Harlequinmania

Click through to see the images. The ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies at James Cook University compiled surveys of over 300 reef sites and determined several significant reference points for gauging reef health in relation to fish biomass. They found that every hectare of well-protected reef typically had 1000 to 1500 kilograms of fish biomass. As the numbers are reduced below 1130kg/ha, the first signs of ecosystem change is evidenced by increasing seaweed growth. At 850kg/ha, the algae-to-coral ratio sharply increases to favor algae. At 640kg/ha, researchers observed a rapid decline in the predation of sea urchins. The next reference/tipping point is crossed at 300kg/ha when biodiversity drops dramatically (with a severe decline in herbivorous fish coinciding with a rapid increase in sea urchin populations), raising alarm for ecosystem failure. Below 150kg of fish per hectare, calcification rates and hard corals breaches the final threshold where coral growth and cover rapidly descend to zero. Coral coverage may not be the best indicator of coral reef health Not surprisingly, the report found more stringent fishing regulations (such as total or partial fishing closures and gear restrictions) resulted in healthier fish populations. Protected reefs with no-fishing zones (such as Cabo Pulmo National Park, deemed the most robust marine reserve in the world) had the greatest biomass and biodiversity. The study also discovered something interesting about using coral cover as a metric for determining reef health: Ironically, coral cover is one of the most commonly measured metrics for coral reef condition but was the least sensitive metric to losses in fishable biomass. There is broad correspondence between this observed pattern and the documented trajectory of Caribbean reefs, where severely overfished reefs were dominated by very high cover of live corals until their sudden shift to dominance by macroalgae following a die-off of the most abundant grazing sea urchin (1). Together, these studies indicate that reefs may appear healthy long after fishable biomass has been reduced to the point that ecosystem function is jeopardized. This emphasizes the need for reference points that ensure management actions are implemented before it is too late. By monitoring fish biomass and correlating the data with the discovered "tipping points," the report hopes to help fisheries recognize early warning signs and establish better fishery management guidelines for coral reefs, including collection for the aquarium trade. The report Critical thresholds and tangible targets for ecosystem-based management of coral reef fisheries is published in the latest issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA (PNAS). Reef fish like Triggers play a crucial role in coral reef health View the full article

A new study has found that overfishing of spawning areas and environmental conditions are behind the collapse of two bass species. View the full article

A new study has found that overfishing of spawning areas and environmental conditions are behind the collapse of two bass species. View the full article

Research shows that some turtles are naturally heat-tolerant. The study focused on green turtles nesting on Ascension Island, a UK overseas territory in the South Atlantic Ocean. Scientists have found that eggs laid by turtles nesting on a naturally hot beach withstand high temperatures better than eggs from turtles nesting on a cooler beach just a few kilometers away. View the full article

Selling some spare equipments 1) Teco RA200 1/10 HP ( Made in Italy ) - $ 200.00 ** Come with external sensor , and 3 month old new temperature controller. ** Suitable up to 300 Litres tank @ 25 degree 2) Trans Instruments Marin tester 3-in-1 ( Specific Gravity / Temp / Salinity ) - $ 120.00 ( come with original box) ** Used only for a few time. More information can be found here; http://reefbuilders....f-salinity-pen/ 3) Laguna PowerClear Max UV Sterilizer / Clarifier 5000 comes with a 55-watt UV bulb, used for about 3 months - $ 380.00 Collection / deal in CCK ave 3 or near clementi MRT during office hour.

Click through to see the images. Back in June we reported the first documented account of tool use in a black spot tuskfish, Choerodon schoenleinii, where this particular wrasse used a stone as an anvil to break open a cockle shell. Since then, additional reports of fish and tool use have been found in the literature (one reported in 1995 and another in 2010). In addition, wrasses have also been observed exploiting the behavior of other animals for their own benefit, which we reported about recently. On September 20, Coral Reefs published an article titled The use of tools by wrasses (Labridae) by G. Bernardi where the researcher observed another wrasse (an orange-dotted tuskfish, Choerodon anchorago) using a stone as an anvil to break open a bivalve. The observation was very similar to the one that we previously reported for the black spot tuskfish. In the above photo the wrasse exposed the bivalve with its fins by fanning away the sand, picked it up with its mouth, and swam to a rock or a coral outcropping where it crushed the shell to open it. According to G. Bernardi: The use of rock as an anvil has now been described from different places in three genera of wrasses, the ancestral Choerodon, and the more derived Halichoeres and Thalassoma, which span the majority of the evolutionary history of wrasses (50 million years, Cowman et al. 2009). All observations were similar in both the use of a rock as an anvil to open or reduce the size of a bivalve to making it edible and the sideways movement of the head associated with it. The similarity of the behaviors suggests that either they emerged independently or they correspond to a deep-seated behavioral trait. If this were the case, we predict that other wrasses are likely to also use these forms of tools. The presence or absence of such a behavior in other groups of fishes will determine whether the use of a rock as an anvil is unique to wrasses or whether it can be generalized to other groups of fishes. The report also contains a supplementary video of the wrasse's behavior: http://www.springerlink.com/content/x032079j86426647/MediaObjects/338_2011_823_MOESM1_ESM.mov (53 mb) It will be interesting to learn if this behavior is eventually reported for other marine fish as well. (via SpringerLink / Coral Reefs) View the full article

Click through to see the images. Earlier this year, Jay Hemdal (et al.) conducted a ground-breaking study that was the first to scientifically establish a link between the use of granular activated carbon and Head and Lateral Line Erosion Syndrome (HLLES). The study is published in the North American Journal of Aquaculture. Now a new study published in Journal of Aquatic Health has affirmed Hamdel's findings: Carbon does indeed cause HLLE. Researchers once again chose to work with Acanthurus bahianus, distributing seventy-two specimens between control and GAC-treated systems (this time using extruded coconut shell activated carbon). In the treated systems, HLLES developed exponentially over 15 days, progressing from the tangs' chins, then cheeks, then expanding and coalescing outwards. Once the GAC was discontinued, the HLLES reversed in a mean time of 49 days, regressing in opposite linear fashion as the progression. Furthermore, Jay Hemdal provided Advanced Aquarist some anecdotal information from a researcher who found carbon dust in the lateral line of some fish suffering from HLLES using electron microscopy. The researcher emailed Hamdel: "The theory was small sharp <carbon> dust particles would get into lateral line and bounce around because of the hair cells causing the erosions and subsequent fibrosis." For many decades, aquarists (including myself) have observed this phenomenon in aquariums. Yet, seemingly just as many continue to doubt GAC's culpability in HLLE. Two scientific studies have now come to the same conclusion. The independent findings solidify the link between activated carbon and HLLE. It is still unclear why HLLE does not develop in some aquarists' systems with GAC usage. More research is needed to understand all the criteria involved. This may, in time, lead to "anti-HLLES" GAC implementations and technologies. Perhaps all that may be required is using fine micron filters post GAC. View the full article

Click through to see the images. Earlier this year, Jay Hamdel (et al.) conducted a ground-breaking study that was the first to scientifically establish a link between the use of granular activated carbon and Head and Later Line Erosion Syndrome (HLLES). The study is published in the North American Journal of Aquaculture. Now a new study published in Journal of Aquatic Health has affirmed Hamdel's findings: Carbon does indeed cause HLLE. Researchers once again chose to work with Acanthurus bahianus, distributing seventy-two specimens between control and GAC-treated systems (this time using extruded coconut shell activated carbon). In the treated systems, HLLES developed exponentially over 15 days, progressing from the tangs' chins, then cheeks, then expanding and coalescing outwards. Once the GAC was discontinued, the HLLES reversed in a mean time of 49 days, regressing in opposite linear fashion as the progression. Furthermore, Jay Hamdel provided Advanced Aquarist some anecdotal information from a researcher who found arbon dust in the lateral line of some fish suffering from HLLES using electron microscopy. The researcher emailed Hamdel: "The theory was small sharp <carbon> dust particles would get into lateral line and bounce around because of the hair cells causing the erosions and subsequent fibrosis." For many decades, aquarists (including myself) have observed this phenomenon in aquariums. Yet, seemingly just as many continue to doubt GAC's culpability in HLLE. Two scientific studies have now come to the same conclusion. The independent findings solidify the link between activated carbon and HLLE. It is still unclear why HLLE does not develop in some aquarists' systems with GAC usage. More research is needed to understand all the criteria involved. This may, in time, develop "anti-HLLES" GAC implementations and technologies. Perhaps all that may be required is using fine micron filters post GAC. View the full article

Click through to see the images. House of Fins, a local fish store based in Greenwich, Connecticut, is one of the oldest established local fish stores in the country. One thing that sets this tri-state LFS apart from the rest is the sheer amount of rare livestock offered for sale, including hard-to-find butterfly fish, tangs, wrasses, not to mention some truly out-of-this-world corals. The company has officially announced the 54th Annual "Splash" Event which will take place next weekend, October 1st and 2nd. The event is featuring tons of sales on both livestock and hard goods, vendors and guest speakers from all over the country. Here's a list of just some of the hot splash discounts you can expect to see at the event: All Saltwater livestock, including rock, corals, and invertebrates 30% off! All standard aquariums and cabinetry 30% off! All chillers 20% off! Geisemann bulbs 15% off! Ehiem products 20% off! CaribSea Substrates 25% off! Hydrologic RO/DI Units 20% off! Seachem products 25% off, plus $54 Reef Salt buckets! Aqua Illumination lighting 15% off! Sunlight Supply metal halide, T5 fixtures and ballasts 20% off! Coral RX 20% off! In addition to the weekend-only sales, the store is also hosting several guest speakers who are always sure to provide the best and most up-to-date information. The list of speakers scheduled to attend include: Adam Blundell discussing "What is Reef Safe" Tony Vargas discussing "Successful Reef Aquariums From Around The World And How They Got There” Jake Adams discussing [to be announced] Ret Talbot discussing "Sourcing Sustainability - The Future of a Robust Marine Aquarium Trade" Lastly, several vendors will be on-hand displaying products and interacting with hobbyists. Some of those vendors include Sunlight Supply, Carib Sea, Aqua Illuminations, Eheim, Ecoxotic, Seachem, and a number of others. The House of Fins Splash Event will be running on Saturday, October 1st from 10:00am to 7:00pm and Sunday, October 2nd from 12-5:00pm. if you are in the greater NY/NJ/CT tri-state area, be sure to stop by! View the full article

Click through to see the images. An inspiring overview video of Estherea Reef. It's feeding time in Amsterdam! Watch as a pair of Harlequin Shrimp hunt a starfish for their next meal, followed by corals' feeding response to the introduction of Zeovit Coral Snow. Up close and personal with some of Estherea Reef's animals. And to top it all off, here is a gallery containing many wonderful photos of Etherea Reef. View the full article

A research team has identified many different genetic lineages in the softshell turtle genus Pelodiscus, representing different species. Traditionally it has been assumed that only the species Pelodiscus sinensis belonged to the genus examined. As a foodstuff, Chinese softshell turtles are the most economically important turtles in the world, with an annual trade volume of many hundreds of millions of specimens. View the full article

Click through to see the images. Keeping phosphate levels low in a reef aquarium is important for your inhabitants' health. Fauna Marin (an Advanced Aquarist sponsor) debuted their new phosphate test kit at MACNA 2011. The kit contains enough reagents for 100 tests and is sensitive down to 0.020 mg/L phosphate. Supplied with the kit are a syringe, a set of reagent bottles, comparator containers and holder, and color chart. Measurable levels on the color chart are 0.00, 0.020, 0.040, 0.060, 0.080, 0.10, 0.14, 0.18, 0.25, 0.35, and 0.50 mg/L as seen in the above photo. One nice feature of the test kit is that the comparator holder color is yellow which gives a nice distinction when comparing increasingly darker shades of blue indicating higher concentrations of phosphate. Look for the new test kit in the coming months in a local store near you and online. View the full article

Click through to see the images. Keeping phosphate levels low in a reef aquarium is important for your inhabitants' health. Fauna Marin (an Advanced Aquarist sponsor) recently debuted their new phosphate test kit at MACNA 2011. The kit contains enough reagents for 100 tests and is sensitive down to 0.020 mg/L phosphate. Supplied with the kit are a syringe, a set of reagent bottles, comparator containers and holder, and color chart. Measurable levels on the color chart are 0.00, 0.020, 0.040, 0.060, 0.080, 0.10, 0.14, 0.18, 0.25, 0.35, and 0.50 mg/L as seen in the above photo. One nice feature of the test kit is that the comparator holder color is yellow which gives a nice distinction when comparing increasingly darker shades of blue indicating higher concentrations of phosphate. Look for the new test kit in the coming months in a local store near you and online. View the full article

Click through to see the images. Keeping phosphate levels low in a reef aquarium is important for your inhabitants' health. Fauna Marin (an Advanced Aquarist sponsor) recently debuted their new phosphate test kit at MACNA. The kit contains enough reagents for 100 tests and is sensitive down to 0.020 mg/L phosphate. Supplied with the kit are a syringe, a set of reagent bottles, comparator containers and holder, and color chart. Measurable levels on the color chart are 0.00, 0.020, 0.040, 0.060, 0.080, 0.10, 0.14, 0.18, 0.25, 0.35, and 0.50 mg/L as seen in the above photo. One nice feature of the test kit is that the comparator holder color is yellow which gives a nice distinction when comparing increasingly darker shades of blue indicating higher concentrations of phosphate. Look for the new test kit in the coming months in a local store near you and online. View the full article

Click through to see the images. As most Advanced Aquarist regular readers know, the Indo-Pacific Lionfish are growing out of control in the Atlantic, wreaking havoc on ecosystems up and down the Eastern American coastline. Many ideas have spawned (no pun intended) to deal with this bio-invasion such "Lionfish Derby" contests where divers compete to remove as many Lionfish as they can. The Lionfish Tamer is a $35 mini-speargun designed to help divers in this pursuit. Spearguns are highly effective because Lionfish in the Atlantic have developed no fear of predators. This is because top predators (namely large groupers and snappers) are over-fished, and remaining predators still do not seem to know what to make of this exotic foreign species. Therefore, Lionfish show no fear of fish nor humans, making it easy to approach and shoot them point blank. An important reminder to both saltwater and freshwater aquarists: Never dispose of aquarium livestock, water, or substrate in local waters. Your seemingly insignificant actions can lead to catastrophic effects on native ecosystems (e.g. Atlantic Lionfish invasion, Caulerpa algae). Here is a video of The Lionfish Tamer in action. The video is not for the squeamish and definitely not for Lionfish lovers! It's sad to see these beautiful animals killed, but it is a necessary evil in order to save entire ecosystems from this invasive species. View the full article

Topic close as per request by the starter since he decided to keep the tank .

Click through to see the images. Contact: Kevin Mayhood kevin.mayhood@case.edu 216-368-4442 Case Western Reserve University An angry glare from the family goldfish might not be the result of a missed meal, but a too-humble abode. Fish in a cramped, barren space turn mean, a study from Case Western Reserve University has found. Ornamental fishes across the U.S. might be at risk, all 182.9 million of them. "The welfare of aquarium fishes may not seem important, but with that many of them in captivity, they become a big deal," said Ronald Oldfield, an instructor of biology at Case Western Reserve. Why, then, has the welfare of pet fishes been overlooked among the scientific community? Oldfield is the first to scientifically study how the environment of home aquariums affects the aggressive behavior of ornamental fishes. The results are published in the online Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science, volume 14, issue 4. Oldfield compared the behavior of Midas cichlids (Amphilophus citrinellus) in a variety of environments: within their native range in a crater lake in Nicaragua, in a large artificial stream in a zoo, and in small tanks of the sizes typically used to by pet owners. The study focused on juvenile fish to remove aggressive behavior related to mating. Also, resources such as food and shelter were removed prior to observation to eliminate direct competition. Along with environment size, Oldfield tested the complexity of an environment and the effects of number of fish within tanks. The addition of obstacles and hiding places using rocks, plants, or other similar objects can increase the complexity of the aquarium environment. He found that an increase in tank size and complexity can reduce harmful aggressive behaviors, and make for healthier fish at home. Oldfield quantified aggressive behavior as a series of displays and attacks separated by at least a second. Displays are body signals such as flaring fins. An attack could be a nip, chase, or charge at another fish. In aquariums, these behaviors can lead to injury and in extreme cases to death. Aggressive behavior was not correlated with small-scale changes in either group size or habitat size alone. However, a significant difference was observed in environments sufficiently large and complex: fish spent less time exhibiting aggressive behavior. "This more natural environment elicits more natural behaviors, which are more interesting to observers", Oldfield said. And, for the fish themselves, their lives can be vastly improved with these simple changes to their environments. "If we are going to try to create a society as just as possible, we need to do everything we can to minimize negative effects," Oldfield said. But why should anyone beyond fish enthusiasts care about fish behavior? Minimizing negative effects extends beyond the treatment of ornamental fishes. Interactions between humans and other species could apply. Humans have intimate relationships with a variety of fishes. They provide food and sport for many people. Some are used for decoration, and others are well-loved pets or may become addicting hobbies. Additionally, conditions for animals in the rapidly growing field of aquaculture and on factory farms are issues of contention. Oldfield is not trying to support any extreme agendas. "I'm not trying to ban human use of animals– I just think that if we are going to interact with them then we should be as informed as possible." Relatively simple fish behavior can also serve as a basic model for more complex behaviors. In the future, Oldfield said, "This study might help us to better understand how human behavior changes when people are placed in different social environments." Violence in prisons might be linked in part to the smaller space and reduced stimuli. Until then, the 182.9 million ornamental fishes in the United States may benefit from this study. The family goldfish can swim in peace, enjoying the remodeled space. View the full article

Fish in a cramped, barren space turn mean, a new study has found. With nearly 183 million ornamental fishes in tanks across the US, that's a big deal. View the full article

Click through to see the images. This week's unintentional theme: appreciating (impractical) aquariums as art. Koneko's latest miniature artwork measures a mere 30 mm (1.1") wide by 24 mm (0.95") high and 14mm (0.5") deep. The glass wall is extremely thin and proportioned to give the illusion of a standard glass aquarium. You know an aquarium is really tiny when it can't even house a 0.75" Flaming Prawn Goby (Discordipinna griessingeri). [via The Telegraph] View the full article

Click through to see the images. This week's unintentional theme: appreciating (impractical) aquariums as art. Koneko's latest miniature artwork measures a mere 30 mm (1.1") wide by 24 mm (0.95") high and 14mm (0.5") deep. The glass wall is extremely thin and proportioned to give the illusion of a standard glass aquarium. You know an aquarium is really tiny when it can't even house a 0.75" Flaming Prawn Goby (Discordipinna griessingeri). [via The Telegraph] View the full article

Click through to see the images. This week's unintentional theme: appreciating (impractical) aquariums as art. Koneko's latest miniature artwork measures a mere 30 mm (1.1") wide by 24 mm (0.95") high and 14mm (0.5") deep. The glass wall is extremely thin and proportioned to give the illusion of a standard glass aquarium. You know an aquarium is really tiny when it can't even house a 0.75" Flaming Prawn Goby (Discordipinna griessingeri). [via The Telegraph] View the full article

A team of leading marine scientists from around the world is recommending an end to most commercial fishing in the deep sea. Instead, they recommend fishing in more productive waters nearer to consumers. View the full article

Click through to see the images. The CV Dinar aquaculture facility, which is more easily called a farm, is located on the northeast coast of Bali, not too far east of Tulamben. It's also around 6 degrees south of the equator meaning the water's warm and there's plenty of sun year round, which gives rise to wonderful coral reefs. And, needless to say, the diving in spots around the island are absolutely incredible. The main area of the CV Dinar facility. Some of the gorgeous Tridacna croceca clams they've grown at the farm. Diving in many areas can be deceptive though, because you typically get to see the best, healthiest areas, while other locations may be in bad shape. Most everyone has heard of the spectre of coral bleaching that has affected so many reefs around the world, and then there are the added insults of pollution, over-collecting, dynamite fishing, shipwrecks, etc. that have all taken their toll on both corals and giant clams, as well. These are some of the reasons that many businesses are aquaculturing a variety of organisms for the aquarium hobby now, and why other organizations are doing the same for the purpose of restocking natural areas. Farming clams has also helped to satisfy the demand for giant clams as food in Asian countries, too. Anyway, after contacting the farm, I was picked up by Aspari Rachman, the facility manager, and taken for a full tour of the whole place. It isn't particularly big, but they certainly squeeze a lot of livestock into what they have. There are about 30 large concrete grow-out and holding tanks, and quite a few other concrete and acrylic tanks used for various other purposes, too. They have an on on-site lab, and various other buildings, one of which is used to raise their own phytoplankton used to feed infant clams, and zooxanthellae for them, too. Here you can see some of the pre-shipping holding tanks. Many of the concrete growing and holding tanks for the clams. Here is the room where phytoplankton is produced. They have a huge water intake system at the shore, which allows them to pump water directly from the sea, after which it's run through a series of baffles that contain progressively smaller gravels and sands that act as filters. This water is then pumped through the tanks, making it easy to maintain high water quality. And, in the case of infant clams, the water is also run through micron filters to remove any sorts of parasites, too. Thus, there is a constant turnover of fresh, clean seawater in the systems, with no other sorts of filtration. There's also no need for additional lighting either, as there's plenty of sunlight for free. In fact, the sun does such a good job that they have shade cloth over all the tanks to cut down the amount of light the inhabitants get, and to help keep leaves and such out of the tanks, too. The Corals They were growing several types of stony coral at the farm, primarily being Acropora and Seriatopora, and also had plenty of the soft/leather corals Sarcophyton and Sinularia, as well as a few others. All of these were attached to small pieces of rock (which I'll talk about below), and had started out as frags/cuttings from other larger specimens. All of these corals can easily be cut or broken into pieces, and the pieces will live and grow into new specimens. So, they do the same thing that's regularly done by hobbyists and businesses here, but on a much larger scale, and with one big difference. Once the frags/cuttings are made and are attached to a base, they're put in the sea instead of being kept in a tank for weeks or months. The farm has numerous metal cages on hand, and the corals are placed in these where they can be kept together and get some protection from wave activity and predators, too. The cages are carried maybe 100 yards out off the beach and placed on the bottom in about 20 feet of water. Then they sit for quite a while, sometimes several months. Of course, when you're not paying for salt, additives, and lighting the amount of time they sit is determined by how fast they grow to the size the farm likes rather than moving them to market as soon as they get big enough for someone to want to buy them - and the farm likes them pretty big. Once the corals have grown large enough to satisfy the farmers, the cages are pulled and the specimens are placed in holding tanks on land. Then they're bagged up and shipped out. The cages are placed just offshore in about 20 feet of water. Hundreds of them are right under me in this shot, but I didn't get any photos because the water had been clouded up by a storm that passed through a couple of days earlier. They like to grow the corals to a good size before bringing them in from the cages for export. The Clams The farm also raises all six species of giant clam commonly seen for sale over here, being Tridacna crocea, T. maxima, T. derasa, T. squamosa, T. gigas, and Hippopus hippopus. And, they raise H. porcellanus too, which I was looking forward to finally seeing. These are very difficult to find for sale, and haven't been seen in the U.S. market for many years as best as I know. I bought one about four years ago, and the supplier said it was the first they'd ever seen after being in the clam-selling business for over seven years. Despite having at least a couple hundred mature specimens on hand, they told me that none were sent to the U.S. Anyway, while the corals are relatively easy to deal with, the clams take a lot more work, as they obviously can't be cut up to make more. They also had lots of blue Tridacna squamosa clams on hand, something not seen very often in the U.S. I was quite surprised when they told me that about 10% of the squammies they raise are blue, meaning they aren't rare at all - just rare in the U.S. market. They also had dozens of full-size Hippopus porcelanus, which are practically impossible to find by in the U.S. Giant clams are spawners, meaning when the time comes, individuals can spew out huge numbers of sperm and eggs into the water where some will meet the sperm and eggs of other clams. All of them are hermaphrodites when they are mature, so each can produce both sperm and eggs, too. Well, on the farm they can be artificially enticed into spawning by injecting them with a small dose of the hormone serotonin. Once the hormone is injected into a clam's gonads, it will begin to spew clouds of sperm at first and then the eggs come after the sperm is depleted. So, in order to keep the clams from self-fertilizing (which makes for bad genetics), a clam is allowed to pump out the sperm and is then moved to another tank where the eggs can be released. Then the sperm can be collected from the water and intentionally mixed with the eggs from another clam. This sort of thing can be done with multiple clams, assuring that they have a good mixing of genetic material, which produces healthier clams. These are the adult broodstock clams used as the source of sperm and eggs. After all of this, the eggs start to divide and grow, and soon become swimming larvae. At this stage they still do not have any symbiotic zooxanthellae though, as it's not passed from the parents to the offspring. Coral fragments already contain some, of course, but the clam larvae have to get their own complement of the algae by filtering some from the water. So, the farmers grow zooxanthellae on site using a method they developed themselves, and add a little to the tanks that the larvae are in. The larvae then eat and hold onto it and allow it to reproduce inside their tissues. Other types of phytoplankton are also added, which the infant clams can also eat and used for food. Oddly enough, no one has figured out how it works, but the clams are able to keep the zooxanthellae alive for themselves, while simultaneously digesting other sorts of algae. Anyway, the swimming larvae drop to the bottom after a short period of time and begin to undergo a metamorphosis, losing the ability to swim and taking on a new life upon the bottom. The farmers continue to add phytoplankton for two months, and they also begin adding nitrogen-based chemicals, too. Giant clams need a source of nitrogen and can extract it directly from seawater in the form of ammonia and nitrate, but giving them extra amounts can increase their growth rates significantly. So, things like ammonium nitrate (fertilizer) or sodium nitrate can be added to help speed things up. Then, after sitting and growing in a holding tank, typically for more than a year, the clams are big enough to be placed in cages and put out to sea with the corals. At this time they still may be only an inch or two in length depending on the species, so many have a lot of growing to do before they can be sold as good-sized specimens. Some farms do sell clams while still at such a small size, but CV Dinar doesn't. I didn't ask why, but from what I understand, the small clams suffer significantly higher mortality rates, while bigger clams can handle shipping stresses much better. Once in the cages, the clams are left in place for as long as three more years. So, you can see that this can be a slow process that takes a lot of patience. The timing of collection is primarily due to the species, I should also add, as some clams like T. gigas and T. derasa can potentially grow many times faster than other clams, like T. crocea. These Hippopus hippopus clams have spent a long time in the cages, and are now ready for export. Regardless, the farmers are constantly putting out hundreds of clams at a time, and everything ends up running like a conveyor belt. Small ones go in and big ones come out. The seafloor has plenty of space for cages too, so using them and keeping them in the sea means that there can be thousands of clams out at a time while the facility only needs enough room to hold the juvenile clams and those that are ready for export. Everything in between takes up no space in the tanks. And Live Rock Too By the way, the rock they need for the bases is made by hand on site by using local stone and cement, and they make lots of artificial live rock ranging from fist-size up to large mounds a couple of feet tall, too. Basically they just lay out some palm leaves on the ground and pile up the concrete-like mix to the desired size. The cement is allowed time to harden, and then the pieces are put in piles in the sea for several months. So, it becomes fully cured there, and also gets some stuff growing on it. In the end, much of it looks as good as much of the live rock coming from the Pacific and is sold as aquacultured live rock. But, they also hold onto some of it to use in re-stocking efforts. All of the bases and rock they need is made on site. Restocking Reefs Again, many reefs are having problems, and the farm has been directed to help out by the Indonesian government. According to Aspari, they are allowed to operate the farm and export livestock as long as 10% of everything they grow is used to help the local reefs. So, they take some of the larger pieces of rock they produce and mount various corals and clams to them, then place them in areas that have been damaged in various ways. They were also trying to start new reefs in some spots, too. All in all, they're doing a great job and helping the hobby and the reefs. The staff at the CV Dinar facility was exceptionally nice and very knowledgeable, but I have no experience with them on the exporting and business end. This article is by no means an advertisement for them, and is strictly for education. Sources for more information on clam farming, which can be found online: Ellis, S. 2000. Nursery and Growout Techniques for Giant Clams (Bivalvia: Tridacnidae). Center for Tropical and Subtropical Aquaculture Publication 143. Ellis, S. 1998. Spawning and Early Larval Rearing of Giant Clams. Center for Tropical and Subtropical Aquaculture Publication 130. View the full article

Click through to see the images. All the tentacles are arranged in two clearly demarcated circular rows, and only the inner row develops the hammer-like/split-ends appearance. All polyps in this colony exhibit this mutation, but colonies of this exact specimen in other aquariums do not. The owner of this specimen does not know what caused this unique gene expression. As such, the owner is uncomfortable marketing this zoanthid as the next pricey "designer coral" (good for him!) This is a clear case of ecomorphology. Absolutely beautiful specimen and photography! Read the original thread at Nano-Reef.com Thanks to the Red Robot for the link! View the full article

Do animals that have evolved underground, completely isolated from the day-night cycle, still "know" what time it is? Does a normal circadian clock persist during evolution under constant darkness? A new study tackles these questions by investigating a species of cavefish which has lived for 2 million years beneath the Somalian desert, finding that it has an unusual circadian clock; it ticks with a period of up to 47 hours, and is completely blind. View the full article