Monsoon Fairy Wrasse hits the U.S. Market

Monsoon Fairy Wrasse hits the U.S. Market Monsoon Fairy Wrasse, Cirrhilabrus hygroxerus, arrives in the United States. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbJAVg9c5k8 Kernersville, NC, August 29, 2016) — Carolina Aquatics has acquired the exclusive rights to distribute the newly discovered and described Monsoon Fairy Wrasse (Cirrhilabrus hygroxerus). The fish will be displayed publicly for the first time at the Marine Aquarium Conference of North America in San Diego September 9-11, 2016, in the Carolina Aquatics booth #334. Carolina Aquatics will be taking wholesale orders at the conference. “We are excited to be able to bring this beautiful, rare aquarium fish to the hobby,” said Kris Cline, owner of Carolina Aquatics, which has exclusive rights to distribute the fish in the United States. “This is

Reef Threads Podcast #288


An aerial view of Midway Atoll in June 2007. Photo by Burl Burlingame/Honolulu Star Bulletin, via Associated Press. Borrowed from the NY Times article.

Another week another podcast. This week’s topics include MACNA, hobby books for John Zimmermann, Al Ulrich’s wife, Chicago Field Museum research on coral bleaching, Midway Atoll marine reserve, lionfish, and the new St. Louis public aquarium. Download the podcast here, or subscribe to our podcasts at iTunes. Also, follow us on Twitter at reefthreads.—Gary and Christine

Sponsor: Rod’s Food
Rod’s Food website

Papahanaumokuakea Marine Monument
Obama to Create World’s Largest Marine Reserve Off Hawaii, New York Times, Julie Hirschfeld Davis

Lionfish-killing robot
Researchers are building a robotic lionfish exterminator, Sean Buckley, Engadget

St. Louis public aquarium
St. Louis to build 1 million gallon aquarium, Advanced Aquarist, Leonard Ho

Support coral research
Support research by Timothy Swain, Phillip Osborn, Emily Bold, and Luisa Marcelino to understand coral bleaching

NameEmail *

Scientists discover Vast Reef Behind the Great Barrier Reef

James Cook University, University of Sydney and Queensland University of Technology scientists working with laser data from the Royal Australian Navy have discovered a vast reef behind the familiar Great Barrier Reef. JCU’s Dr Robin Beaman says the high-resolution seafloor data provided by LiDAR-equipped aircraft have revealed great fields of unusual donut-shaped circular mounds, each 200-300 meters across and up to 10 meters deep at the center. Halimeda is a green macroalgae composed of calcified leaf-like segments.  As these plants die, these segments turn white and accumulate over thousands of years forming thick mounds called bioherms.  Where these plants have died, A living layer of Halimeda algae covers the bioherms and stretches across an area of 6095 km2 on the landward side of the reef.

Salty Q&A: Can Powerheads Be Concealed in Rockwork?

Ensuring proper flow in your aquarium should be the number one priority, then aestheticsQuestionI have a new 60-gallon reef tank, and I’m using two powerheads to provide water circulation. One is mounted in the upper right-hand corner of the tank near the back and the other is in the lower left-hand corner near the front. My problem is, while the powerheads are providing good water flow, I hate the look of them. To my eye, they stand out like a sore thumb, and I want my tank to look as naturalistic as possible. Is there any reason I can’t hide them in the rocks?” – Submitted by Amir Answer Thanks for your question, Amir. It is possible to conceal powerheads among the rockwork in a reef system, but before attempting to do so, you’ll need to consider each of the following important points: Proper flow trumps aesthetics Good water circulation is absolutely essential in a reef system, so any aesthetic consideration with respect to powerheads should come in a very distant second to the flow they provide. Keep in mind that hiding powerheads in rockwork can easily limit their output if you’re not careful in their placement. If you’re unable to achieve the desired water movement with the powerheads tucked away behind rocks, it’s better to leave them out in the open.

Probable Great White Shark Nursery Discovered off Long Island

OCHEARCH, an ocean research organization, has discovered a Great White nursery/birthing site in the North Atlantic, off the coast of Montauk, Long Island. Chris Fischer, the founding chairman of Ocearch (the organization behind the development) told CBS News that they had “definitely [found]the nursery, likely the birthing site.”  The find is “probably the most significant discovery we’ve ever made on the ocean,” Fischer added. Locating sites where North Atlantic great white sharks give birth and raise their young in the North Atlantic can lead to better efforts to protect and better understand these apex predators.  Great White sharks are described as “vulnerable.”  A vulnerable species is one which has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as likely to