Reefkeeping South Africa » Reef Builders | The Reef and Marine Aquarium Blog » February 20, 2012

Feeds

26315 items (0 unread) in 5 feeds

• Marine Aquariums of South Africa
• Advanced Aquarist's Online Magazine
• Reefkeeping Magazine
• Mr. Saltwater Tank
• Reef Builders | The Reef and Marine Aquarium Blog

Reef Builders | The Reef and Marine Aquarium Blog

• 

  Pontyandayo’s reef tank was a tabling acropora and angelfish paradise

  Posted: February 20th, 2012, 10:35pm CST by Tea Yi Kai

  Click here to view the embedded video.

  Not only are the Japanese famed for their ability to procure rare fish, they are also well known for their meticulous, sleek and neat reef tanks. Youtube user Pontyandayo’s reef tank is a classic example of a neat, well maintained and healthy system thriving with tabling Acropora and a menagerie of awesome fishes. Be sure to check out the videos in HD.

  Pontyandayo’s reef tank features a brighter left side predominated by staghorns and other branching SPS corals, and a cooler right side with mainly tabling Acropora species. This tank unfortunately has changed alot since the video above and now mainly features staghorns and a great reduction in the fish count, but we would still like to highlight the unique and clean setup above which is now no more.

  Click here to view the embedded video.

  The tank features mainly dwarf angelfish species including C. loricula, C. loricula x C. ferrugata, C. multicolor, C. potteri, C. joculator and one of my favorites, Centropyge colini. There’s also two species from the Paracentropyge genus, a pair of Indian Ocean Pygoplites diacanthus, a Prognathodes marcellae as well as a Chaetodon declivis with a bunch of chromis and other miscellaneous tangs.

  While most of the fishes are no longer present in the new updated tank and we’re not sure why, it was truly magnificent then. The colin’s pygmy angelfish is normally a shy species with a poor track record for captivity but looking at it come to the surface for food with the other angels in the video above is quite a sight.

  

  C. colini may not be the most colorful angelfish, but the striking color combination and unique swimming pattern makes for a very special addition. It's difficult to keep however, but has been bred by RCT Hawaii in the past. Captive bred Centropyge colini on the left being sold in Japan, and a normal wild caught adult on the right by nettaigyo.

   

   

   
  Readers also viewed:

  • African Flameback Angelfish successfully captive bred by Reef Culture Technologies
  • Rainfordia opercularis is THE reef fish of the year 2011
  • Japanese pygmy angelfish are absolutely divine as juveniles
  • Koi Coral Beauty angelfish holds aberrant color pattern after more than four months in captivity
  • Male yellow pygmy angelfish from Cebu exhibits a handsome splash of black
  • Hybrid multicolor angelfish from Cebu may not be a coincidence after all
  • Stunning juvenile Centropyge interrupta showcased by BlueHabor
  • Captive bred flame angelfish spotted in a nano cube at Backer in Chicago

  
  

  
• 

  Soccer player Thierry Henry wants to build four story 5,000 gallon fish tank

  Posted: February 20th, 2012, 10:00pm CST by Ryan Gripp

  

  Thierry Henry, a professional soccer player who lives in the UK wants to build a four story, 5,000 gallon fish tank. Plus, he is going to demolish his £5.9?million north London house “which was completed only in 1999 and is described as one of the finest examples of modern architecture in the UK – and replace it with a larger property.“

  The plans call for a  total of four 10 feet tall 15 feet long and 3 feet wide fish tanks that would house over “300 fish and take up to one year to get running.” The tanks would be set on top of each other to give the impression that it is one big tank…although most of us know the maintenance on a tank this size would be a major headache. Splitting the tanks up makes it much easier to maintain while still giving a very cool look to guests.

  “Henry’s new home will be taller than the existing one and include  a bar, a cinema and a swimming pool. Despite spending at least £2?million on rebuild costs, the finished house is likely to be worth at least £10?million. The footballer is keen to highlight the eco-features of the new home, which includes extensive glass panelling to capture natural light and a so-called ‘biodiverse’ roof, which will incorporate plants and trees.”

  via [Daily Mail UK]

  
  

  
  Readers also viewed:

  • No Related

  
  

  
• 

  Elos E-style chamber a great addition for external filters, media reactors

  Posted: February 20th, 2012, 9:30pm CST by Brian Blank

  

  The Elos E-style  chamber is a new product providing a compact way to get water back-and-forth between the main aquarium and your external filters or media reactors. Anyone using a canister filter or standalone media reactor knows the pain of the large, swooping bends of the plumbing pipes or getting algae growth in the bends where it is hardest to clean and the Elos E-style chamber eliminates both of those. Only available in Japan at the moment, the simple, black acrylic box sits nicely on your aquarium and routes the water to eliminate the need for the bulking transitions. Plus the black acrylic blocks the light from growing algae in tough spots to clean.

  

  Two versions are available. One with a strainer sponge and another without. Both versions of the Elos E-style chamber are available in different sizes to accommodate different thickness of glass along with length of strainer tube and size of the 90-degree “jet pipe” return to fit different sized aquariums. The Elos E-style chamber are pretty affordable, starting out at ¥4,800 (around $60 USD) with optional parts available.

  [via Elos Japan]

   
  Readers also viewed:

  • Elos PS2000 needle wheel protein skimmer gets previewed
  • France AquaStudio is the latest Elos concept retail store to be revealed
  • Elos Aquastudio in Singapore gets an exclusive first look
  • Elos opening 5 new Aqua Studios in 2012—France, Switzerland, Singapore and New York confirmed
  • Elos Evision controller struts its stuff on a MidiMarine aquarium using an Aquatop LED
  • Vitrea making major push to US market
  • The HydroLED from Lucenova is one sleek and curvaceous LED fixture
  • Elos Evision gets initial pricing in Europe

  
  

  
• 

  Queen Angelfish from Curacao shows wild aberrant juvenile color pattern

  Posted: February 20th, 2012, 8:41pm CST by Jake Adams

  

  This juvenile queen angelfish, Holacanthus ciliaris, from Curacao shows more than a minor amount of aberration to the patterning of its juvenile stripes. Unusual specimens of Holacanthus angelfish are few and far between but just because we see them less than other angelfish, especially pygmy angelfish doesn’t mean they aren’t out there.

  In addition to this wild looking queen angelfish juvenile from Curacao this summer we also saw that unique yellow queen angelfish from B-Box Aquarium and an even weirder nearly all black rock beauty angelfish. Unfortunately there is not really any relationship between juvenile and adult markings of queen angelfish and this cool weirdo queen angelfish juvenile will probably grow up to be a queen angelfish with normal coloration.

  Coral Reef Photos
  Readers also viewed:

  • Yellow Holacanthus angelfish is not quite a queen, nor a rock beauty
  • Steve Robinson sentenced to 45 days and fined $2000 for smuggling Clipperton angelfish
  • Almost full black Rock Beauty Angelfish is a unique stunner
  • Hybrid clarion x passer, cyclops lemonpeel and aberrant bicolor angelfish
  • Africanus angelfish juvenile is one of the bluest fish in the sea
  • Hybrids of the Euxiphipops blue face and majestic angelfish are rare and interesting
  • Pontyandayo’s reef tank was a tabling acropora and angelfish paradise
  • African Flameback Angelfish successfully captive bred by Reef Culture Technologies

  
  

  
• 

  Good news from Hawaii over the collection of aquarium fish, or just a delay?

  Posted: February 20th, 2012, 7:18pm CST by Matt Pedersen

  

  CORAL Magazine Sr. Editor Ret Talbot reported late last week that the “Proposed Bills on Hawaii Aquarium Fishery [are] Dead for 2012″. This news was widely met with optimism. However, we fear there could be a downside to such news.

  For starters, we have yet to know why these bills didn’t move forward. Talbot also reports that there are still some ways for bills to get through before the truly final deadline in May of 2012, although he refers to such efforts as being the equivalent of “Hail Mary” passes at the end of the game.  At this time, there are still technically 4 resolutions and 1 bill “active”.Our greater concern here is that this news, seemingly early in the year, might lead to a false sense of “victory”. We’d caution any such feelings given that we don’t even know if, or why, we “won”. We also worry that this positive news may cause many to “let their guard down”, being unprepared should something come up unexpectedly.  By the same token, we encourage you to not become apathetic over the topic in the long term.  This early “good news” might give readers the sense that we “cried wolf”, and the next time Hawaii’s ongoing debate heats up, we fear aquarists won’t be as eager to get engaged.

  Perhaps most disheartening is that finally, we have seen real urgency starting to build on the part of the marine aquarium hobby and industry, and suddenly, the fuel driving the need to collaborate and organize has momentarily vanished.  We worry about the loss of momentum that this news could create.  So we encourage you to take this news as a welcome respite, but understand the true stakes of the game.  That is, the anti-aquarium fishery movement only needs to succeed in banning the trade once; we have to succeed in defending a well managed, data driven sustainable fishery every time.

  Don’t forget to stay engaged with the HawaiiBanFactCheck Website and Facebook Page, and of course, Reef Builders.  This isn’t the last we’ve heard of anti-aquarium activists in Hawaii and elsewhere.

  Read Ret Talbot’s full article at [www.coralmagazine-us.com]
  Readers also viewed:

  • Kauai is second island to pass resolution to ban aquarium collection in Hawaii
  • Oculus Aquatics presents Ret Talbot at ReefStock 2012 in Denver Colorado
  • Pictures and videos of Genicanthus personatus in the wild cements its holy grail angelfish status
  • Chaetodon tinkeri shows why the roaps butterflyfishes are fearless and hardy
  • Experienced aquarists consider safeguarding broodstock of endemic Hawaiian fish
  • PETCO targeted by protesters in Hawaii
  • Hawaiian Ornamental Fishing Ban Passed Hawaii County Council 6-2
  • Hawaii gets another proposal to ban marine aquarium fish collection

  
  

  
• 

  White cap clownfish pair survives nine day journey from New Jersey to Florida

  Posted: February 20th, 2012, 6:28pm CST by Jake Adams

  

  The white cap clownfish, Amphirpion leucokranos, is a very rare, naturally occurring hybrid clownfish “species” which is seldom seen in the aquarium trade. You can imagine ORA’s delight when Brian Griffin offered them a spawning pair of white cap clownfish which he had raised and conditioned for three years at Ocean Gallery II in New Jersey.

  One unfortunate event followed by a series of very fortunate events allowed this irreplaceable pair of Amphiprion leucokranos to survive a harrowing journey of more than a week in limbo, and some really classy Memphis aquarists had a lot to do with it. Read the original heartwarming story of the lost white cap clownfish pair and let’s all send them good vibes so they can get back to spawning real soon.
  Readers also viewed:

  • LiveAquaria and ORA partnered up to produce more Mcculochi clownfish
  • Juicy captive bred Amphiprion Mccullochi clownfish showed off by ORA
  • Accidental clownfish hybrids abound at ORA
  • Black saddle back clownfish available captive bred for the first time from ORA
  • ORA’s Clownfish get exported to Spain, a worlds first
  • MACNA Stimulus Program: win a free Wyoming White Clownfish from C-Quest and Ocean Gallery II
  • ORA is ever closer to producing all white snowflake clownfish
  • End of a 17-year Era: “Mamma” Onyx Clownfish, where are you?

  
  

  
• 

  Walking cat shark is just one of many unique species found in Raja Ampat and the Bird’s Head Peninsula.

  Posted: February 20th, 2012, 5:57pm CST by Tea Yi Kai

  Click here to view the embedded video.

  The walking cat shark of Raja Ampat was recently discovered in 2006 and is just one of many incredible species found in this hotspot for diversity. From the video above it is clear where the shark gets its name from, as it crawls through the seagrass beds with its fins. The walking epaulette cat shark shares its home with many other species found no where else in the world.

  

  A closer look at the walking epaulette cat shark. Picture by Graham Abott.

  Raja Ampat is home to a myriad of rare fish such as Meiacanthus crinitus, Pseudochromis ammeri, Paracheilinus nursalim, Manonichthys jamali, which happens to be a curious mimic of Chromis retrofasciata, a whole bunch of new Trimma species, unknown pygmy seahorses and tons of other cool critters you can find nowhere else. Raja Ampat is one of the islands that make up the Bird’s Head peninsula of West Papua.

  Other notable islands include Cenderawasih Bay as well as Fakfak/Kaimana. The bells of new discovery have been ringing around these parts and a whole bunch of neat fishes live here. Below is a collage of some of the notable species found around the Bird’s Head peninsula. For more information on the species of West Papua be sure to check out this checklist.

  

  A: Manonichthys jamali B: Paracheilinus nursalim C: Paracheilinus waltoni D: Cirrhilabrus cenderawasih. First picture of M. jamali by Graham Abott, the rest by Gerald Allen.

   
  Readers also viewed:

  • Paracheilinus nursalim flasher wrasses from New Guinea
  • The diversity and forms of Cirrhilabrus exquisitus
  • The Rowley Shoals is home to pristine coral reefs as well as some very unique fish
  • Pseudochromis ammeri and P. eichleri add to the dizzying array of dottyback species
  • More titillating pictures of the illustrious Cirrhilabrus nahackyi
  • Synchiropus tudorjonesi is a new species of dragonet from Cenderawasih Bay, Indonesia
  • Cirrhilabrus nahackyi is a new species of labrid similar to the hooded fairy wrasse
  • A closer look at the extremely elusive Cirrhilabrus blatteus

  
  

  
• 

  Reef Angel controller launches online web interface portal

  Posted: February 20th, 2012, 4:02pm CST by Joost de Vries

  

  The Reef Angel controller may have started out as a loosely defined open source project, but it has since grown to be a very solid reef aquarium controller. We personally have had a good experience with our Reef Angel controller which has proven to be easy to use over the past couple of months. Since the Reef Angel is open source and is thus designed to accomplish anything the user could possibly want, we hoped it wouldn’t be long before Reef Angel launched an online control portal.

  Unlike Reef Angel Client, the previous software used to control the reef angel remotely, no software needs to be installed to use the online portal and thus the Reef Angel can now be accessed from any computer via the new web interface. Reef Angel users now just need to use their Reef Angel forum user name to log in to the portal, and adjust the settings in the code generator to setup the online portal. The portal will be able to handle all basic functions Reef Angel Client offers, including graphs, real time relay control, and email alerts. Be sure to check out the Reef Angel forums for the official announcement here.
  Readers also viewed:

  • Hands on with the Reef Angel controller
  • Floor Leak Detector for GHL Profilux now able to tell you about your leaky tank
  • GHL Ultimate Pack rolling out with special holiday pricing — get ‘em why they last
  • Powerhub-6D from GHL, six channels of control for the serious hobbyist
  • Reef Angel controller has first play date with Ecotech’s Radion XR30w LED
  • Reef Angel working on RF Expansion Module to control Ecosmart Vortech pumps
  • Neptune Systems AquaController Apex Jr now available
  • Reef Angel announces new two-channel dosing pump, availaible for pre-order shortly