by AquaNerd | May 1, 2014 | Corals, Eye Candy, Photography
Saying something is the best or the greatest is always a lofty claim, but this scolymia, with its kaleidoscope of colors, can easily lay claim to the title of “Best Scoly on Earth”…at least until it is dethroned by some other insane piece. A top shelf piece from Sexy Corals that was recently featured on Reef2Reef, this bad boy doesn’t fit nicely into the common scoly nicknames of bleeding apple, warpaint, or master, as it seems to represent some features of all varieties all rolled into one. We lost count of the distinguishable colors at 8, but at this point it doesn’t even matter. This piece wasn’t presented with any information, such as price or size, as it was apparently reserved for a special Sexy Corals customer. That said, we are certain that the price tag jumped into the four figures since it is just such an amazing and unique piece. by AquaNerd | Apr 30, 2014 | Corals, Eye Candy, Industry, Photography
You may not be a fan of Japanese anime or even remotely understand the reference, but if you’re a reef keeping hobbyist, none of that will matter when you set your eyes on this amazing Acroporid. Named after the popular Pokemon character, Pikachu, this vibrant coral sports a yellow coloration that is unmatched by any other colored stick in the hobby. Throw in its rich red polyps and the slightly neon green tint at some growth tips and corallites, and you’ve got yourself a top shelf piece that is very likely to become a future centerpiece. The coral comes to us from The Coral Kings, who posted the news of their TCK Pikachu Acro over on Reef2Reef. Only two frags will be released for the time being, with R2R members getting a special price of $200 shipped per frag. After an undisclosed amount of time, the frags will be loaded up to the TCK website for $250 each. by AquaNerd | Apr 23, 2014 | Conservation, Eye Candy, Invertebrates, Photography
Daniel Stoupin is determined to win the internet. He has already shown us how corals can make for some terrific subjects of time lapse photography, and his latest video shows how freshwater life can be just as interesting when displayed in a similar high def format. The clip shows an amazing world full of life, some of which looks like it would be right at home in the oceans or in our aquariums. It focuses on bryozoans, water fleas, mayfly nymphs, mosquito larvae, water mites, ostracods, and the amoeba…which looks extremely menacing in this video. To view this tiny pond life, Daniel used microscopy techniques and macro photography. Unlike the coral video, which used hundreds of thousands of still images to create a breathtaking time lapse, this video was made from a week’s worth of videography coupled with years of experience in finding and videoing these interesting critters. We don’t need to dive into the deep ocean to find the most unusual lifeforms. This short clip is a journey into a bizarre world of microscopic inhabitants of pond water. You will see water fleas, bryozoans, water mites, mayfly nymphs, ostracods, and, of course, hydras by AquaNerd | Apr 21, 2014 | Equipment, Industry, Tanks, Technology
What do you get when you combine the elegant shape of a wine glass bodied skimmer with the performance and controllability of a DC powered pump? The new Reef Octopus Elite skimmer, that’s what. Reef Octopus has taken their Prime protein skimmer line and given it a big boost with the addition of a DC pump, marrying two of the hottest features in protein skimmer technology into one product that is sure to perform. The RO Elite skimmer will come in two models, the 220-INT with a filtration capacity of 530-gallons and the 200-INT for aquariums 400-gallon and less. Both models will feature the popular wine-glass body, which is comprised of soft curves that gently bottleneck bubbles into the collection cup, along with tons of other nice features outline immediately below. Turbulence Reducing Super Cone Body Solid Cast Acrylic & Machined PVC Construction Bubble Dispersant Plate Vented Output Valve with Adjustment Dial Controllable RO-DC Pump “Twist & Lift” Collection Cup Efficient & Quiet Operation Disassembles for Easy Cleaning & Maintenance As for individual product specs, the largest of the two models is the 220-INT. It sports a 16.5″ x 12.2″ footprint and draws in air at a maximum rate of 2000 lph depending on the DC 5500s Pinwheel Pump’s settings. The smaller model, called the 200-INT, takes all of the same features and crams them down into a 15″ x 11.2″ footprint. It’s DC 3500s pump has an air draw of up to 1200 lph, but like its big brother, these numbers can be dialed back to fine tune performance. by AquaNerd | Apr 21, 2014 | Corals, Industry, Tanks
Healthy reefs depend on plankton, and fresh is always best. AlgaGen recently launched its Live Feeds Program, which aims to set up culture holding systems in local fish stores across the country. Stores that offer the new program will have live phytoplankton, rotifers, brine and/or copepods available to customers to feed their reefs or breed marine livestock with. Reef aquarists will now be ale to provide reef nutrition found in nature and elicit the natural feeding responses from all of the tank’s inhabitants. Don’t be afraid to ask your local fish store if this is something they will be carrying. Heres a video all about it:
