwan did not leave the store immediately. He actually purchased a HK$390 (~$50 USD) fish before leaving the premises. Uh ... Kwan's defense lawyer called the act a "prank." We call it animal cruelty by a possible psychopath. [via South China Morning Post] View the full article

Click through to see the images. Chinese student Kwan Chun-lok walked into his LFS where he secretly netted four Zebra acara (Nannacara adoketa). He then stashed all the fish in his trouser pockets! Yes; You read that right. He put the four live fish in his pant pockets obviously leading to their deaths. After the LFS manager noticed the four missing fish during a routine stock check, the store reviewed CCTV footage to witness Kwan committing the bizarre crime. Even more bizarre: After literally pocketing the four fish (which the store values at HK$1400/~$180 USD each), Kwan did not leave the store immediately. He actually purchased a HK$390 (~$50 USD) fish before leaving the premises. Uh ... Kwan's defense lawyer called the act a "prank." We call it animal cruelty by a possible psychopath. [via South China Morning Post] View the full article

Click through to see the images. This is a great feel-good story all the way around. Rice University has tapped the unbridled creativity of young minds to come up with an affordable and simple alternative to an expensive medical device. Instead of traditional, complicated and expensive $6000 CPAP machines, students thinking outside the proverbial box have engineered units that cost less than $200 by using cheap aquarium air pumps to supply the positive air pressure. The bargain initial cost isn't the only benefit of using aquarium air pumps; These pumps are also easily serviced in the field without requiring expensive parts or trained technicians. The air pressure supplied to babies is ingeniously regulated by bubbling air through a column of water in a sealed container (think: bubble counter). The pressure is adjusted by simply changing the height of water within the container. Clever! Air flow meters (like those used to measure protein skimmer air flow) regulate and monitor the air supply to the infant patients. You can't help but wonder if some of these Rice engineers are reefkeepers. Rice University is currently field-testing affordable "bubble CPAPs" based on their students' design in rural hospitals at Malawi, Africa. Malawi, coincidentally, is home to some of the world's most beautiful tropical cichilds. " height="383" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="680"> "> "> [via NPR News] View the full article

I bought this paint for them to paint the room.

The outer wall dimension detail . What a way to start the new year, i just found out few day ago my reno contractor have not follow the dimension we give and the hole on the wall which was smaller at 1830 mm . So my tank could be able to slot in .. He still claim that i gave him the wrong dimension earlier, lesson learnt always have black & white drawing to your reno contractor. So now, they have to adjust the wall again. The other side of the wall will be a glass wall / sliding door .

Frag Tank racking system I will be using aluminium profile racking system for both the main tank and frag tank racking. i also found a very useful free online software which enable user to design their own profile and it is so easy to use. Just to share here for those DIY freaks ( http://www.framexpert.com/products/framedesigner/download/ ) Profile design

Click through to see the images. ORA describes their new Acropora frag: Description: The ORA Shortcake is an impressive Acropora with luminous white and green branches accented by pink and red corallites and polyps. The base is dark red with matching red corallites and polyps. We have found the ORA Shortcake to be highly adaptable in regards to lighting and flow conditions, but best color is achieved under moderate lighting. The ORA Shortcake grows slower than most of the other Acropora corals we grow but it has proven to be very hardy through the years it has taken us to bring it to market. We acquired this specimen as a wild Australian colony from LiveAquaria.com way back in 2009 making it one of the very few ORA corals that was not originally started from captive grown fragments. Much like our Mind Trick Montipora, the name of this familiar coral was truncated to avoid trademark infringement. Frags will be approximately 1.25 inches and will come attached to a black ORA plug. Placement: Middle – Top Lighting: Medium – High Flow: Moderate – Strong View the full article

Click through to see the images. This video contains some above-water footage, but it's the underwater footage that takes our breath away. In case you want to jump straight to the good stuff, the two segments of underwater video begins at 2:25 and 9:35. Massive gnarly reef rocks - some towering several stories tall - intermix with coral bommies, sandy deserts, and ship wrecks to create an ecosystem like no other. We really never tire of seeing Red Sea footage. What to see more of the Red Sea? Read Richard Aspinall's photo-documentary of the Red Sea. View the full article

Click through to see the images. Other studies have tracked the poleward expansion of coral reefs and other tropical sealife, some at rather brisk rates such as what is happening in Japan. As temperatures shift, ecosystems will shift along with them. From the University of Maryland: With Fewer Hard Frosts, Tropical Mangroves Push North Cold-sensitive mangrove forests have expanded dramatically along Florida's Atlantic Coast as the frequency of killing frosts has declined, according to a new study based on 28 years of satellite data from the University of Maryland and the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center in Edgewater, Md. Between 1984 and 2011, the Florida Atlantic coast from the Miami area northward gained more than 3,000 acres (1,240 hectares) of mangroves. All the increase occurred north of Palm Beach County. Between Cape Canaveral National Seashore and Saint Augustine, mangroves doubled in area. Meanwhile between the study's first five years and its last five years, nearby Daytona Beach recorded 1.4 fewer days per year when temperatures fell below 28.4 degrees Fahrenheit (-4 degrees Celsius). The number of killing frosts in southern Florida was unchanged. The mangroves' march up the coast as far north as St. Augustine, Fla., is a striking example of one way climate change's impacts show up in nature. Rising temperatures lead to new patterns of extreme weather, which in turn cause major changes in plant communities, say the study's authors. Unlike many studies which focus on changes in average temperatures, this study, published online Dec. 30 in the peer-reviewed journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, shows that changes in the frequency of rare, severe events can determine whether landscapes hold their ground or are transformed by climate change. The mangrove forests are edging out salt marshes, said University of Maryland Entomology Professor Daniel S. Gruner, a study co-author. "This is what we would expect to see happening with climate change, one ecosystem replacing another," said Gruner, who co-leads an interdisciplinary research project on mangrove ecosystems, along with Ilka C. Feller of the Smithsonian. "But at this point we don't have enough information to predict what the long term consequences will be." One valuable ecosystem replaces another – at what cost? "Some people may say this is a good thing, because of the tremendous threats that mangroves face," said the study's lead author, Kyle Cavanaugh, a Smithsonian postdoctoral research fellow. "But this is not taking place in a vacuum. The mangroves are replacing salt marshes, which have important ecosystem functions and food webs of their own." Mangrove forests grow in calm, shallow coastal waters throughout the tropics. Salt marshes fill that niche in temperate zones. Both provide crucial habitat for wildlife, including endangered species and commercially valuable fish and shellfish. Some animals use both types of habitat. Others, like marsh-nesting seaside sparrows or the honey bees that produce mangrove honey, rely on one or the other. Both provide valuable ecosystem services, buffering floods, storing atmospheric carbon and building soils. Both are in decline nationally and globally. Mangrove forests are cut down for charcoal production, aquaculture and urbanization or lose habitat to drainage projects. Salt marshes are threatened by drainage, polluted runoff and rising sea levels. Florida naturalists noticed that mangroves now grow in places that once were too chilly for the tropical trees. "We knew this was happening, but no one knew if it was a local or a regional phenomenon," Cavanaugh said. Study used satellite photos, the "gold standard" in climate change Cavanaugh, an expert in remote sensing, turned to photographs of Florida's Atlantic coast taken by NASA's Landsat 5, which launched in 1984 and tracked changes in Earth's land cover until 2011. "It very quickly became a gold standard to examine the effects of climate change, because it lets you look back in time," Cavanaugh said. The satellite images revealed the mangroves' expansion into terrain formerly inhabited by salt marsh plants. While the study only looked at the Atlantic Coast, the same trend is taking place on Florida's Gulf Coast, Cavanaugh and Gruner said. Mean winter temperatures have risen at seven of eight coastal weather stations in the study area. But if overall warming benefited mangroves, the mangrove cover should have increased all over Florida, not only in the north. Average winter temperature, rainfall, and urban or agricultural land use did not explain the mangroves' expansion. Only fewer freezing days at the northern end of their range matched the trend. The researchers are studying effects on coastal insects and birds; whether the change will affect coastal ecosystems' ability to store carbon; and whether juvenile fish and commercially valuable shellfish will remain abundant in the changing plant communities. Cavanaugh is looking at Landsat 5 imagery for Mexico, Peru, Brazil, Australia and New Zealand to see if mangroves are expanding elsewhere as they are in Florida. The NASA Climate and Biological Response Program and the National Science Foundation funded this research. Journal publication: "Poleward expansion of mangroves is a threshold response to decreased frequency of extreme cold events," Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.1315800111 View the full article