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Harlequinmania

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  1. Things are not always what they seem when it comes to fish -- something scientists are finding out. Using modern genetic analysis, combined with traditional examination of morphology, scientists discovered that what were once thought to be three species of blenny in the genus Starksia are actually 10 distinct species. View the full article
  2. Researchers estimate that fisheries catches in the Arctic totaled 950,000 tonnes from 1950 to 2006, almost 75 times the amount reported to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization during this period. View the full article
  3. Things are not always what they seem when it comes to fish -- something scientists are finding out. Using modern genetic analysis, combined with traditional examination of morphology, scientists discovered that what were once thought to be three species of blenny in the genus Starksia are actually 10 distinct species. View the full article
  4. Researchers estimate that fisheries catches in the Arctic totaled 950,000 tonnes from 1950 to 2006, almost 75 times the amount reported to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization during this period. View the full article
  5. Coral reefs present a treacherous wall of mouths to flea-sized planktonic crustaceans, but the clamor generated by animals on the reef may act like a foghorn to warn them away from danger. View the full article
  6. Coral reefs present a treacherous wall of mouths to flea-sized planktonic crustaceans, but the clamor generated by animals on the reef may act like a foghorn to warn them away from danger. View the full article
  7. Scientists have located portions of the long-lost Pink Terraces near New Zealand. They were called the Eighth Wonder of the World. Until the late 19th century, New Zealand's Pink and White Terraces along Lake Rotomahana on the North Island, attracted tourists from around the world, interested in seeing the beautiful natural formations created by a large geothermal system. But the eruption of Mt. Tarawera on June 10, 1886, buried the terraces in sediment and caused the lake basin to enlarge, engulfing the land where the terraces stood. For more than a century, people have speculated whether any part of the Pink and White Terraces survived the eruption. View the full article
  8. Oysters are in "poor" condition globally, according to a new global assessment. In most of the "bays" and ecoregions where the mollusks were once abundant, reefs are at less than 10 percent of their former extent, the victims of over-exploitation exacerbated by disease. Sustainable management of oyster fisheries could help some populations recover, especially in the Gulf of Mexico, one of the few places in the world where there are still extensive reefs in fair condition. View the full article
  9. Scientists are growing sea cucumbers on waste from fish farms in a bid to reduce the environmental impact of aquaculture and introduce a novel -- and sustainable -- delicacy to the European diet. View the full article
  10. People who follow a vegan lifestyle -- strict vegetarians who try to eat no meat or animal products of any kind -- may increase their risk of developing blood clots and atherosclerosis or "hardening of the arteries," which are conditions that can lead to heart attacks and stroke, study suggests. View the full article
  11. Scientists are growing sea cucumbers on waste from fish farms in a bid to reduce the environmental impact of aquaculture and introduce a novel -- and sustainable -- delicacy to the European diet. View the full article
  12. One of Mother Nature's latest gifts to medical science is stirring excitement with the discovery that the substance -- obtained from a coral-reef inhabiting cyanobacterium -- appears to be an ideal blueprint for developing new drugs for serious fractures, osteoporosis, and other bone diseases. View the full article
  13. In the search for life on Mars or any planet, there is much more than the presence of carbon and oxygen to consider. Using Earth's biogeochemical cycles as a reference point, elements like nitrogen, iron and sulfur are just as important for supporting life. As explored in studies published in February's open-access Special Issue of Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, the most basic elements work together to support an extraordinary diversity of life. View the full article
  14. Biologists have discovered that primitive, predatory lampreys have structures within their gills that play the same role as the thymus, the organ where immune cells called T cells develop in mammals, birds and fish. The finding suggests that in vertebrate evolution, having two separate organs for immune cell development -- the bone marrow for B cells and the thymus for T cells -- may have preceded the appearance of the particular features that mark those cells, such as antibodies and T cell receptors. View the full article
  15. Although turtles have been on the planet for about 220 million years, scientists now report that almost half of the turtle species is threatened. View the full article
  16. Although turtles have been on the planet for about 220 million years, scientists now report that almost half of the turtle species is threatened. View the full article
  17. Estuaries are highly appropriate systems for evaluating contamination. They are areas of accumulation of sediments and, effectively, numerous contaminants are found associated with these sedimentary particles. In order to study the effects of such contaminants in the environment, a researcher has proposed exposing sea urchin embryos to sediments suspected of being contaminated, in order to quantify any biological response from the organisms. View the full article
  18. Life scientists report the first quantitative evidence for an evolutionary link in turtles and tortoises between habitat and body size. View the full article
  19. Scientists have studied the progression rates of the large European silver eel Anguilla anguilla in late freshwater and early marine phases. The results show that while mortality was low in the lower parts of the river, fully 60% of the eels disappeared in Randers Fjord. This confirms the hypothesis that the mortality of silver eels is high in the early marine phase of migration. View the full article
  20. Scientists have studied the progression rates of the large European silver eel Anguilla anguilla in late freshwater and early marine phases. The results show that while mortality was low in the lower parts of the river, fully 60% of the eels disappeared in Randers Fjord. This confirms the hypothesis that the mortality of silver eels is high in the early marine phase of migration. View the full article
  21. Freshwater baths have been used by many seawater aquarists for a ling time because they can be very effective against parasitic infestations. They seem to work so well because they give the pathogens a powerful osmotic shock: the parasites take up water so fast that they explode. However performing a fresh water bath can be very stressful to the fish, so it should only be done with great care and only for a short period of time when you cab watch the fish without any distraction. The basis steps involves the followings; 1) Fill a container with treated fresh water , such as RO/DI filtered water or boiled water which is left to cool to dechlorinated it. If you have no choice but to use tap water , do make sure to dechlorinate it prior to using. 2) Matching the PH and water temperature as the main aquarium before use will prevent unnecessary shock and stress to the fish. To match the PH , you can use one teaspoon of sodium bicarbonate to bring it up to the desire PH level. 3) To treat the fish, catch it as carefully as possible and place it gently into the container filled with fresh water. 4) The fish will probably lie on its side for a while, but should not be showing any other sign of distress. If it does show signs of distress, it should be put back into the seawater immediately. 5) The overall freshwater bath process should last about 3 - 4 min not more than 10 min . Hope the above information shared helps
  22. With the amount of time and money invested on this hobby , it is wise to protect on your valuable "Asset" in your fish tank. I am starting a topic on setting up a QT and pinning this up and hopefully the information will be useful to all. Some said that we need a second marine tank in order to to keep the first one healthy, and owning a Quarantine tank is necessary for the long term health of your aquarium, and sadly many reefer have left the hobby after lost heart of their beloved fishes dieing to diseases or mystery death without knowing the real cause of it. Unfortunately, tropical marine fishes are often vulnerable to diseases because of stress caused by transported over long distances, or from other fishes inside the holding tank during shipment . Adjusting to Aquarium life can also add stress to these marine fish and lower their immune system. With all the above reason and uncertainly of the health of your newly bough fish , If you don't quarantine your fish, you are taking a gamble hoping that the newly introduce fish to your tank is free from any diseases and does not affect the other healthy fishes inside your tank. A quarantine tank can also act as a hospital tan in which fishes from the main tank can be treated without harming the corals in the main tank. However, since we are living in a small country our premises does not allow us to have space for more than one tank , but the truth is, owning a simple Quarantine system can be inexpensive and easy. Many hobbyists may have already own some of these equipments to setup a simple QT tank. The best part is your only need to run a QT when you plan to add new fish or corals. 1) Start with a simple glass tank , pail or plastic container which hold a minimum of 25 ~ 50 liters of water depending on the size of your fish. You do not need any substrate or decorations. But i do use some live rock and a few large PCV elbows to act as a hiding places for these new fish to hid in . This will make them feel safer, thereby reducing stress in a new environment. 2) After acclimating your newly bought fish with your tank water, place it in your QT tank. 3) Place your QT tank in a location which is cool and away from direct sunlight, monitor the temperature of the water. normally for a fish only QT tank, a temperature of below 30 degree is acceptable. You use use a simple fan to cool the QT tank if required. 3) Filtration - I uses only a simple air stone or a sponge filter together with a hangover filter to act as a biological filtration for the QT tank. This should covers the biological filtration while oxygenating and moving the water. Further more it will prevent extra heat being generated into the water from any power head with direct contact with the water keeping it cool. In order to speed up the process of the biological filtration in the new QT tank, i would use the media which i have placed inside my sump tank to run on the hang-on filter. 4) Water - If possible use water for your QT tank or changing your water with it . This will help reproduce the conditions in your display tank and help kick start the biological filtration. 5) Monitor of water quality - Do monitor the water quality in your QT tank keeping the Ammonia, nitrite in check and it is good if you can performance a daily or every two day water change . 6) Lighting -You do not need any lighting for your QT tank, unless you have some coral in it. 7) Feeding - Since you are running a minimum filtration in a QT tank, feed the minimum the fish can take . Fish can live on little foods and a day or two without any foods. 7) Medicate your new fish - It is not necessary to medicate your new fish in QT unless you notice something during the quarantine period. If you prefer the extra protection through, you can add in some to prevent any diseases. 8) How long do i need to Quarantine the fish ? - usually for a minimum of two weeks, or longer. You should be able to observe the quarantined animal daily for signs of parasites, infection and / or odd behavior. If something is our of the ordinary, treat it as necessary, and restart the clock on the quarantine once the fish shows abnormal signs. 9) After two week of Quarantine - You are now safe to transfer your new fish into your show tank with a healthy specimen. 10) you don't need to run your Quarantine tank all the time, You can either keep it away until you plan on getting a new fish or you can also consider keeping it running all the time. , just in case you need to convert it into a hospital tank to treat your fish. I hope the above cover the basis of setting up a simple QT tank, and please feel free to share any experience in it.
  23. People are increasingly obtaining endangered or threatened plants, often illegally, and moving them outside their native range, according to a new article. View the full article
  24. Researchers have completed a new study on the geography of commercial fisheries in Northwest Mexico and the results could have far-ranging implications for the sustainable future of marine wildlife in the area. View the full article
  25. Researchers have completed a new study on the geography of commercial fisheries in Northwest Mexico and the results could have far-ranging implications for the sustainable future of marine wildlife in the area. View the full article
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