by Tami Weiss | Jan 7, 2016 | Conservation, Fish, Opinion, Reef, Science, Seahorses
Dwarf Seahorses among Galaxaura subverticillata, one of the macroalgaes they associate with in the wild. 2016 will see wild Dwarf Seahorse Hippocampus zosterae gain new protections in the waters around Florida. These regulations are designed to limit their harvest from the wild in order to sustainably manage Dwarf Seahorse populations. The proposed regulations: Recreational bag limit: reduce the current limit of five (5) of each species of seahorse (within the 20 organism aggregate bag limit for all Marine Life species) to five (5) seahorses total per person per day Commercial trip limit: reduce the current daily commercial limit from 400 dwarf seahorses to 200 per person or per vessel (whichever is less) Establish an annual commercial quota of 25,000 individual dwarf seahorses and provide for closure of the recreational and by Francis Yupangco | Dec 19, 2015 | Conservation, Corals, Science
While employed at the Vancouver Aquarium, I had the great honor of working under Dr. Jeffrey Marliave for seven years. Dr. Marliave is the Vice President of the aquarium and has been with the Vancouver Aquarium for over thirty... by Heidi dM | Dec 18, 2015 | Conservation, Science
Photo: BlairSnow I have finally found a present that I don’t need to reuse, reduce or recycle! It’s the “in” thing to give as a Christmas present this year and….you can even be a... by Joe Rowlett | Dec 17, 2015 | Conservation, Reefs in Art, Science, Sustainability
If you’re anything like me, you’ve been counting the days until the BBC broadcasts its upcoming nature documentary on the Great Barrier Reef, presented by the legendary Sir David Attenborough. Now, at long last, we are less than two weeks away from the airing of the... by Admin | Dec 11, 2015 | Conservation, Fish
In an earlier post I wrote about how divers kill and catch the non-native lionfish that are causing so much trouble in the waters around the Gulf of Mexico, Florida and the Caribbean. The methodology is simple, kill them as humanely as you can, take care with the... by Saltwater Smarts | Dec 10, 2015 | Conservation, Equipment, Reef, Science
Drip, drip, drip…there are a number of options to reclaim reverse-osmosis waste waterWhile reverse-osmosis units are among the more practical, affordable means for producing purified tap water suitable for sensitive reef systems, there’s no question that they tend to generate a lot of waste water relative to the volume of purified product. In fact, they often produce upwards of four gallons of waste water for every one gallon of purified water. It’s only natural for conservation-oriented hobbyists to look for ways to reclaim this waste water and put it to meaningful use rather than send it swirling down the drain. But finding realistic ways to use all that water isn’t as simple as it seems, especially if you have a relatively large aquarium system and, therefore, need to produce a hefty amount of RO water on a fairly regular basis.The usual advice is to use the waste water to give your plants or lawn a drink. These are certainly valid options, but let’s face it, you’d have to have an awful lot of plants to keep pace with all the waste water produced. And as far as watering the lawn is concerned, I’m sure someone more inventive than I (which isn’t saying much) could find ways to do this efficiently using RO waste water, but I haven’t figured out a method that would work for my yard yet.
