by AquaNerd | Jul 29, 2013 | Contest, Equipment, Events, Industry
Here’s some great news for EcoTech Marine fanboys, which includes us too by the way. The Pennsylvania based water pump, and more recently LED lighting, company is celebrating their 10 year anniversary, and they’re doing it in style. They recently announced a Photo Contest over on their Facebook Page in which hobbyists can win all sorts of EcoTech Marine gear. The contest is held monthly, with different themes for each one. For example, July’s theme is “Impressive Diversity” and the first place winner will get a package that includes a VorTech MP10wES. The contest is open to just about everyone, and it’s driven by votes from Facebook fans. There are already a bunch of impressive pictures of diverse reef life in this month’s contest, so head on over there and vote. If you didn’t enter this month, don’t fret, as there are many more to come. We’d also like to congratulate EcoTech Marine for their accomplishments, as it’s not easy to stick around for a decade in this business and do this well. by AquaNerd | Jul 25, 2013 | Corals, Events, Industry, Tanks
Las Vegas is most known for its bright lights, spinning slot machines, and crazy parties. But there’s one annual event that pet retailers around the country flock to, and it has nothing to do with poker or flashy shows. SuperZoo happens every year in the City of Sin, and as always, there are some special treats in store for the aquarium keeping community. While we did not attend the show in person, that hasn’t stopped us from getting the scoop on a new product from JBJ USA, their new RL-20 Frag Tank. The new RL-20 has pretty typical dimensions for a frag tank, at least in terms of height. It has a footprint of 20” x 24” with a height of 9”. It’s total capacity is just under 20 gallons (calculated on the actual dimensions), and it’s totally rimless all around. Like other RL series aquariums made by JBJ, the RL-20 has a built-in three stage filtration system and water circulation. The filtration is housed in the rear chambers of the all-in-one aquarium and is covered with a black cover so users won’t have to look down at the unsightly filtration system. The frag rack will be included with the tank, which is made from black eggcrate and held off the bottom with supports. The small volume and cube-like footprint make the RL-20 a great frag tank for hobbyists short on space, or those just looking for something to drag over to local aquarium club meetings. If a frag tank isn’t in the plans, the tank also doubles for a spectacular look down aquarium for Tridacnid clams, or whatever else tickles your fancy. Currently, the system is still a prototype, so the final specs and pricing are yet to be solidified. A release date of Holiday 2013 has been penciled into the books, so we’ll be on the lookout for the aquarium later this year. by AquaNerd | Jul 24, 2013 | Conservation, Fish, Industry, Sustainability
At the end of June, the Hawaiian Board of Land and Natural Resources, with a 4-2 vote, passed new laws limiting collecting of fish for the aquarium trade to a 40 species “white list” for the Big Island. In addition to the creation of a white list, three of the species found on that list will also have specific bag limits, which are detailed below. Along with the white list, the vote also puts an outright ban on spear fishing with SCUBA gear for West Hawaiian waters. This list and its bag limits are a bit confusing and seem incomplete. Regardless, they may not even have an impact on the number of fish being imported into the hobby. This white list is for the Big Island of Hawaii only, including West Hawaii, but other areas won’t share the same legislation, at least for now. Other counties may adopt a similar set of rules and regulations, which could really handcuff the trade throughout the state. All that said, I do not see any big issues with a white list or bag limits, to be quite honest. The white list is what bothers me the most, as it prevents certain species that could be eventually aquacultured from ever reaching that status, and it excludes other fish that might be in an extreme abundance, but merely left out. Below are bag limits and the 40-species white list, both taken from Fish Channel. Bag Limits Yellow Tangs: no more than five larger than 4.5 inches or five smaller than 2 inches Gldring Surgeonfish (Kole Tang): no more than five per person per day larger than 4 inches Achilles Tang: limit of 10 per person per day The West Hawaii White List The following list represents the fish species that may still be taken for the aquarium trade in Hawaii. Fish not on the list are protected. Yellow tang Chevron tang Goldring surgeonfish Achilles tang Tinker’s butterflyfish Orangespine Unicornfish Forecepfish Goldrim surgeonfish Potter’s angelfish Fourspot butterflyfish Yellowtail Coris Ornate Wrasse Orangeband surgeonfish Bird wrasse Eyestripe Surgeonfish Multiband butterflyfish Saddle wrasse Brown surgeonfish Flame wrasse Thompson’s surgeonfish Peacock grouper Bluestripe snapper Redbarred hawkfish Psychedelic wrasse Hawaiian Whitespotted toby Fisher’s angelfish Hawaii Dascyllus Milletseed butterflyfish Blacklip butterflyfish Pyramid butterflyfish Shortnose wrasse Black durgon Spotted boxfish Blackside hawkfish Hawaii longfin anthias Eightline wrasse Fourline wrasse Smalltail wrasse Lei triggerfish Gilded triggerfish by Reef To Rainforest | Jul 22, 2013 | Conservation, Fish, Industry, Science
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPD7gsLpUEQ Set to launch at the Marine Aquarium Conference of North America (MACNA 2013) in South Florida, The Banggai Cardinalfish book represents almost two years’ of work and the involvement of hundreds of saltwater aquarists, marine biologists, aquarium industry leaders, and many conservation-minded supporters. The Banggai Cardinalfish, 304 pages, Hardcover $44.95, Quality Softcover $34.95. For a preview of the book, see this video by Matt Pedersen that runs through the entire 304 pages in about a minute and shows the scope of the international Banggai Rescue Project. The book will be distributed by Julian Sprung and Two Little Fishies in partnership with Reef to Rainforest Media, publishers of CORAL and AMAZONAS Magazines. “This book should make us all proud to be marine aquarists,” says Editor & Publisher James Lawrence. “The marine aquarium community has rallied to respond to a situation in which a uniquely beautiful and fascinating fish has been threatened by unregulated collection in a remote archipelago in Indonesia. We have unwittingly been part of the problem, but now we can feel that we are part of the solution.” “Perhaps the most important outcome of the Project so far has been the collaboration between our science team and their counterparts in Indonesia who are working to reform the Banggai Cardinal fishery while supporting the livelihoods of indigenous fishers in their own waters.” Book Credits:: Ret Talbot • Matt Pedersen • Matthew L. Wittenrich, Ph.D. Foreword by Dr. Gerald R. Allen with Martin A. Moe, Jr., Roy Yanong, V.M.D., and Thomas Waltzek, D.V.M., Ph.D. Publishing Team: Edited by James M. Lawrence Designed by Linda Provost Production: Anne Linton Elston Copyediting: Louise Watson, Alex Bunten Business Manager: Judith R. Billard Project Corporate Sponsors Books will be available at MACNA, August 30 to September 1 at the Two Little Fishies booth. Announcements coming soon about how to order the book. Source: Banggai-Rescue.com by Josh Saul | Jul 15, 2013 | Equipment, Industry, Invertebrates, Opinion
AlgaGen’s latest addition to their Coral Smoothie line is an interesting one. Mollusks make up a big part of the diet of reef critters, including the lucky cnidarians who manage to catch some of the nutritious... by AquaNerd | Jul 2, 2013 | Equipment, Industry, Tanks
It’s sleak, it’s stylish, and it’s big. We’re talking about the new Hexaplex aquarium magnet, and it’s one that Vertex Aquaristik recently teased on their Facebook page. Now, there’s no product description or any reference to size of the latest addition to the Cleaner-Mag line, so anything we say about this new magnet is going to be purely based on assumption…and assume we shall. From the looks of it, the magnet will be around the side of a credit card, and it carries the same design cues from its smaller siblings. Six magnets adorn each side of the magnet, which can be easily seen through the clear body of the stylish algae scraper. The magnets are a little different than what are seen in the other products of the Cleaner-Mag line. Instead of just a few uninspiring circles of metal wrapped in clear resin, Vertex decided to be a bit more creative. Their magnets are connected to each other with a thin piece of metal, making the overall look of the cleaner resemble the connections on a circuit board. It may not appear like much, but it just goes to further show how Vertex is attuned to making their products stand out visually. Getting back into the realm of assumption, the retail price of this new Hexaplex magnet probably won’t be cheap. We are thinking it will retail somewhere in the range of $75-100. We based this off of the fact that the second largest magnet in the line, the Triplex, retails for $35. This new magnet is easily double the size of that model, if not larger, and it’s magnets probably have to be a bit stronger as well. Still, considering that other less visually appealing magnets can easily cross the $100 barrier, if our assumptions hold true, it’s not a bad price at all. This Hexaplex magnet will probably be suitable for aquariums with 3/4″ glass. We are awaiting more detail from Vertex, and we’ll be sure to update accordingly once those have been revealed.
