by AquaNerd | Dec 11, 2013 | Corals, Fish, Industry, Photography, Science, Tanks
By: Daniel Leija The use of cell phones is nothing new in this hobby, as they’ve been a vital tool with applications that help us calculate how much calcium to dose in our tank and give us the ability to monitor and control our aquariums from afar. While these apps haven’t been around for too long, comparatively, something that has been in use for what seem like an eternity is cell phone cameras, and hobbyists are always improving aquarium photography with their phones. With the constant competition of who is the best and top dog of the smartphone industry, it is the camera in our phones that is always upgraded. For example, the iPhone 5 has an 8 megapixel camera. This year the iPhone 5s was released, and while it stayed with its 8 megapixel camera, it increased its aperture to f/2.4, allowing up to %33 more light into the camera. It also got really neat features like the burst mode allowing you to capture things in action with more success. It also got the slow-mo feature slowing videos down making for really neat shots of fish eating or swimming. While DSLR macro shots are relatively nice, we all know that is another hobby that gets expensive. Nothing is going to beat a nice crisp shot you get with a true macro lens attached to that awesome camera of your choice, but we have found great success snapping close up pictures of our tanks with our phones by AquaNerd | Dec 1, 2013 | Corals, Fish, Science
Since Thanksgiving has morphed from a day of family and togetherness into one of almost pure shopping frenzy, we figured we would try to do a good rounding up of all the sweet deals from the aquarium equpiment and livestock retailers. There seems to be a lot more people involved in the sale festivities, and for the first time on a Black Friday/Cyber Monday, aquarist can enjoy some rather generous discounts on products from EcoTech Marine (via online rebate), Neptune Systems, and Reef Octopus…all of which normally have strict pricing guidelines that forces most vendors to keep their prices the same all year round. Below is our list of retailers and each of their deals spelled out in the best way we could. We tried to cover a wide array of retailers, but unfortunately there are just too many to list. List of retailer specials, in alphabetical order. AquaCave Sitewide discount to a very generous 15% this year with coupon code “BF15″. The sale excludes products from Kessil, EcoTech Marine, ProfiLux, Neptune Systems, Digital Aquatics, CoralVue, Reef Octopus, Maxspect, AquaIllumination, Vertex, Korallen Zucht, Speedwave, Sweetwater, Atlantic, and JBJ Commercial Chillers, and AquaCave gift certificates. In addition to the sitewide discounts, AquaCave also has several deeply discounted doorbusters. by AquaNerd | Nov 26, 2013 | Corals, Fish, Science
Way back in May, we caught wind of an underwater scene in the video game, Call of Duty: Ghosts, in which the playable characters get to dive into a luscious reef scene to engage the enemy. Being aquarists and video game junkies, we filed that into the back of our finds, only to get a fresh reminder of that scene over the weekend when playing Call of Duty. Armed with an Xbox One, which has been chewing up a lot of our spare time lately, we flew through each level, eventually stumbling upon this beautiful part of the game. Instantly reminded of the original article we wrote, we knew this would make for the perfect follow up. The scene opens at the mouth of a cave, in which your two-man team enters as they try to find a way to attack a special enemy ship from below. As your character exits the cave, you are greeted with tons of reef life that includes everything from corals and fish to sea urchins and sharks. The corals all look great, and the fish are surprisingly accurate in appearance. We spotted yellow tangs, copperband butterflyfish, powder blue tangs, regal angelfish, and heniochus butterflyfish. At a couple of different points, my character was attacked and killed by a shark, which obviously prompted the mission to start over. by Reef To Rainforest | Nov 26, 2013 | Corals, Fish, Invertebrates, Science, Seahorses
CORAL Magazine Volume 11, Number 1 Launching into 2014 and its 11th year of publishing, CORAL Magazine will take a fresh look a Seahorses with cutting edge secrets to their successful aquarium husbandry, feeding, and breeding, a species guide to the best (and worst species for captive systems), and an updated report on their status in the wild. CORAL January/February 2014 Cover. Click to enlarge. The availability of big, vibrantly colored and fascinating seahorses from captive-bred stocks has never been better, and improved foods and husbandry guides bring successful seahorse keeping within the reach of many more marine hobbyists. Seahorses also graced the first issue of CORAL, Volume 1, Number 1, long out of print and the most highly sought-after back issue of the magazine. This issue is a response to thousands of requests to revisit the subject of seahorses with updated advice and all-new images. Other issue highlights coming: • Gnarly Nematocysts: Invertebrate zoologist Dr. Ron Shimek reveals the astonishing powers and speeds of the microscopic stinging cells found in corals, sea anemones, and other members of the Phylum Cnidaria. Essential reading for every reef aquarist. • The Macroalgae Reef: An eye-opening look at unconventional reef aquariums aquascaped with  beautiful macroalgae species, including a guide on how to balance a mix of corals and a choice of the best red and green marine plants. • Tamarin Wrasses: Once considered highly challenging to keep, the interesting and very appealing wrasses of the genus Anampses are becoming easier to maintain as experienced aquarists learn the tricks of acclimating and feeding them. Scott Michael offers an expert introduction this reef-safe group of labrids. • Donald Duck Shrimp: Profile of the highly unusual Long Snout, Plume or Donald Duck Shrimp, Leander plumosus, sure be added to many reefkeepers’ must-have lists of colorful invertebrates. • Playing With Fire: The First Captive-Breeding of the Flame Pipefish. Jim Welsh reports on his success with the beautiful Hawaiian endemic Dunkerocampus baldwinii, revealing many useful lessons for would-be breeders of other marine rarities. Deadline for materials to be included in this issue: December 10th.  The issue has an on-sale date of January 7, 2014. The print edition of CORAL in English is  distributed in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand, South Africa, France, India, the Netherlands, Malta, and elsewhere. The Digital Edition is read in more than 100 countries worldwide. To find a local or regional dealer who offers CORAL Magazine, visit our current Source Directory. CORAL is published bimonthly by Reef to Rainforest Media, LLC in Shelburne, Vermont, in partnership with Natur und Tier –Verlag GmbH and Matthias Schmidt Publishing, Muenster, Germany, Founding Editor: Daniel Knop English Edition Editor & Publisher: James M. Lawrence Cover Images Hippocampus reidi: Jorg Background The Banggai Cardinalfish will be published by Reef to Rainforest Media, LLC and exclusively distributed by Two Little Fishies. On sale date: August 27, 2013. by Reef To Rainforest | Nov 20, 2013 | Corals, Fish, Science
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxXcTBmYW6w Checking back in on Nathan’s Mixed Reef Aquarium – 2013 Update Very impressive 210-gallon (795-liter) reef aquarium created by Nathan Gist, with narration by Than Thein of Tidal Gardens in Copley, Ohio. Â The same tank, one year earlier below. Says Than: “Nathan’s tank is a custom 210-gallon Aquarium Glass Exhibits (AGE) mixed reef. It measures 72″ x 30″ x 22″ and contains a wide variety of both fish and corals. Nathan has excellent taste in both fish and coral evidenced by a plethora of uncommonly seen inhabitants. There are some incredibly rare fish such as blue star wrasses and orange-spot file fish as well as some of the most interesting color morphs of beautiful corals such as Pavona, Leptoseris, and Blastomussa. “It is amazing that Nathan is a relative newcomer to the reef aquarium hobby having started only two years ago. I think most will agree that he has put together a wonderful display tank that is sure to be the envy of many a seasoned aquarist.” Credit: Tidal Gardens | YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpm9owuXT0U
