by AquaNerd | Apr 25, 2014 | Conservation, Invertebrates, Reef
Image Credit: Getty Images The crown-of-thorns starfish has been one of the single most destructive threats facing Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. Its voracious appetite for hard coral flesh combined with its accelerated life cycle have caused massive losses to the tune of nearly 50% of all corals along a 1,500-mile stretch of the Queensland coast over a few decades. This has caused some drastic measures to be taken by wildlife officials, most of which has been centered around an ineffective 20-point injection method that kills the starfish. According to multiple news stories, however, that method was replaced with a much more effective single-injection method that has led to more than 250,000 starfish deaths over the last two years alone. The new injection method is also more effective in that it kills the starfish in just two days and is supposedly harmless to other marine life. Previous methods consisted of injecting acid into each of the starfish’s arms, which could obviously do some pretty significant damage to nearby corals as well. According to the Daily Mail’s coverage of several interviews with Australian officials, the Australian government has already provided £560,000 of funding towards removing the starfish, with another £1.1million in the budget for future starfish destruction. by AquaNerd | Apr 24, 2014 | Corals, Equipment, Industry, Tanks
Reef Octopus is breaking out the DC skimmer pumps once again in this new protein skimmer release. Called the Regal Skimmers, this line of foam fractionators looks quite similar to the Super Reef Octopus Space Saving skimmers of recent memory, but will feature Reef Octopus’ own brand of DC controllable pumps. The pumps, which RO has been marketing extensively since MACNA last year, are becoming more incorporated into the product line, and for good reason. The controller allows for fine tuning of the pump’s speed, which affects things like air draw and the all important air-to-water ratio. Unlike the SRO skimmers, the new Regal line will feature red accent pieces laid over clear and white arcylic. This color scheme falls in line with the rest of what Reef Octopus has been doing, as their Prime skimmers sport a hefty amout of red as well. In terms of tank sizes, pump ratings, prices, and the like, we don’t fully know what the Regal skimmers will offer 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:
