by Tami Weiss | Sep 19, 2014 | Corals, Equipment, Fish, Science, Seahorses
Scribbled Dragonface Pipefish Corythoichthys instinalis Photo courtesy of Aaron Down Now that we’ve discussed which pipefish are appropriate for the reef aquarium in Pipefish For The Reef Aquarium: Part One, The Pipefish, we can look at acquiring and caring for your pipefish. Picking Your Pipefish When purchasing pipefish, there are a few things you can look out for to ensure you get healthy pipefish. Pipefish are susceptible to bacterial infections, so look for areas of cloudy skin, fins or eyes. Rapid breathing is frequently a sign of distress; although it can be situational i.e. fear from recent acclimation, or it can be a sign of a bigger problem such as parasites or bacterial infection. Flagtail Pipefish should be swimming above the substrate, not resting on the bottom. by AquaNerd | Sep 19, 2014 | Eye Candy, Fish, Industry
Here’s a totally awesome fish. Pacific Island Aquatics recently showed off this amazing aberrant yellow tang, which sports a large amount of white coloration instead of the normal solid yellow we’re so accustomed to. According to information posted on Reef2Reef, the fish was collected off the south side of Kona and tips the scales at just 4.5″ in length. This is about the average size for yellow tang sold in the aquarium hobby, if not a little bit larger, but it’s one of the smallest aberrant tangs collected. This makes it far more appealing than those huge aberrant tangs we normally see.The tang will be listed at $1500 (originally $2000), but PIA is entertaining reasonable offers. This is a pretty typical price for yellow tangs with this coloration.It should be noted that this is not an albino yellow tang. Rather, it is technically a leucistic yellow tang, meaning it’s simply lacking some of its natural pigmentation. This genetic condition results in the fish exhibiting significant white coloration, and in this case a small amount of yellow on its fins and random patches on its body. by AquaNerd | Sep 15, 2014 | Corals, Eye Candy, Industry, Photography
The LPS scene was dominated by green goniopora for decades. They were just so commonplace that everyone had them, or at least tried them out in their reef with mixed results. Then, along came the bright red ones and everyone was like, “ooohhh, ahhhh”. These red gonis have since dominated, as they sported vibrant reddish pink colors and occasionally a blue disc atop their tentacles. While both of those morphs are fine and all, but there’s a new color morph on the block that is set to put all others to shame. It’s a sparkling, glittery red goni, and it is amazing.This stunning piece features reddish, almost copper colored tentacles that are infused with glitter and punctuated with those hypnotic yellow eyes. by AquaNerd | Sep 9, 2014 | Equipment, Industry, Tanks, Technology
For the longest time, Bluetooth technology was one of those highly touted bullet point features of multiple aquarium products offered from lots of different brands. It was supposed to revolutionize how hobbyists communicated with their aquarium equipment. The devices could be controlled wirelessly by all sorts of Bluetooth enabled devices, but due to its severely limited range, it was quickly overtaken by WiFi, which offered worldwide functionality via the internet. Thankfully, those Bluetooth products aren’t in any way obsolete thanks to a new device from Pacific Sun. Called the Cube, this simple little device acts as a bridge between Bluetooth and WiFi signals, allowing formerly Bluetooth only devices to connect to a wireless network and receive work direction from any place in the world.The Pacific Sun Cube will be available in 4Q 2014, which is less than a month away, and it will be compatible with all of their existing products like the LED/Hybrid fixture, T5HO fixtures, dosers, etc. A mobil and computer based app will accompany the release of the Cube, and all of the data will live in the cloud, another ever growing feature of the aquarium industry.Pricing will be announced upon the Cube’s release. In the meantime, check out these screen captures of the software. This entry was posted in Aquarium Equipment and tagged Aquarium Equipment, pacific sun, Pacific Sun Cube by Brandon Klaus. Bookmark the permalink. by AquaNerd | Sep 8, 2014 | Industry, Invertebrates, Photography, Science
Well isn’t this just the scariest thing to behold? A fisherman in Fort Pierce, Florida hauled up a massive mantis shrimp while doing a little nighttime angling. It appears as though the stomatopod was hooked through the tail (there is a treble hook just above the tail in other photos posted online), and it was estimated to be approximately 18 inches. When the shrimp was pulled up onto the dock, it was striking at its own tail, presumably in an attempt to escape capture. So the fisherman grabbed it by its back like a lobster, trying every way to avoid the business end of the very dangerous critter.Scientists haven’t been able to identify the species just yet, but they are supposedly pouring over the images that have been posted online in order to get an idea of exactly what was caught.Images and story pulled from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Conservative Commission.
