Harlequinmania

Click through to see the images. If you are a cephalopod enthusiast, then this announcement will be music to your ears. The Octopus News Magazine Online (TONMO) has just announced that they will be partnering with the Washington Area Marine Aquarium Society (WAMAS) to host TONMOCON IV at the Wardman Park Marriott on October 7-9, 2011. This event just so happens to coincide with the International Cephalopod Awareness Days, which celebrates all things cephalopod. TONMOCON is a conference that is held every two years and it discusses a myriad of subjects relating to these creatures. It's a great socializing event for people enamoured with cephalopods and want to learn more about their husbandry and lives. According to the official TONMO post: Dr. Steve O'Shea will be coming in from New Zealand and will be our keynote speaker, and we've lined up several other speakers for the day. Of course we will have the Monty awards, and may other attractions and surprises. Details are forthcoming for the specifics of the conference. If you'd like to see what's been discussed at previous conferences, check out their Conferences page. If you are on Facebook, you can join the event on their TONMOCON IV Event Page for more details. (via TONMO) View the full article

Click through to see the images. If you are a cephalopod enthusiast, then this announcement will be music to your ears. The Octopus News Magazine Online (TONMO) has just announced that they will be partnering with the Washington Area Marine Aquarium Society (WAMAS) to host TONMOCON IV at the Wardman Park Marriott on October 7-9, 2011. This event just so happens to coincide with the International Cephalopod Awareness Days, which celebrates all things cephalopod. For those that don't know, TONMOCON is a conference that is held every two years and it discusses a myriad of subjects relating to these creatures. It's a great socializing event for those people enamoured with cephalopods and want to learn more about their husbandry and lives. According to the official TONMO post: Dr. Steve O'Shea will be coming in from New Zealand and will be our keynote speaker, and we've lined up several other speakers for the day. Of course we will have the Monty awards, and may other attractions and surprises. Details will be forthcoming on the specifics of the conference. If you'd like to see what's been discussed at previous conferences, check out their Conferences page. If you are on Facebook, you can join the event on their TONMOCON IV Event Page for more details. (via TONMO) View the full article

Click through to see the images. In honor of Earth Day, I thought it would be prudent to highlight projects that are attempting to do something to make our world a little bit better. One of them is a project started by Kevin Cunningham of Spirare Surfboards to reclaim oceanic debris and transform it into functional art: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/408559255/spirare-sustainable-surf-craft Here's a synopsis of the project from their Kickstarter project page: Inspired by the beauty of nature and the large amounts of man-made debris in the oceans I am embarking on a series of surfboards that reclaim trash that washes up onto the shore. It is a dichotomy between the natural and unnatural. Natural materials form my surfboards; conversely, fragments of man-made debris such as plastic and glass are recycled and reused in the skin of the surfboard. Plastic bags woven into a strengthening cloth, plastic bottles cut up and reassembled into fins, and many other possibilities to be explored. ... My surfboards are to be viewed as both functional and fine art that emphasize Green design and sustainable construction while maintaining a high performance standard. The surfboards I shape do not wear out like conventional foam boards; they last ten times as long without any reduction in performance over time. Given the vast amounts of trash in our world's oceans, Kevin shouldn't have problems obtaining materials for his project. (via Wired, Planetsave) View the full article

Click through to see the images. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission plans hearings and a public telephone conference call to discuss placing limits on the harvest of octocorals from Floridian waters. The state is also planning to extend its regulatory authority into federal waters. If you'd like to participate in the discussion, here is the schedule for the hearings and conference call: Monday, May 2 FWC South Regional Office, 8535 Northlake Blvd., West Palm Beach. Tuesday, May 3 City of Key Colony Beach, City Hall Building, City Hall Auditorium, Mile Marker 53.5, 600 W. Ocean Drive, Key Colony Beach Thursday, May 5, from 6-8 p.m The telephone conference call. Contact the FWC at 850-487-0554 for information on how to participate in the call. source: http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/blogs/green-south-florida/sfl-state-may-limit-coral-harvests-20110421,0,2471426.story View the full article

Scotland’s first fully protected marine reserve, and only the second in the UK, is already providing commercial and conservation benefits, according to new research. View the full article

Scotland?s first fully protected marine reserve, and only the second in the UK, is already providing commercial and conservation benefits, according to new research. View the full article

What tales they tell of their former lives, these old bones of sirenians, relatives of today's dugongs and manatees. And now, geologists have found, they tell of the waters in which they swam. While researching the evolutionary ecology of ancient sirenians -- commonly known as sea cows -- scientists unexpectedly stumbled across data that could change the view of climate during the Eocene Epoch, some 50 million years ago. View the full article

Click through to see the images. All you need is a bit of electronics know-how, some time, and you, too, can DIY this simple circuit. 'kyroguy' over at MonsterMiniBow.com was in need of a simple kill switch for his return pump that would essentially turn off his return pump if the tank began to fill faster than the overflow could handle. He was looking for something simple, inexpensive, and reliable that would accomplish the task. The problem was he couldn't find anything that fit the bill, so he headed over to AllAboutCircuits.com where their members (primarily a person by the handle 'erich_7719') helped him design the circuit. Here is the complete parts list. The entire device costs less than $45 to assemble. The final build ends up turning off the return pump once the rising water level touches the sensor that's suspended over the aquarium. After the plugged overflow problem is rectified, pressing the reset button turns the return pump back on. The key differences compared to other overflow preventing switches out there are: This solution doesn't rely on a mechanical float switch that can potentially jam and fail. The pump remains off until you reset the circuit. See how the DIY sensor functions in the below video: (via Hack A Day) View the full article

Click through to see the images. Last week we mentioned that the Legoland Octopus Exhibit was delayed due to the the cephalopods being "divas" (as one commenteer mentioned) and not liking their new housing. This caused the staff to have to make some updates to the life support systems and tanks that will be maintaining the newest additions to Sea Life Aquarium. I happened to be checking Twitter last night and noticed the following two tweets from @SEALIFEAquarium: http://twitter.com/#!/SEALIFEAquarium/status/60856297368723456 http://twitter.com/#!/SEALIFEAquarium/status/60893024011563008 It looks like it'll be opening in two days. If you're in the area, check it out and let us know what you think in the comments below! Update Looks like there's some additional information from CBS8 in San Diego, CA along with video: Five separate display tanks in the aquarium on the grounds of Legoland California contain a Giant Pacific Octopus, a Common Octopus, a Zebra Octopus, Pharaoh Cuttlefish and Chambered Nautilus. The Octopus Garden, named after The Beatles' song, includes an interactive floor projection that reacts when kids move over the floor area, a hide-and-seek octopus game, an octopus memory quiz, an octopus maze, and two new educational presentations. View the full article

Click through to see the images. Last week we mentioned that the Legoland Octopus Exhibit was delayed due to the the cephalopods being "divas" (as one commenteer mentioned) and not liking their new housing. This caused the staff to have to make some updates to the life support systems and tanks that will be maintaining the newest additions to Sea Life Aquarium. I happened to be checking Twitter last night and noticed the following two tweets from @SEALIFEAquarium: http://twitter.com/#!/SEALIFEAquarium/status/60856297368723456 http://twitter.com/#!/SEALIFEAquarium/status/60893024011563008 It looks like it'll be opening in two days. If you're in the area, check it out and let us know what you think in the comments below! View the full article

Click through to see the images. From Acroporas to a "smiling" Parrotfish, splotchy Maroon Clownfish to Oriental Sweetlips, spawning corals and sea cucumbers ... the breadth of life is breathtaking. Here are some (reduced-size) samples of some of Mr. Doubilet's photography as showcased by National Geographic. Please visit National Geographic's gallery to view - and purchases prints of - more photos. Visit David Doubilet's website for even more photos! The beautiful photography of David Doubilet And to top it all off, here's a National Geographic video on the Great Barrier Reef. View the full article

New Caledonia possesses the second largest coral reef lagoon on Earth and harbors an exceptional biodiversity. The island is also the world's third most important nickel producer. Ore extraction over the 20th Century has in places tripled the input of sediments and accompanying pollutants, such as metals, in the marine environment. View the full article

Click through to see the images. Here is the original press release for the construction of The Center of Excellence for Coral Reef Ecosystems Science Research Facility. (Can the name be any longer?! I will henceforth refer to the new facility as TCECRESRF) This week, www.RDmag.com published an article detailing the design and construction aspects of the construction project. While the article focuses on the design aspects, since the facility is naturally designed with purpose, we get a better understanding of what TCECRESRF will do. Some snippets and summaries of the article: Scientists from the Nova Southeastern Univ. Oceanographic Center have dedicated nearly half a century to the study of the history, health, impacts, restoration and conservation of coral reefs. The U.S. Congress has recognized Nova Southeastern's leadership in coral reef research and in 1998 mandated the establishment of the National Coral Reef Institute (NCRI), which resides in Fort Lauderdale at the Oceanographic Center of Nova Southeastern Univ. According to the article, Nova Southeastern "successfully competed against 167 well-known, nationally recognized universities to win a $15 million award from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)" to build this facility. Nova Southeastern was able to secure additional funding totaling $37 million to construct TCECRESRF and is scheduled to open in January, 2012. Nova Southeastern plans to add 22 new academic positions and employ 50 graduate students once the facilities are operational. TCECRESRF will include: A seawater system and intensive labs for coral biology and ecology.<li>Wet labs for microbiology and genomics.<li>Geology-style labs for scelochronology.<li>Electronics labs for ocean hydrodynamics.<li>Computational labs for geospatial analysis and mapping.<li>A renovated marina containing the university’s research and education vessels Two design elements of particular interest to reefkeepers: Seawater is batch treated to refine the water quality before being moved into a secondary treatment system that further clarifies the water quality and adjusts the water for temperature. Treated water is pumped to a storage tank in the penthouse from where the water is distributed by gravity to the interior and exterior seawater labs. For the extremely sensitive science of coral propagation, there is third seawater treatment loop specifically designed to further clarify the water quality and temperature. Removal is also highly controlled by a return system of filtration and tanks to ensure that sewater is returned to the ocean at the optimum temperature and quality. The main energy conservation system, however, is a highly efficient chilled water system utilizing ice-based thermal energy storage. The ice field is created during off-peak hours in modular tanks by running water source chillers, and to maintain comfort conditions even on warm summer nights, the water used for the formation of ice is mixed with building return water to maintain a constant 40°F supply. During the day, with the chillers off, sufficient cooling for all anticipated environmental and scientific conditions is provided by running chilled system water through the ice field tanks before being fed to the air handling units. The scope of design is expansive, and the details are meticulously thought out. Read the full article at RDmag.com (source link provided in the footer). From this: To this: source: http://www.rdmag.com/Lab-Design-News/Articles/2011/04/Design-Nova-Southeastern-Facility-Researches-Coral-Reef-Health-And-Preservations/ View the full article

Click through to see the images. As reported by www2.tbo.com (Tampa Bay Online): "Teams of four divers can compete on three different days beginning May 14 in Long Key. Prizes will be awarded for most caught, as well as largest and smallest." "Derby dates include: May 14 — Fiesta Key Resort, Long Key; August 20 — Coconuts Restaurant, Key Largo; November 5 — Hurricane Hole Marina and Restaurant, Key West." Last year's tournament netted 664 Lionfish specimens. Sadly, this is a mere drop in the bucket. In related news this week, Eric Heupel (graduate student at University of Connecticut in Oceanography) blogs in www.deepseanews.com about a 'Seascape of Fear' ... an Atlantic seascape filled with Pterois volitans: the Indo-Pacific Lionfish. During dives in 2007, he was unable to spot any Lionfish; In 2011, he counted 13 in a small 100 square meter patch ... by snorkeling during the span of just two hours! He writes: If you’re not up to speed on the lionfish invasion, they were originally spotted off Southern Florida in 1992. By 2000 they were confirmed from Florida to North Carolina and in Bermuda. They now occur throughout much of the Caribbean and up the Atlantic Coast to Long Island Sound and southern Massachussetts. There is debate about how far north there is a year round population, as they have a minimum temperature of ~10°C. They have even been found by divers at 400′ depths, which unfortunately also implies we will not be able to get them all, even if we decided to try. "The genie is well and truly out of the bottle now, no putting it back." Lionfish are decimating native fish populations (both prey and their competing predators such as groupers and snapers), consequently altering ecosystems. The speed at which Lionfish are spreading across the Atlantic is startling. P.volitans can lay 30,000+ eggs every other month! As Eric laments: "The genie is well and truly out of the bottle now, no putting it back." Please read his blog to get a sense of the gravity of the Lionfish situation in the Atlantic. This must serve as a reminder to hobbyist to practice the utmost responsibility in not only the care but also the disposal of non-native species. With invasive Caulerpa and Lionfish wrecking havoc in global waters, it's a somber reminder how fragile balance in ecosystems are ... and how our small actions can make big impacts. source: http://www2.tbo.com/content/2011/apr/19/191812/fishing-tournament-targets-invasive-lionfish/sports/ View the full article

Scientists studying the fossils of tiny ocean-dwelling plankton, called foraminifera, have uncovered another piece in the puzzle of why species evolve or become extinct. View the full article

The first research to actively analyze adult male sea turtles using satellite tracking to link geography with pollutants has revealed the potential risks posed to this threatened species by human-made chemicals. The research examines the different levels of chemicals in the blood of both migratory and residential turtles. View the full article

It's like a scene out of a sci-fi movie -- thousands, possibly millions, of king crabs are marching through icy, deep-sea waters and up the Antarctic slope. View the full article

One year after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill began on April 20, 2010, two experts comment on the known and unknown impacts to wildlife -- in the air, on the land and in the sea. View the full article

Click through to see the images. Her thesis project is entitled Our Changing Seas: A Coral Reef Story and depicts a Pacific coral reef in stunning 3D detail. Each piece was hand crafted by Courtney, fired, and then bolted to a panel which was then attached to a metal frame support system. This particular work depicts the changing times of a coral reef. The bottom of the display is a colorful diverse reef environment. As the display progresses upward, the scene changes from a healthy reef scene to bleached coral and finally an algal covered “green, hairy nasty rubble pile.” In the artist's own words: This large-scale ceramic coral reef wall installation is based on my interdisciplinary study of how art can inspire marine conservation. This project combines reef conservation science and policy, fine art, and social sciences. I interviewed marine researchers, artists inspired by nature, and marine professionals regarding their thoughts on how art can promote coral reef stewardship and policy change. Prominent concepts that arose from my interviews – particularly those regarding human interactions with reefs –informed the design of this installation. Selected quotes from these interviews are displayed on either side of the piece and in accompanying publications to illustrate these experts’ voices uniting to emphasize the critical importance of coral reef conservation to policy makers and the public. Her work will be on display from Friday, April 15, through Friday, June 15, 2011, at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration headquarters in Washington, D.C. More information about the artist and her work can be found on her website. Update The NOAA website has just been updated with additional information and photos of this project along with the artist's statement about the project (pdf, 4 MB) which gives more insight into her sculpture. Below is a photo of the artist with the NOAA Administrator Dr. Lubchenco. This particular photo gives a much better rendition of the sheer magnitude of this project: Dr. Lubchenco and Artist Courtney Mattison. Photo credit: NOAA, Derek Parks (via Brown University, NOAA) View the full article

Click through to see the images. First and foremost, Advanced Aquarist thanks Ricardo Pinto of www.h2oplusomething.com for sharing his blog with us. Machado de Sousa's system was started in 2007. Here is a brief summary of the impressive coral farm: A 650L (~170g) Maternity Tank where the parent colonies are housed. A 450L (~120g) Nursery Tank where new polyps and tiny frags are kept until they are moved to ... Daycare Tanks (what USA hobbyist would refer to as "grow-out" tanks). Machado de Sousa uses a total of six 780L (~200g each) Daycare Tanks! (see photo to the right) A 100L (~25g) aquarium to temporarily house freshly glued frags A 200L (~50g) quarantine aquarium used for treatment and observation. A 2000L (~500g) sump system consisting of "live rock, DSB, mangrove, skimmers, calcium reactor, degassing calcium reactor, reactors for bio-pellets and zeolites, heaters, etc." Here are a few photos of the coral farm The Maternity Tank The Sump System I was surprised to find this coral farm is a non-commercial project. Machado de Sousa is a civil engineer by day. This is what you call passion and dedication! Please head over to www.h2oplusomething.com's outstanding blog post for a lot more information (including detailed equipment lists) and pictures on this amazing system. As Richardo Pinto describes it to us: "This is a non-commercial project and it has inspired many reefers in Portugal and Spain." Correction, my friend: It has inspired many reefers around the world! View the full article

Oxygenation brings dead sea bottoms to life. This creates the necessary conditions for the establishment of new ecosystems that enable nature itself to deal with eutrophication. By conducting pilot studies in two fjords in Sweden, researchers have demonstrated that pumping oxygen-rich surface water down to sea bottoms is effective. A large wind-driven pump is now to be tested in open water in the Baltic. View the full article

Click through to see the images. Arcuatus Angels are dear to my heart because I care for one and find A.arcuatus one of the most personable (if not hyper) species I've ever owned. If you've seen the Disney animated movie Up, think Dug (the dog). Apolemichthys arcuatus comes from the Hawaiian and Johnston Islands, found in slightly cooler (but still tropical) waters. I keep my specimen in a 176 gallon reef at 76oF. One of the greatest difficulties with maintaining this species in captivity is their hesitation to feed, but if/when they do, they are hardy and easy to care for (provided you can maintain temperatures below 80oF). For 2 weeks, my specimen refused to eat anything; I'm happy to report he now chows down on just about any prepared foods I offer him and has been doing very well for the year I've cared for him. Specimens that are available to US hobbyists are usually over 3" (8mm) in length; This species is rarely available in Europe. So I was extremely delighted to see not only photos of a baby A.arcuatus by Blue Harbor but also a rare video of their tiny specimen. And one more snapshot of this marvellous baby Arc: View the full article

Click through to see the images. Arcuatus Angels are dear to my heart because I care for one and find A.arcuatus one of the most personable (if not hyper) species I've ever owned. If you've seen the Disney animated movie Up, think Dug (the dog). Apolemichthys arcuatus comes from the Hawaiian and Johnston Islands, found in slightly cooler (but still tropical) waters. I keep my specimen in a 176 gallon reef at 76oF. One of the greatest difficulties with maintaining this species in captivity is their hesitation to feed, but if/when they do, they are hardy and easy to care for (provided you can maintain temperatures below 80oF). For 2 weeks, my specimen refused to eat anything; I'm happy to report mine now chows down on just about any prepared foods I offer him. He has been doing very well for the year I've cared for him. Specimens that are available to US hobbyists are usually over 3" (8mm) in length; This species is rarely available in Europe. So I was extremely delighted to see not only photos of a baby A.arcuatus by Blue Harbor but also a rare video of their tiny specimen. And one more snapshot of this marvellous baby Arc: View the full article

For those who wish to order smaller quantity of seawater, Reef system is now providing Filtered seawater Home delivery as well . Price at $6.00 for a 20 litres pail inclusive of delivery within free zone days. This has definitely make my water changes much easier. You can call or email them for order.

Flame retardants are chemical compounds added to fabrics and plastics to keep them from burning easily, but these can be toxic. Now a team of researchers from Spain and Canada has detected some of these emerging pollutants for the first time in peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus) eggs in both countries. View the full article