Harlequinmania

Click through to see the images. Click here to view the Memorial Fund thread for more information on how you can help Danny's family. View the full article

A study of Yup'ik Eskimos in Alaska, who on average consume 20 times more omega-3 fats from fish than people in the lower 48 states, suggests that a high intake of these fats helps prevent obesity-related chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease. View the full article

Conservationists have discovered that groups of dolphins in the western Indian Ocean do not mix freely with one another. In fact, dolphin populations are kept separate by currents and other unseen factors. View the full article

Researchers have discovered a remarkable fossil which sheds new light on an important group of primitive sea creatures. View the full article

Click through to see the images. I started listening to the Reef Threads podcast two to three months ago, either after I heard about them on Facebook or found them through a Google Search while looking for reefkeeping podcasts to listen to on my daily commute (surprisingly enough, there are very few reefkeeping podcasts!). I started somewhere around episode 15-17 and have been a devoted listener ever since. As of this writing, they are up to Episode #27, and I've listened to every single one of them. The Reef Threads audio podcast is hosted by Gary Parr and Sara Bertolino, both veteran reefkeepers, and is released every Sunday on their website ReefThreads.com. On their podcast, Gary and Sara discuss reefkeeping bulletin board threads from across the internet and reef aquarium magazine articles that they've found interesting. They provide commentary on what was said and offer their take on the topics and issues presented. Every podcast also includes a Noteworthy Tank they discuss in detail at the end of the podcast. Links to all of the commentary are found on their website in case the listener wants to read the thread(s) that they've discussed in a particular episode. Each podcast is approximately 30-45 minutes in length, which works out great for commutes, short jaunts in the car, or during leisure time. Overall I find their podcast insightful and it's obvious to the listener that they both greatly enjoy this hobby. The podcast is available from their website as a free download and also from iTunes (search for Reef Threads). They're also on Facebook and on Twitter too. Definitely check them out. Have you listened to their podcast yet? What's your opinion? Also, do any of our readers have other podcasts that you listen to? View the full article

Zebrafish don't get sunburns, but they can get skin cancer -- at least those fish that have been engineered to model the often deadly human cancer. Researchers have used the zebrafish model to discover two new melanoma-promoting proteins that could be targets for therapy. View the full article

Click through to see the images. Researchers from the Wildlife Conservation Society have developed a "stress test" for coral reefs as a means of identifying and prioritizing areas that are most likely to survive bleaching events and other climate change factors. The researchers say that these "reefs of hope" are priorities for national and international management and conservation action. The test is a model that looks at environmental factors that stress corals – mainly from rising sea temperatures – and how these stresses affect overall coral and fish diversity. The results will help conservationists and managers identify reef systems most likely to survive over the next 50 years. The study appears in the online edition of Global Change Biology. The authors include Tim R. McClanahan, Joseph M. Maina, and Nyawira A. Muthiga of the Wildlife Conservation Society. The model uses layers of historical data, satellite imagery, and field observations to produce a composite map on the status of reefs in the western Indian Ocean, in addition to an index of coral communities, their diversity, and their susceptibility to bleaching. The study encompasses a wide swath of the western Indian Ocean, ranging from the Maldives to South Africa, an area already heavily impacted by bleaching events and coral mortality. The model identified the coastal regions stretching from southern Kenya to northern Mozambique, northeastern Madagascar, the Mascarene Islands, and the coastal border of Mozambique and South Africa as having the most promising characteristics of high diversity and low environmental stress. The authors say these biologically diverse and hardy reefs are therefore a priority for implementing management that will reduce human impacts and stresses, while alternative strategies for adaptation are necessary in areas with lower chances of long-term survival. "The future is going to be more stressful for marine ecosystems, and coral and their dependent species top the list of animals that are going to feel the heat of climate warming," said Dr. McClanahan, the study's lead author and WCS Senior Conservationist. "The study provides us with hope and a map to identify conservation and management priorities where it is possible to buy some time for these important ecosystems until the carbon emissions problems have been solved." The coral reefs of the western Indian Ocean represent a significant portion of the overall biodiversity of tropical reef systems worldwide. The western Indian Ocean also represents a crucial testing ground for management responses to climate-driven events such as coral bleaching. For instance, an estimated 45 percent of living coral was killed during 1998's warm temperature anomaly. Caleb McClennen, Director of the Wildlife Conservation Society's Marine Program, said: "Reducing human impacts to minimize the multiple stressors on these globally important reefs will give corals a fighting chance in the age of global climate change. These results reveal a window of opportunity for the future conservation of the ocean's most biodiverse ecosystem." Contact: John Delaney jdelaney@wcs.org 718-220-3275 Wildlife Conservation Society View the full article

In a lakewide study, scientists have found a considerable decline in native fish species density at Lake Tahoe since 1951. They are recommending establishing and implementing a management plan to protect the nearshore zone habitat, which is critical to native fish. View the full article

Researchers have developed a "stress test" for coral reefs as a means of identifying and prioritizing areas that are most likely to survive bleaching events and other climate change factors. The scientists say that these "reefs of hope" are priorities for national and international management and conservation action. View the full article

Researchers have developed a "stress test" for coral reefs as a means of identifying and prioritizing areas that are most likely to survive bleaching events and other climate change factors. The scientists say that these "reefs of hope" are priorities for national and international management and conservation action. View the full article

Researchers use the conch shell as an example of 'toughness-by-architecture' in the quest for new synthetic materials for engineering, construction and aerospace applications. View the full article

Bryozoans (moss animals) are a group of aquatic invertebrates that are found in great variety throughout the world, with well over 100 species in Sweden alone. Yet little is known about them. Researchers have now studied Swedish bryozoan species using DNA techniques. View the full article

The bodies of harbor seals, which live in estuaries or along coastlines where industrial activities take place, are highly contaminated. This is the result of a European study, involving Spanish participation, which warns of the danger to these mammals from ports throughout Europe, even in the Mediterranean. View the full article

Click through to see the images. Craving some underwater eye candy? Trying to find inspiration? Or perhaps you're just looking to procrastinate a bit. Advanced Aquarist has your cure. Here are some of the best new reef videos posted on youtube this week. If you find any aquarist videos you think deserves a mention in our blogs, let us know! Speed's SPS Angel reef tank Bermo's SPS reef tank MarvinrReef's Wrasse and Anthias reef tank (during feeding time) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TDUMhB4g-Rw View the full article

Click through to see the images. The Eheim Aquastyle will be available in 3 sizes: 4 gallon (16L) measuring 9 x 9 x 11" (24 x 24 x 28cm), 4mm glass 6 gallon (24L) measuring 11 x 11 x 12.5" (27.5 x 27.5 x 32cm), 4mm glass 9 gallon (35L) measuring 12 x 12 x 14" (31 x 31 x 36mcm), 5mm glass All Aquastyle aquariums will feature: Rimless, all-glass construction with rounded glass corners 7W LED lights (with mounting arm) Built-in corner internal filter with media box (suitable for biomedia, carbon, phosphate remover etc.) with a pump output of 53gph (200lph) Optional gray or black matching, contemporary, pedestal stands. The Aquastyle model numbers are currently designated by their volumes in liters (Aquastyle 16, Aquastyle 24, and Aquastyle 35), although Eheim USA is expected to to rename the models for the US market to represent volumes by gallon (Aquastyle 4, Aquastyle 6, and Aquastyle 9). There are also unconfirmed reports reef versions of Aquastyle aquariums are set to debut in the future, although no additional details are available at this time. We can only hope a reef version will include more powerful LEDs, stronger flow, and perhaps a small protein skimmer. Video of the 9 gallon Aquastyle below: View the full article

There are many different kinds of crustaceans, ranging from edible shellfish to their tiny relatives found in the millions in both freshwater and saltwater. One of the latter, Daphnia pulex, is the first crustacean to have its genome sequenced. View the full article

There are many different kinds of crustaceans, ranging from edible shellfish to their tiny relatives found in the millions in both freshwater and saltwater. One of the latter, Daphnia pulex, is the first crustacean to have its genome sequenced. View the full article

Ecosystems containing several species are more productive than individual species on their own. Using data from more than 400 published experiments, an international research team has found overwhelming evidence that biodiversity in the plant kingdom is very efficient in assimilating nutrients and solar energy, resulting in greater production of biomass. View the full article

Scientists have created a framework that increases the effectiveness of critical reef monitoring techniques. The new framework improves the accuracy and efficiency of fish counts and can be used to determine the best long term management strategies -- whether the reefs are in Florida, Hawaii or anywhere around the world. View the full article

Scientists have created a framework that increases the effectiveness of critical reef monitoring techniques. The new framework improves the accuracy and efficiency of fish counts and can be used to determine the best long term management strategies -- whether the reefs are in Florida, Hawaii or anywhere around the world. View the full article

Fish are not as dumb as people sometimes think. Marine scientists have found that fish that are regularly hunted with spearguns are much more wary and keep their distance from fishers. In investigating the effects of marine areas closed to fishing by customary laws, an international team of researchers working in the Pacific found that fish exposed to speargun fishing take flight much earlier when a diver approaches compared with those living in protected zones. View the full article

Fish are not as dumb as people sometimes think. Marine scientists have found that fish that are regularly hunted with spearguns are much more wary and keep their distance from fishers. In investigating the effects of marine areas closed to fishing by customary laws, an international team of researchers working in the Pacific found that fish exposed to speargun fishing take flight much earlier when a diver approaches compared with those living in protected zones. View the full article

An interesting chart i found for easy diagnose of various types of fish diseases ..

Click through to see the images. Photo by James W. Fatherree, M.Sc. (as published in his December 2010 Advanced Aquarist article: "Crabs in the Marine Aquarium") Here is an uncommon video of a common blue-legged hermit crab in the act of changing shells. Don't blink ... the swap transpires in about one second (a little after the 1:00 mark). Hermit crabs do not build their own shells, so make sure to provide your hermit crabs additional shells for them to move into as they grow. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhyQT5Jua00 original thread: http://www.3reef.com/forums/show-off-your-fish-tanks/caught-my-crab-video-changing-shells-106823.html View the full article

Click through to see the images. Photo by James W. Fatherree, M.Sc. (as published in his December 2010 Advanced Aquarist article: "Crabs in the Marine Aquarium") Here is an uncommon video of a common blue-legged hermit crab in the act of changing shells. Don't blink ... the swap transpires in about one second (a little after the 1:00 mark). Hermit crabs do not build their own shells, so make sure to provide your hermit crabs additional shells for them to move into as they grow. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhyQT5Jua00 original thread: http://www.3reef.com/forums/show-off-your-fish-tanks/caught-my-crab-video-changing-shells-106823.html View the full article