by Saltwater Smarts | Mar 24, 2016 | Cephalopods, Conservation, Equipment, Fish, Industry, Reef, Science
For 28 years, RVS Fishworld has been training and supplying fisherman in the Philippines with the knowledge and equipment needed for sustainable net collectionThe ocean is full of the unknown, allowing people’s imaginations to run wild. Combine that with film producers, writers, or groups with a divisive agenda, and you get mockumentaries entertaining the idea of a monster shark as big as a submarine, the internet claiming cephalopods are from another planet, and articles with an extremely misguided view of the marine aquarium fish trade. Over the past several months, I have taken a stand against pure failures of journalism, vigorously commenting with factual evidence that the journalist disregarded (intentionally or unintentionally). From “Mercury Gate” to the most recent completely unsubstantiated claim that 90% of all marine fish collected today for aquarium purposes are collected with the use of sodium cyanide, these failures cannot go unchecked.After 15 years in the hobby and 10 years within the industry, I knew that figure was fabricated before the coffee spitting out of my mouth hit the table in front of me. But let’s break this down. Why the sensational headline is false In a study done in 2004 and 2005, 11 million marine fish, comprised of 1,802 species, were imported into the United States. Our marine fish come from several areas (this can vary slightly today as some collectors are restricted by governments and changes in law), including Australia, Bahamas, Belize, Brazil, Canada, Cambodia, Chile, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Fiji, French Polynesia, Great Britain, Haiti, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Kenya, Kiribati, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Mexico, Netherlands Antilles, New Caledonia, Nicaragua, Palau, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Tonga, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, aaaaaand Yemen. Let me catch my breath here by Barry Brown | Jan 21, 2016 | Cephalopods, Corals, Eye Candy, Photography, Reef, Science
Good morning friends, I have a beautiful juvenile Caribbean Reef Octopus for you all today that I found at night clinging to this little gorgonian, talk about picture perfect!! We are constantly amazed at the multitude of colors these animals can change to in a matter of seconds, here he or she is displaying a brilliant electric blue color that one has to see in person to believe it… I am slowly getting better from this stupid flu and plan on diving today but Aimee is still sick as a dog. We both had a very quiet weekend at home doing almost nothing but sleeping and coughing so I unfortunately have nothing new to report. Our island is drying up once again at an alarming rate due to very little rain fall, for the first time since we have been here we didn’t get our normal winter rains, this means more drought is ahead.. by xeniaforever | Oct 8, 2015 | Cephalopods, Corals, Tanks
It’s World Octopus Day, and Rich Ross, a husbandry biologist specializing in cephalopods and coral at the California Academy of Sciences’ Steinhart Aquarium, is a guest host today on Reddit’s Science Ask Me Anything!... by Saltwater Smarts | Sep 18, 2015 | Cephalopods, Corals, Fish, Invertebrates, MACNA, Science, Tanks
Palythoa grandisMany of us are inspired to keep marine life for its exotic beauty or interesting behavior. But if we’re being perfectly honest, we have to admit there’s also something intriguing about keeping—and displaying to our friends and family—marine organisms that have dangerous or potentially deadly defense mechanisms, such as venomous spines, potent toxins, or razor-sharp teeth. For those hobbyists who like to flirt with danger, the marine aquarium trade certainly offers its share of prickly and poisonous characters—from venomous fishes to deadly cephalopods to noxious sessile invertebrates. There are even organisms we can buy that offer stunning beauty and potency in equal measure.Among these best-of-both-worlds critters are many of the zoanthids we’re so fond of keeping in our reef systems. These polyps (most of the ones we keep being from the Zoanthus and Palythoa genera) have much to recommend them, being very hardy and often stunningly beautiful. But some of them also contain a potent neurotoxin, called palytoxin, in their tissues and mucus that can make people very sick or even cause death if they’re not handled properly. Of course, blithely mentioning that certain popular zoanthids have the potential to sicken or kill people raises a whole host of questions that demand prompt, thorough answers. Among them: What is the nature of palytoxin by Francis Yupangco | Aug 12, 2015 | Cephalopods, Contest, Science
The Sea Life Michigan Aquarium is currently conducting on online poll to name its Enteroctopus dofleini, or Giant Pacific Octopus. The 14 month old female octopus arrived at the Aquarium last December and has remained... by Heidi dM | Jun 16, 2015 | Cephalopods, Invertebrates, Too Cute
The newest residents at the Henry Doorly Zoo have ten tentacles, swim via jet propulsion, squirt ink at potential danger and are masters of camouflage. Yes, the zoo has cuttlefish!!Sixteen dwarf cuttlefish are now on display near the giant Pacific octopus exhibit. ...
