by AquaNerd | Nov 5, 2013 | Fish, Science, Tanks
Oceans Reefs & Aquariums have another brand new coral frag to boast, and it’s the beaufitul ORA Mind Trick Montipora. This stunning monti, which is better known as the Jedi Mind Trick, has been in the hobby for quite some time, developing an extensive following and spreading through the tanks of hobbyists and retailers with a Jedi-like quickness. It sports a green body with red polyps and a very distinguishable purple growing edge, which is what really sets the coral apart. The ORA Mind Trick is primarily an encrusting Montipora that will eventually take on a more plate like appearance if it reaches a rock ledge. It does well under a variety of light intensities, but colors up best with plenty of blues to help that purple growing edge pop. ORA first acquired a single frag of this coral from a local hobbyist back in 2009. They have grown it out in their greenhouse, obviously reaching enough frags to be able to send them out en masse to fish stores across the US. As far as the name goes, ORA has to be very careful with particular coral names due to all of the legal hurdles associated with intellectual property and trademarking. Because the term “Jedi” is a product of George Lucas and likely owned by Disney, ORA couldn’t exactly use it in their commercially available product, at least not without having to pay royalties deal with some other repercussions. So, the coral was renamed to the ORA Mind Trick Monti, which we doubt anyone (at least on the hobby side) will fuss too much about by AquaNerd | Nov 4, 2013 | Equipment, Fish, Science
According to a patent filing that was published ealier this year, EcoTech Marine may be cooking up a brand new toy that isn’t a light or a water pump. If the patent is seen through to a final product, the Pennsylvania based aquarium equipment company will likely be offering some type of “habitat viewing device”. Perusing through the technical terminology that is laced all throughout the patent, we have come to the conclusion that the device could either be finalized into any one of a variety of different configurations. The most heavily described version includes an interior magnet, lens, and exterior magnet that would allow users to get a closer view of their habitat’s inhabitants. The other configuration includes a top-down view of the animals, and based on the drawings and descriptions, an EcoTech Marine viewing device will likely be able to do both. For the top-down version, several different options are explored. As we mentioned, there is a model that looks to serve as a viewer that attaches to the side of the aquarium that will also have some buoyancy (or at the ver least a magnetic attachment) that will allow it to be convered into a top-down viewer. It’s a best of both world scenario. by Admin | Nov 4, 2013 | Conservation, Fish, Science
Dr. Matthew L. Wittenrich is moving on. After spending nearly 2 years with us at the Tropical Aquaculture Laboratory, Matt, his wife Sarah, and their two children are moving back to the East coast of Florida. While here, Matt was instrumental in developing culture methods for several new species of fish, designed and managed this blog site, and assisted us in building the infrastructure and team we have for marine ornamental work. We will miss our daily interactions with him, but hope we can continue to pick his brain once he settles in. We know he will go far, and we’re glad to have had the time with him here. If you would like to contact Matt, send him an email at [email protected] The Rising Tide Conservation Team by AquaNerd | Nov 3, 2013 | Fish, Science
A couple of months ago, Quality Marine announced that they had gotten their hands on the first and only captive bred clarion angelfish to enter the United States. Born and raised in Indonesia by Bali Aquarich, a company specializing in aquaculturing angelfish and other marine ornamentals, this event represented the first time that the fish had been commercially available and it had the whole aquarium community excited. To no surprise, LiveAquaria announced that they had acquired the tank bred individual from Quality Marine, showing it off in a video taken in one of Kevin Kohen’s many aquariums. After spending a couple of months in Kevin’s personal care, the fish was finally listed for sale in the ever popular Diver’s Den, selling in a mere matter of minutes. The first ever captive bred clarion angelfish was listed and sold for $5000, which is a relatively reasonable price considering that regular old run of the mill clarion angels aren’t that much less, especially the juveniles. And while this is the first and only captive bred clarion to enter the US, it most certainly won’t be the last. Bali Aquarich has had great success breeding this species, and they have shown off several individuals on their website and social media outlets by AquaNerd | Oct 30, 2013 | Fish, Invertebrates, Science
Photo Credit: Cathy Peairs Halloween is merely days away, and while most of us are gearing up to scare the snot out of a bunch of young people, others are showing off their aquarium nerd side with some very creative Jack-o-lanterns. Some pumpkin carvers do it simple, with random aquatic themes featuring straightforward designs that anyone can do. But then you have the more artistic and detailed approach, as some Halloween enthusiasts fill every inch of that orange surface with elaborate displays. Today, we celebrate both, and we have shared many interesting looking jack-o-lanterns to help kick off this holiday. Continue below for a small gallery of some good looking pumpkins. Some of the pumpkins are from this year, while others may be from years past. Regardless, they offer great ideas for any of you last minute pumpkin slicers.
