by Admin | Sep 6, 2016 | Fish, Science, Technology
A great deal has been written about the problem of invasive lionfish in the Tropical Western Pacific and how the two species, Pterois volitans and P. miles, are ‘chomping’ their way through native fish species. … by AquaNerd | Sep 5, 2016 | Reef, Science, Technology
James Cook University, University of Sydney and Queensland University of Technology scientists working with laser data from the Royal Australian Navy have discovered a vast reef behind the familiar Great Barrier Reef. JCU’s Dr Robin Beaman says the high-resolution seafloor data provided by LiDAR-equipped aircraft have revealed great fields of unusual donut-shaped circular mounds, each 200-300 meters across and up to 10 meters deep at the center. Halimeda is a green macroalgae composed of calcified leaf-like segments.  As these plants die, these segments turn white and accumulate over thousands of years forming thick mounds called bioherms.  Where these plants have died, A living layer of Halimeda algae covers the bioherms and stretches across an area of 6095 km2 on the landward side of the reef. by Saltwater Smarts | Aug 27, 2016 | Aquaculture, Corals, Equipment, Photography, Reef, Science, Tanks, Technology
I get asked fairly often what light is the best light. Unfortunately, there is no right answer. First off, there is the difference in aesthetics. That is a purely subjective decision that only hobbyists can make for themselves. Most of the time hobbyists gravitate towards the blue end of the spectrum because it is very flattering to corals that fluoresce brightly.In terms of coral biology, the type of lighting that will work the best for your tank will depend a great deal on what animals you intend to keep. As I mentioned in Part 1, corals will adapt to lighting by regulating their zooxanthellae, so most coral will grow under any of these lighting technologies. Having said that, it is also entirely possible to have some corals take on a desirable appearance while other corals become less attractive under the same light. Such is the price to be paid for a mixed reef tank by Saltwater Smarts | Aug 26, 2016 | Corals, Equipment, Reef, Science, Tanks, Technology
LEDs continue to gain a loyal following as a capable reef lighting technologyLighting is important because it directly affects how we visually enjoy the hobby and, more importantly, the vast majority of the corals in our tanks are photosynthetic. In this two-part article, we will first cover some of the basics of the light itself and then discuss the various lighting technologies people use to light their reefs. Coral and zooxanthellaeCoral as we know it is a symbiotic relationship between the coral animal and dinoflagellates called zooxanthellae. Zooxanthellae live in the tissue of the coral and are like algae in that they contain chlorophyll for photosynthesis. The byproducts of photosynthesis are things like simple sugars that the coral hosts can use as an energy source. It is for this reason that coral are often described to the layperson as having traits of both plants and animals. The color of zooxanthellae is varying degrees of brown. However, there are over 80 known varieties of zooxanthellae by AquaNerd | Aug 25, 2016 | Aquaculture, Conservation, Fish, Invertebrates, Reef, Science, Technology
August 23, 2016 – Los Angeles – Quality Marine is proud to announce the arrival of Aquacultured Royal Grammas from the Batavia Coast Maritime Institute (BCMI) in Australia. A testament to the biologists and aquarists who bred and reared them, these Fairy Basslets are exceptionally robust and healthy. Because of the limited number of specimens, they will only be available to public aquariums and educational facilities at this time.  Royal Grammas represent just one of several species being aquacultured by BCMI, a campus of Durack Institute of Technology in Western Australia. by Marcin Smok | Aug 22, 2016 | Equipment, Industry, Opinion, Technology
Germany’s Aquamedic is famous among reefkeepers for being the first company to popularize the automatic dosing pump. As hobbyists realized the importance of supplementing their reef tanks with calcium and alkalinity buffers, the Aquamedic Reefdoser was their...
