by ReefBum | Mar 15, 2016 | Equipment, Opinion, Reef, Science, Tanks
Ok, today LED’s are all the rage so you may be wondering why I am doing a review of a metal halide fixture, especially one that has been around for a number of years. Well, here is the story…..and I am sticking to it. When I pondered what light fixture to use for my new 187 gallon tank I gave LEDs some serious consideration. I had been out of the hobby for a couple of years but I still followed all the latest news and trends, a sign of a true reef-aholic! Nonetheless, on the lighting front it was obvious manufacturers had shifted their efforts away from metal halides towards LEDs. This presented a dilemma since I have always used metal halides on my SPS dominant by Saltwater Smarts | Feb 23, 2016 | Equipment, Fish, Opinion, Reef, Science
It’s important to reach novice marine aquarists with good information early in their hobby experienceA few weeks back, I had the privilege of speaking at the first annual Buckeye Reef Marine Expo down in Bowling Green, Ohio (which, by the way, was a tremendous success, thanks to the tireless efforts of Jesse Lambdin, Joe Perkins, and all the other folks at Buckeye Reef, who clearly went all out to make this a stellar debut event!). In the presentation, I discussed the role of information in promoting success in our hobby, particularly with respect to beginners. Among the various topics touched upon was “Challenges to Effective Information Sharing.” Today, I’d like to share these challenges with you and invite your input on others that might belong on the list as well as what you think we could do to overcome them—not just here at Saltwater Smarts, but throughout the hobby.Anyhow, here are some of the reasons we think we’re collectively “missing the boat” when it comes to reaching novice hobbyists with good information in a timely manner. But we’d love to hear your thoughts on this subject, so if you have anything to add, please don’t hesitate to share it in the comment section afterward. 1. The Echo-Chamber Effect In this all-too-familiar scenario, hobby information—or misinformation—gets picked up and repeated ad nauseam across the internet (e.g., garlic cures Cryptocaryon irritans). It can be very difficult for the novice hobbyist to distinguish between fact and fiction, and the repetitive nature of the information lends it an air of authority that may or may not be justified. by Austin Lefevre | Feb 15, 2016 | Conservation, Corals, Events, Eye Candy, Fish, Industry, Invertebrates, Opinion, Reef, Science, Sustainability, Tanks
A recently announced new exhibit at California Academy of Sciences is slated to open June 10th, 2016, “Twilight Zone: Deep Reefs Revealed“. For this mesophotic reef nerd nothing in a zoological setting could be more... by Admin | Feb 10, 2016 | Conservation, Opinion
In late 2015 I had a great opportunity to visit the Mexican Caribbean as part of a commission for a scuba magazine, while there, I had the chance to dive with a couple of heroes of mine: Doctor Sylvia Earle and Jean-Michel... by AquaNerd | Feb 9, 2016 | Corals, Fish, Invertebrates, Opinion, Photography, Reef, Science
[embedded content] Atoll is a new app available for reef aquarium and diving enthusiasts to download on the iPhone. Atoll is an interactive mobile app which includes a comprehensive database of coral. Atoll provides vibrant photos and detailed information allowing users to more easily identify coral which they encounter on a dive or purchase as an addition to their aquarium. This can be critical information especially when dealing with corals which exhibit aggressive behavior and could potentially wreak havoc in your aquarium if placed in close proximity to other species. Atoll also provides useful information to hobbyists relating to appropriate water temperatures and pH levels for your own aquarium. Atoll also allows users to submit photos of unknown coral for the community to identify. This is by Saltwater Smarts | Jan 29, 2016 | Fish, Invertebrates, Opinion, Reef, Science
Porcupine pufferfish (Diodon holocanthus)Circumtropical in distribution and ascribed more common names than one can possibly keep straight (spiny puffer, porcupine puffer, porcupinefish, longspined porcupinefish, and balloon porcupinefish, to list but a few), Diodon holocanthus can be a worthy, very pet-like aquarium candidate. This species does, however, have certain non-negotiable needs to be met if it is to live a long, healthy life in captivity. Physical traitsD. holocanthus has a robust, vaguely (American-style) football-shaped body with prominent, bulbous eyes and numerous elongated spines covering its body. These spines normally lie flat against the fish, but when threatened or harassed, it can swallow water or air, causing its body to inflate to nearly twice its size and its spines to stand erect (thus resembling what everyone else in the world calls a football with spikes all over it). The teeth are fused together to form a beak-like structure. Not the most colorful fish in the sea, D. holocanthus typically has a creamy to light-brown base color with dark-brown mottling and spots.
