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Items by Shane Graber

Advanced Aquarist's Online Magazine

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  Robofish: Policing the port for pollution

  Posted: May 23rd, 2012, 5:00pm CDT by Shane Graber

  Click through to see the images.

  
  

  The 1.5 meter long fish, made out of carbon-fiber, metal, and sensors, swims through the harbor much like an ordinary fish. Its batteries last eight hours and during the time that it is deployed, it works autonomously tracking down pollutants to their source.

  "The idea is that we want to have real-time monitoring of pollution, so that if someone is dumping chemicals or something is leaking, we can get to it straight away, find out what is causing the problem and put a stop to it," explains Luke Speller, a senior scientist at the research division of BMT Group, a technology consultancy.

  The fish design was chosen over a propeller-based design as a way to make the overall unit more robust during autonomous activity. Propellers can get tangled and clog with marine refuse and seaweed. The fish design does not have this limitation and one of the main benefits of this design is it works very well in shallow water. It can also turn quickly when need arises. The fish are also "smart enough" to work alone or in groups using acoustic signals to communicate with one another.

  That being said, these robotic fish will not be permanent residents of the harbor any time soon. The cost of an individual robofish is roughly £20,000 each ($31,600), although it's said that costs will decrease as more and more units are produced.

  (via BBC)

  
  
  
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  Taking a hard look at the marine aquarium trade importation numbers

  Posted: May 22nd, 2012, 6:00pm CDT by Shane Graber

  Click through to see the images.

  
  

  The study, Revealing the Appetite of the Marine Aquarium Fish Trade: The Volume and Biodiversity of Fish Imported into the United States, was published yesterday in PLoS ONE by researchers Andrew Rhyne, Michael Tlusty, Pamela Schofield, Les Kaufman, et al.  It is an unprecedented detailed investigation of importation records over a one-year period from 2004-2005 and compares invoices and shipping records to discern the total number of both species and individuals imported into the United States.

  Chromis viridis: The #1 imported reef fish.  Photo by Andreas Marz

  The researchers documented some very interesting findings:

  • 11,003,181 marine fish were imported from 2004-2005.
  • 1,802 species total.  125 families total.
  • 52% of the imported fish were from only 20 species.
  • Ten of the top 20 species were damsels or anemone fishes.
  • Wrasses (Labridae) accounted for the most species of any family imported, beating out damselfish/clownfish (Pomacentridae) and gobies (Gobiidae).
  • Chromis viridis was both the most common individuals imported as well as the most widely collected species, imported from 29 countries.
    
  • Family Pomacentridae (damselfish and clownfish) comprised half of the top 20 species and almost 3/4 of the individuals.
  • Grazing fish such as tangs were imported in surprisingly low relative numbers with the exception of Paracanthurus hepatus (Blue/Regal Tang).
  • 86.6% of all imports come from the Philippines and Indonesia (55% and 31% respectively).
  • Of the 1,802 species the aquarium trade imported, 33 (1.9%) were introduced to North America native waters, with one (the Indo-Pacific Lionfish) establishing an invasive domestic population.

  They also found that "the number of individual fish listed on shipment declarations matched the invoices only 52% of the time and in total, volume was over-reported by 27% as shipments were often mislabeled to contain marine fish" when in reality they contained freshwater fish.

  Top 20 marine aquarium fish imported into the United States. * indicate species complexes, which could represent more than one species which are all traded under the same name.

  Read the public-access study at PLoS ONE for a dizzying amount of impressive and important data.

  “We were pretty stunned by the error rate on those declarations,” Dr. Rhyne said. “Lots of things were being called marine fish that are not marine fish, like goldfish from Thailand. It looked like Singapore and Thailand were shipping a lot of marine fish to the United States, which they’re not. They’re shipping a lot of freshwater fish.”

  Ultimately it is hoped that the system utilized by Dr. Rhyne and others in this study could one day prove useful to the United States' government for more real-time monitoring of marine fish imports. This, in combination with a fast, non-lethal method for screening for cyanide fishing in imported marine fish, could "reduce the risks inherent to the wildlife trade and to protect listed species (CITES). The system could also assist wildlife inspectors with identification of thousands of species from across dozens of phyla."

  (via NYTimes)

  
  
  
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  Using art to educate the public about marine trash

  Posted: May 21st, 2012, 6:00pm CDT by Shane Graber

  Click through to see the images.

  
  

  Henry the Giant Fish Based out of Chula Vista, California, The Washed Ashore Project features enormous sculptures created out of marine debris such as rope, plastic bottles, toys, shoes, trash cans, bottle caps and more. The individual sculptures range from gigantic sea turtles, a styrofoam coral reef, Henry the Fish, a musical sea star, and plastic bottle jellyfish. In addition to the sculptures, a feature-length documentary is planned to augment the existing work.

  Lead artist Angela Haseltine Pozzi began the project because "in the last 10 years I have seen the pristine Oregon beaches of my childhood become cluttered with plastic pollution. My response to this reality has been through mixed media sculptures. I now see the essential purpose of my work is not only to create strong aesthetically sound sculptures, but also to bring awareness and dialogue about the oceans' environmental issues. I believe the power of the arts can carry urgent messages forward into the public eye."

  KPBS of San Diego, California recently featured the Washed Ashore Project:

  The art exhibit is on display at the Chula Vista Nature Center until September 3, 2012 and then they will begin their worldwide tour.

  
  
  
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  Thierry Henry abandons plan to install four story fish tank in his new London home

  Posted: May 18th, 2012, 6:00pm CDT by Shane Graber

  Click through to see the images.

  
  

  Back in February we covered a story about Thierry Henry, a world class French soccer player for the New York Red Bulls soccer team and former Arsenal football club legend, and his plan to install a 5500-gallon 40-foot tall aquarium in a new London mansion. Apparently those plans are scrapped.

  

  Henry had come under fire recently from critics about his proposed mansion with neighbor and actor Tom Conti voicing opposition to the demolition and rebuild. His criticism of the project centered on the overall disruption to the area public and that the redesign was not suited to the neighborhood architecture.

  The Camden Council had received floor plans containing the tank back in February of this year. However when they met this week to evaluate the updated plans, the documents did not contain the tank. No explanation was clearly given by either Henry or his architects on why the colossal aquarium build was cancelled.

  (via Camden New Journal)

  
  
  
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  The gut could reveal effect of climate change on fish

  Posted: May 18th, 2012, 5:00pm CDT by Shane Graber

  Click through to see the images.

  
  

  The gastrointestinal system in fish is much more sensitive to temperature changes than previously believed and may even be a limiting factor for the distribution of species, a thesis from the University of Gothenburg shows.

  By looking at how gut function in various fish species is affected by both rapid and slow changes in water temperature, we can better understand what will happen to different species when the climate changes.

  “When the temperature of the water rises, the fish’s body temperature climbs, activity in the gut increases, and more energy is needed to stay healthy,” says researcher Albin Gräns,who has studied various species in both saltwater and freshwater environments in western Sweden, California and Greenland.

  Ectothermic animals are cold-blooded victims of their environment

  Almost all fish are ectothermic cold-blooded, which means that their body temperature is the same as that of their surroundings. When the temperature of the water changes, so does the temperature of the fish, which affects all their body functionsorgans.

  “Since changes in body temperature affect virtually all of a fish’s organs, it’s surprising that we know so little about how temperature changes impact on their physiology,” says Gräns.

  Winners and losers

  Albin Gräns has studied sculpin, sturgeon and rainbow troutsalmon at various temperatures.

  His research shows that some species may find it harder to absorb nutrients as water temperatures rise, while others could profit from the new climate.

  “If the water temperature in the Arctic rises further, some sedentary immobile species, such as various types of sculpin, will probably struggle to maintain blood flow in the gut during the summer months, which will affect their health,” he explains.

  Other fish, such as those currently living at the lower extremes of their possible distribution, could instead benefit from a slightly higher temperature. The effects of a rise in water temperature will therefore vary between species, and many of the changes are difficult to predict.

  “Our work is largely about trying to identify the physiological bottlenecks, in other words which parts of the body will fail first – whether the heart or the gut is the most sensitive part of the system.”

  Exploiting temperature differences

  Turning food into nutrition requires the gastrointestinal system to function properly. Fish turn out to have guts that are highly sensitive to changes in water temperature, and many temperature-regulating behaviours observed in fish can probably be due to that the fish put down to attempts to maintain or maximise gastrointestinal function.

  “By eating at one temperature and then swimming off to another temperature to digest the food, fish can exploit areas that might otherwise be harmful to them,” says Gräns.

  (press release AlphaGalileo)

  
  
  
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  Friday Flashback: The alluring reef aquarium of Stuart Bertram

  Posted: May 18th, 2012, 3:00pm CDT by Shane Graber

  Click through to see the images.

  
  

  About Flashback Fridays: Every Friday, Advanced Aquarist will repost a blog article from this week one year ago. With all the content we publish, we want to share the timeless and interesting articles for our new readers as well as regulars who may have missed the original blog article.

  Stuart is the co-director of Europe's D-D The Aquarium Solution, an UK supplier of specialty equipment for both saltwater and freshwater aquariums. His amazing 2,200 liter (484 US gal) reef aquarium is featured in the June 2011 issue of Practical Fishkeeping, the popular UK aquarium magazine. Advanced Aquarist shares three videos of this world-class reef tank.

  
  
  
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  Science team members named for Banggai Rescue Project

  Posted: May 17th, 2012, 3:00pm CDT by Shane Graber

  Click through to see the images.

  
  

  We have eagerly awaited the announcement of the members of the science team that will head to Indonesia in June to establish the current state of the native banggai cardinalfish, Pterapogon kauderni. Finally that wait is over!

  Last evening, CORAL editor James Lawrence announced the eight member team that will make the journey. This international team is based at both the University of Florida Tropical Aquaculture Laboratory in Ruskin, Florida, and Bali, Indonesia and comprises multiple disciplines covering marine fish science, marine aquaculture, and aquatic veterinarians with specialties in virology.

  These scientists will work in conjunction with Banggai Rescue personnel in assessing and documenting the current state of the banggai cardinalfish with the ultimate goal of learning whether or not this fish species can leave the endangered species list.

  Below are the biographies of each of the team members as supplied by CORAL:

  Craig A. Watson, M.Aq., director and research coordinator for the University of Florida Tropical Aquaculture Laboratory, known as UF/TAL, will head up planning for the team’s expedition and research into health and captive breeding issues and methods. Craig has a master’s degree in aquaculture from Auburn University, and is the author of a number of papers on aquaculture and fish health issues.

  Matthew L. Wittenrich, Ph.D., a larval fish physiologist also at UF/TAL, will be looking at the potential to encourage mariculture of the species by native peoples in the Banggai Islands, as well as setting up an experimental Banggai Cardinal breeding facility in Florida. Matt is currently working with the Rising Tide Conservation Initiative raising marine ornamental fishes from eggs collected by public aquaria members of the American Zoological Association.

  Roy Yanong, V.M.D., is an aquatic animal veterinarian and a long-time tropical fish enthusiast working with UF/TAL. He has been studying the “mystery disease” responsible for killing many wild-caught Banggai Cardinals soon after their purchase by aquarium retailers, breeders, and hobbyists. He will attempt to trace the source of a virus in the supply chain between the islands and import facilities in Los Angeles. He and Matt hope to acquire a quantity of healthy broodstock while on the expedition. Roy received his veterinary degree from the University of Pennsylvania.

  Eric Cassiano, M.Sc. is a marine biologist with an interest in marine ornamental fish larvaculture. He will be working with captive reproduction and large-scale techniques.

  Tom Waltzek, VMD, Ph.D. is a postdoctoral researcher and aquatic veterinary virologist. Tom
  has worked extensively with iridoviral diseases, including the virus suspected to be responsible for fatal disease in wild-caught Banggai cardinalfish. He and Roy Yanong will be working closely together on tracking the origin of the lethal iridovirus.

  Indonesian Marine Science Experts

  
  Gayatri Reksodihardjo-Lilley is a marine conservation and fisheries expert and founder of LINI, the Indonesian Nature Foundation. She will coordinate the Banggai rescue work in Indonesia with the field team, and provide an ongoing link for the project with Indonesian scientists and fisheries personnel on the ground, and in the waters of the Banggai Islands.

  Yunaldi Yahya, M.Sc. is one of the very few experienced Indonesian fisheries scientists specializing in reef monitoring, fish identification, and reef survey methodologies. Yunaldi has spent much time in the Banggai Islands, mapping BCF distribution and densities.

  Ketut Mahardika Ph.D., is a fish pathologist, working with The Gondol Research Institute for Mariculture. He will be working with the Banggai field team, taking samples for analysis in the laboratorium in Gondol.

   

  As you may recall, a Kickstarter campaign was initiated back in March by Reef to Rainforest Media (the publishing company that produces CORAL Magazine) to help fund the publication of a book about the banggai cardinalfish. Their goal was to raise $25,000 for funding a Ret and Karen Talbot to join the above science team to document the expedition, to setup a US-based breeding area, and to help defray publication costs of the book about this project. When the campaign ended on April 8, it was successfully funded by 153 backers contributing a combined total of $33,006 toward the project.

  As always, we will keep you apprised of the project as it progresses.

  
  
  
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  New species of reticulated dragonet discovered in Sweden

  Posted: May 16th, 2012, 3:00pm CDT by Shane Graber

  Click through to see the images.

  
  

  Lars-Ove Loo is the underwater photographer who has captured the fish on film. He saw it while making an inventory ahead of the creation of a new nature reserve in the islands. This was in August 2010, 19 meters below the surface of the sea south of Lyngö in the southern Väderöarna (58° 32.554’ N, 11° 05.373’ E).

  Reticulated dragonet (Callionymus reticulatus) is similar to its more common Swedish relatives the common dragonet and spotted dragonet. The male reticulated dragonet is just 11 cm long and the female 6.5 cm long. It has three spines on its gill cover, whereas the other two species have four. Its snout – the distance from mouth to eye – is somewhat longer than its eye is wide.

  Reticulated dragonet is found from the Weather Islands in the north down the coasts of the southern North Sea, in the Irish Sea, from southwestern Ireland down to Portugal, and in the western Mediterranean. It has been found both in shallow waters and at depths of up to 110 metres.

  It is unusual for a new species of fish to be discovered in Sweden. There are now an estimated 265 species of fish in the country, of which just over 200 dwell in the sea.

  (press release AlphaGalileo Foundation)

  
  
  
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  Treating type 2 diabetes with cone snail venom?

  Posted: May 15th, 2012, 6:00pm CDT by Shane Graber

  Click through to see the images.

  
  

  Scientists have long known that cone snail venom has a great potential for drug discovery. The individual components of cone snail venom, known as conopeptides, are the primary target for drug manufacturers due to their unique properties. One of the first commercial cone snail conopeptides brought to market as a drug is Ziconotid, a powerful anti-pain medication derived from the Conus magus cone snail.

  Recently, scientists isolated a conopeptide from the Conus striatus cone snail called Conkunitzin-S1 that alters how the pancreas releases insulin. This compound was found to have significant potential for treating type 2 diabetes.  Their findings are reported in the magazine EMBO Molecular Medicine.

  Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes making up 90% of the cases diagnosed each year in adults. The disease is characterized by high blood sugar levels and the body's lack of ability to respond to sugar properly for normal daily activities. It is a serious disease affecting 285 million people in 2010.

  “This potentially could be a new approach to the treatment of type 2 diabetes”, says Professor Heinrich Terlau from the Physiological Institute of Kiel University and associate member of the Excellence Cluster “Future Ocean”. “The action of some substances that are ordinarily used in the treatment of type 2 diabetes is independent of the blood glucose level”, Terlau describes. This can lead to low blood glucose, also known as hypoglycaemia. “What is new about this substance is that it has a very specific effect. Because of this fact, the likelyhood of side effects such as hypoglycaemia is minimal”, Terlau continues.
  
  The newly discovered substance, conopeptide Conkunitzin-S1, binds to a specific potassium channel in the pancreas cells and leads to a temporarily increased release of insulin but only if the blood sugar level is raised.

  Trials with rats look promising and the next step is to see if the compound can be administered orally.

  (via Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel)

  
  
  
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  Jean-Michel Cousteau to Keynote DFW MACNA in September

  Posted: May 11th, 2012, 3:00pm CDT by Shane Graber

  Click through to see the images.

  
  

  Last night, Marc Levenson of Reef Addicts announced that Jaques Cousteau's son Jean-Michel will present the keynote address at the Saturday Night Gala of the Dallas/Fort Worth MACNA event this September. This is certainly a treat for everyone attending and Jean-Michel's presence at the event is in large part due to Seachem.

  Jean-Michel has continued his father's legacy and has produced over 70 films, received the Emmy, the Peabody Award, the 7 d’Or, and the Cable Ace Award. He is also a syndicated Los Angeles Times columnist where his column reaches over 60 countries. In addition he is the founder of the Ocean Futures Society that explores the world's oceans and educates the public on its protection.

  We urge everyone that plans to attend MACNA this year to get your tickets now for the Gala as tickets are only $129 until June 30. This will be a gala that you do not want to miss!

  
  
  
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  Pufferfish at the 'beak' of evolution

  Posted: May 10th, 2012, 4:00pm CDT by Shane Graber

  Click through to see the images.

  
  

  New research focusing on tooth development in the deadly fish - unchanged through evolution - shows that after the first generation of teeth the programme for continued tooth replacement modifies to form a distinctive and unusual `parrot like´ beak.

  The study, which is the first time scientists have analysed the development of the fish´s unique beak, also supports the idea that evolution doesn´t make jumps, as its distinctive bite has been modified from a set of genes responsible for tooth development and preserved over 400 million years.

  Dr Gareth Fraser of the University of Sheffield´s Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, who led the project, said: "It goes beyond fishes and even morphological novelty; we can use the pufferfish beak as a model for a simplified tooth replacement system – composed of just four continually replacing teeth that make up the beak structure. It is of great interest for science to understand the process of tooth replacement, to understand the genes that govern the continued supply of teeth and mechanisms of dental stem cell maintenance.

  "As humans only replace their teeth once, fishes and pufferfish in particular, can be looked at as a new model to help us to answer questions like how continuous tooth replacement programmes are maintained throughout life? This would help our understanding of why humans have lost this replacement potential, and furthermore how can we use knowledge of the genetic underpinnings of tooth replacement in fishes to facilitate advances in dental therapies."

  Photo by Edward Callaghan Pufferfish are bony fish, which are extremely diverse and make up almost half of all living vertebrates. This group uses a highly conserved process to form a unique beak-like jaw that has made teeth in all vertebrates – animals with spines – for millions of years.

  The research catalogued the dental development throughout all stages of the pufferfish´s growth, from the production of initial-teeth to the construction of its distinctive `beak´. The research showed that the strange structure didn´t appear from scratch during embryonic development as a complete vertebrate novelty, but rather originates from the modified development of replacement teeth after the formation of an initial dentition, which appears like `normal´ fish teeth.

  Dr Fraser added: "The beak structure is made from many bands of dentine, stacked together, each band represents a new replacement `tooth´, and they can have more than seven separate bands making up the beak, with new bands continuously being formed to replace those damaged by eating.

  "Only after the start of the tooth replacement programme in just four of these first-generation teeth does this novel and bizarre beak-like structure appear. It is an example of re-specification of its genetic tool-kit for tooth development toward a very alternative, and unique, dentition.

  Pufferfishes are the most bizarre of the bony fishes and have recently become a useful genetic model with the pufferfish genome project near completion. It is hoped it will provide a valuable model system for genetics, genomics, biomedical sciences and now development, not to mention the importance of this group to our understanding of the evolution of morphological novelty and vertebrate diversity.

  The paper is published in the journal PNAS and was carried out in collaboration with the Natural History Museum, London and King´s College London.

  (press release via The University of Sheffield, photo via Red Sea Holidays)

  
  
  
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  Smallest seahorse in the US Gulf considered for protection

  Posted: May 9th, 2012, 4:00pm CDT by Shane Graber

  Click through to see the images.

  
  

  The dwarf seahorse is the smallest of the four species found native in US waters measuring only one inch in length when fully grown. Its habitat is mainly seagrass beds in the Gulf of Mexico and these beds have declined since the 1950 and the habitat was further hurt by the BP oil spill in 2010.

  The National Marine Fisheries Service has agreed to conduct a year-long study of the tiny seahorse to better understand its current state and whether or not H.zosterae needs protection by the Endangered Species Act.

  "Oil spills like the one two years ago in the Gulf of Mexico exact a terrible toll on marine life, especially species like the dwarf seahorse that were already struggling to survive," said Tierra Curry, Center for Biological Diversity conservation biologist. ...
  
  Dwarf seahorses — and other species of seahorse — are far too rare to make any conclusions, said Marine scientist Joel Fodrie. He said 200,000 individual fish caught over five years included only 60 seahorses of all kinds; at least seven of them were caught last year.

  Let us hope that through intervention the population rebounds.

  (via Palm Beach Post)

  
  
  
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  How I use my Makerbot 3D printer for marine fish breeding

  Posted: May 8th, 2012, 5:00pm CDT by Shane Graber

  Click through to see the images.

  
  

  In my previous installment, I explained how I use my 3D printer to print equipment for fragging corals.  The premise is essentially the same in this installment: identify equipment that is potentially 3D printable, model it, and then print it.  Two obvious pieces of fish breeding equipment that fit this criteria are brine shrimp hatcheries and sponge filters for the larval tanks.

  Brine Shrimp Hatchery

  Retail, brine shrimp hatcheries cost anywhere from $10 to $15 per hatchery. While that is not expensive, 3D printing them will cost much less. My brine shrimp hatchery base shown here uses ABS plastic and costs less than $2.00 for the plastic. That is a cost savings of $8.00-$13.00 per hatchery.

  A brine shrimp hatchery that I designed, from 3D model concept to completed print fitted with a 2 liter bottle.

  These brine shrimp hatcheries essentially consist of two parts: a 2-liter container with its base cut off and a plastic base that the 2-liter screws into. The 2-liter container is easy to find and you might even have one in your recycling bin.  Simply cut the base off of the 2-liter bottle about 3" up from the bottom using a razor knife. Now for the base. It is available on Thingiverse and once printed yields a nice, sturdy base that the 2-liter container screws into. It has an integrated airline attachment that accepts standard airline tubing. The only other item needed is a 7/8" garden hose washer that is available at your local hardware store for approximately $1-$2 for a 10-pack. This seals the threads from potential leaks during usage.

  To assemble, place the 7/8" washer in the base and screw on the 2-liter container until it is good and tight. Now attach the 3/8" airline tubing to the 3D printed base and then attach the other end to a standard aquarium air pump. Your hatchery is now complete.

  If you are unfamiliar with hatching brine shrimp, I highly recommend reading the following two articles:

  1. The Breeder's Net: Artemia Nauplii As A Food Source by Frank Marini, Ph.D.
  2. Breeder's Net : Amazing Artemia! by Suzy Applegarth

  Sponge Filter

  Sponge filters retail also for $10 to $15 per filter. Again, they are not expensive but the cost will add up as more larval tanks are setup.  This part uses PLA plastic and costs maybe $2.00 in plastic per filter. Your savings: $8.00 - $13.00 per filter.  PLA is recommended for this application as it is more dense than ABS and will sink in saltwater.

  This sponge filter requires three components:

  1. 3D printed base
  2. A 8 inch length of 3/8 inch rigid airline tubing
  3. Two zip ties
  4. Porous sponge salvaged from an old powerhead or purchased from your local fish store

  Download the model from Thingiverse and print it. Obtain the additional parts listed above and assemble it by pushing the rigid 3/8 inch airline tubing into the 3D printed base, wrap the sponge around the central tube, and then zip tie it into place. Now simply hook up your airline and air pump and you are done. Use it as you would any other sponge filter in your larval tanks.

  A 3D printed sponge filter. The printed filter housing (left), housing plus airline tubing (center), sponge wrapped around housing (right).

  Use Them

  Print and use as many of them as you need. Both of these 3D printed parts took approximately 1 hour to print so it would not take all that long to print multiple parts for all of your breeding needs. Incidentally, if you are looking for more information on breeding marine fish, I highly recommend the Marine Breeding Initiative website as a place to learn more about this worthwhile subject.

  If you had a 3D printer, what would you print?

  
  
  
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  Manhattan Reefs Spring Frag Swap: Sunday, May 20th

  Posted: May 8th, 2012, 3:00pm CDT by Shane Graber

  Click through to see the images.

  
  

  The Manhattan Reefs Spring Frag Swap is less than two weeks away. If you have not already RSVP'd, you can do it on the first post of this thread:

  [www.manhattanreefs.com]

  We expect the event to be sold out so please reserve your tickets now!

  Guest Speakers:

  • Gary Parr
  • Joe Yaiullo

  Confirmed Vendors:

  • Cherry Corals
  • Jason Fox Signature Corals
  • Pacific East Aquaculture
  • Coral Theory
  • Frags Unlimited
  • Ultra Corals & Fish
  • Aquatic Life Direct
  • Gotham Aquatics
  • Reefs Creation
  • Pieces of the Ocean
  • Puppy Center & Aquarium
  • Wingo LED
  • Two Little Fishies
  • Crazy Mad Corals
  • Pablo
  • Sunshine Systems
  • Algagen

  There will be a lot of coral and dry goods on sale at the event, you do not need to bring anything except your wallet to participate!

  Free Catered Lunch

  Frag Demonstrations

  Etc....

  Hope to see you there!

  
  
  
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  A new jellyfish company enters the aquarium market: Moon Jellyfish

  Posted: May 7th, 2012, 5:00pm CDT by Shane Graber

  Click through to see the images.

  
  

  Move over Cubic and Jellyfish Art, there is a new player in town: Moon Jellyfish. Moon Jellyfish is a new venture created by Sunset Marine Labs that brings their company into the business of providing jellyfish, jellyfish food, and jellyfish tanks to marine aquarists.

  For the last 16 years, Sunset Marine Labs has provided jellyfish to both zoos and the aquarium industry throughout the United States. Places like the Indianapolis Zoo, Tennessee Aquarium, Georgia Aquarium and Sea World all have displayed Sunset Marine Labs’ jellyfish.  Sunset Marine Labs has also designed high-end jellyfish tanks for professional aquarium service companies and educated them on jellyfish stocking conditions and husbandry. Because of their extensive experience in jellyfish, Sunset Marine Labs has decided to take the next step and begin offering jellies, jellyfish tanks, and jellyfish food to marine aquarium hobbyists.

  Their entrance into the marine aquarium market is with their new EON jellyfish tank. The tank's construction is a departure from the traditional kreisel tank that Cubic and Jellyfish Art sell that slowly move the jellies around in a circular pattern. Moon Jellyfish's tank is a 10-gallon cube that comes with a pump, heater, three stage filter, media, and remote controlled color changing LED lighting:

  Utilizing a square-flow design, first introduced in the mid 1990's by the Monterey Bay Aquarium & the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas, the EON jellyfish system produces a similar environment encountered by the jellyfish in nature. With the square-flow design the jellies are allowed to bell naturally which encourages proper feeding habits. Proper feeding, of course, along with the up and down flow pattern creates an ideal habitat for sustaining happy and healthy jellies.

  The complete setup measures 12" L x 15" W x 20" H, weighs 85 pounds when filled with saltwater, and is available in either black or white acrylic.  The complete system, minus the jellyfish and food, will run someone $850, which seems a bit on the salty side in my opinion.  That said, keeping jellyfish properly takes a completely different system than your standard reef aquarium as jellies are very delicate animals. This difference in system design could command the stated system price.

  We are definitely interested in hearing from people who buy one of these tanks. If you have, please let us know. If you are interested in learning more about jellyfish husbandry, read our review of the book How to Keep Jellyfish in Aquariums: An Introductory Guide for Maintaining Healthy Jellies by Chad L. Widmer.

  Moon Jellyfish has produced a number of videos about their new EON tank. The first video is a quick look at the tank and the second video shows how to acclimate, feed and maintain your jellyfish in the Eon jellyfish system:

  
  
  
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  April 2012's Most Popular Posts

  Posted: May 5th, 2012, 6:00pm CDT by Shane Graber

  Click through to see the images.

  
  

  

  #10: How I use my Makerbot 3D printer for fragging coral

  When someone wants to frag their corals, they will need some basic equipment: glue, something to mount the coral frags onto, someplace to put them once glued down, and maybe some sort of tweezers or pliers. Today I will show you how my Makerbot 3D printer can help with this task by printing coral frag plugs, a frag holder, and some additional optional equipment. Read more...

  

  #9: Aquafront commissioned to design 7 dream modern kitchens with integrated aquariums

  Aquafront is a UK aquatic installation designer whose mission is to reconnect people in their daily lives to the natural world. They have been commissioned to design seven amazing integrated kitchen aquariums for luxury kitchen designer Poggnepohl. Aquafront invites you to view renditions of their absurdly beautiful concepts. Read more...

  

  #8: New video clip from Fish Tank Kings

  Nat Geo has released a new video clip of Fish Tank Kings. Viewers hitch a ride in a submersible to collect deep water fish in Curacao. All in all, the clips we've been provided demonstrate the show's exciting potential. Read more...

  

  #7: epiphyte's Indoor Aquatic 'Rainforest'

  It's amazing what creativity and talent can create on a limited budget. We share ephiphyte's impressive 20 gallon indoor bamboo paludarium he assembled on grad student's tight budget. Read more...

  

  #6: Light Emitting Diode (LED) and Light Emitting Plasma (LEP) found to be highly suitable for coral aquaculture

  Through our collective experiences, modern reefkeepers know LEDs are capable of sustaining coral growth. Now a new study has confirmed the efficacy of LED and LEP lights for coral growth and coral aquaculture along with an interesting observation about blue lights. Read more...

  

  #5: A new, fast, non-lethal method for cyanide detection in marine fish. Is it a game changer?

  The use of cyanide to collect marine fish still exists even though its use is illegal in many countries that export fish for the marine aquarium trade. Prior to this new detection method, the only way to test for a cyanide-caught fish was to destroy the fish and test directly for cyanide. This new method is non-lethal, fast, highly sensitive, inexpensive, and could allow importers to test each bag of fish in six minutes. This is huge! Read more...

  

  #4: Marlins Stadium Aquariums: Design and Installation

  Play ball! The newly constructed Miami Marlin's Baseball Stadium is home to the world's only on-the-field tropical marine exhibit ... two 450 gallon aquariums as a matter of fact. Living Color Aquariums shares how they designed, fabricated, and installed this 'Aquatic Home Plate Backstop.' Read more...

  

  #3: First peek at Fish Tank Kings [videos]

  Advanced Aquarist shares two "first look" video clips of Nat Geo's highly anticipated new TV show, Fish Tank Kings. From the scenes we are provided, Fish Tank Kings appears to spend significant airtime on education and discussing the build process. Read more...

  

  #2: Fishtank Kings: A New Nat Geo TV Show (Updated with Press Release)

  National Geographic Wild television channel will debut the new show on May 12, 2012 starring none other than Living Color Aquariums, a manufacturer of high-end aquatic installations (including public aquariums) and a frequent contributor to Advanced Aquarist blogs. Read more...

  

  #1: The Tank Builds of Tanked: Season 2

  We have a sneak peek at the upcoming tank builds for Tanked's sophomore season, including a working pinball machine tank, a refrigerator tank, a giant shark tank for Tracy Morgan, and a mobile school bus tank. We have more photos after the jump. Read more...

  
  
  
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  Monster Tasmanian giant crab now at British aquarium

  Posted: May 4th, 2012, 5:00pm CDT by Shane Graber

  Click through to see the images.

  
  

  Here's some interesting statistics about this monster:

  • Biggest crab on display in Britian
  • Measures 15 inches wide
  • Weighs 15 pounds
  • Underwent a 29 hour plane flight from Tasmania to Great Britian
  • He is still a juvenile!

  Tasmanian giant crabs, Pseudocarcinus gigas, can reach up to 29 pounds and measure 18 inches across when fully grown. This "little guy" will double his weight and increase in width by 3 inches before he reaches adulthood. That's a big crab!

  Claude will go on display this Thursday at Sea Life Centre in Weymouth, Dorset, Great Britian.  If he does well there, Claude's two Tasmanian giant crab companions will go on display at aquariums in Birmingham and Berlin.

  Right now, Claude is in quarantine in a 10 ft tall by 6 ft wide tank and is dining on diced mackerel and squid until his debut on Thursday.

  (via MailOnline)

  
  
  
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  Flashback Friday: Activated carbon indicted in inducing head and lateral line erosion

  Posted: May 4th, 2012, 3:00pm CDT by Shane Graber

  Click through to see the images.

  
  

  About Flashback Fridays: Every Friday, Advanced Aquarist will repost a blog article from this week one year ago. With all the content we publish, we want to share the timeless and interesting articles for our new readers as well as regulars who may have missed the original blog article.
  

  Head and lateral line erosion (HLLE) is a disease in fish that can severely affect certain species of both freshwater and marine fish. The disease starts out as tiny holes or pits around the fish's eyes and progresses down along the fish's lateral line. In extreme cases it can progress onto certain fins. The particular disease is known to affect at least 20 marine species.

  In an upcoming article in Coral Magazine, Jay Hemdal reports on work focused on this area. This particular study was funded by the Toledo Zoo Foundation and the Toledo Zoological Society and it will be formally published in the North American Journal of Aquaculture shortly.

  The Study

  Past work has indicated that granular activated carbon might be a potential source of head and lateral line erosion in aquarium fish and the staff at the Toledo Zoo observed a similar trend in incidence of head and lateral line erosion in their fish population when using activated carbon.

  To investigate this potential source, Jay and others setup three 120 gallon systems with 35 Ocean Surgeonfish (Acanthurus bihianus) evenly distributed between each system. Variables such as light, voltage, air supply, filtration, diet, maintenance, water quality, acclimation, and collection technique were all rigorously controlled throughout the study. The first system had a 500 gram mesh bag of unwashed lignite carbon added to the sump. The second system had 500 grams of pelletized carbon added. The third system was used as a control.

  During their monitoring, the fish in the first system (unwashed lignin carbon) started exhibiting HLLE after 20 days and after four months all fish were exibiting HLLE. The fish in the second system (pelletized carbon) did not show outward signs of HLLE. However upon microscopic examination, legions were found. Fish in the third system (control) showed no signs of HLLE.

  A post-HLLE diet study was conducted on the fish and it was found that the fish with the most severe HLLE exhibited long-term health effects (lower body weight).

  Jay's report is an important paper to read for anyone that is interested in HLLE expression in aquarium fish and the report also publishes a table of the fish species that are most commonly affected by HLLE. If you are using activated carbon in your systems, you owe it to yourself and your fish to read this article.

  (via Coral Magazine)

  
  
  
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  Thanks for all the fish!

  Posted: May 3rd, 2012, 6:00pm CDT by Shane Graber

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  Every fall the fishers of Laguna, Brazil cast their nets in the local lagoon hoping to capture small silver fish called mullets.  Normally net fishing is a hit or miss endeavor. However these fishermen have an aquatic ally: a group of local bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus). What happens is the dolphins in this lagoon herd mullets toward local fishermen and with a characteristic head or tail slap indicate when the fishermen should cast their nets. When the nets are pulled up, they are writhing with mullets. Capturing fish in this way is apparently a sight to behold and without these helpful dolphins, the fishermen would have a much harder time catching the same amount of fish. This coordinated fishing activity has happened for generations and begs the question: why would a group of dolphins help humans with fishing and what benefit are the dolphins receiving from this behavior?

  A group of researchers led by Fábian Daura-Jorge wondered these exact questions and detailed their findings yesterday in in the journal Biology Letters.

  The scientists learned that not all of the lagoon's dolphin population take part in the coordinated fishing activities. Only one-third of the local dolphin population of 50 actively help. The other two-thirds hang back and do not participate in the herding behavior. Daura-Jorge's group learned that the dolphins that exhibited this coordinated behavior also tended to have more close associations together leading the researchers to speculate that the helpful fishing behavior is, in fact, a learned behavior.

  Dolphins with tighter bonds, [Fábian Daura-Jorge] explains, might be more inclined to pick up each other's unique behavior. Dolphins and their close relatives certainly can swap unique behaviors from animal to animal, scientists say. Young dolphins living in Australia's Shark Bay, for instance, learn from their mothers how to cover their noses with dead sponges—a nifty trick that keeps them from getting scraped.

  During the course of the study, mother dolphins in this group were also observed to nudge their young toward mullet suggesting that the mothers were trying to teach their young how to coordinate fishing tactics.

  Nevertheless, the coordinated fishing tactics between the bottlenose dolphins and fishermen are vitally important as without this helpful relationship, the fishermen could not make a living from fishing.

  (via Science)

  
  
  
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  Mass stranding of crown-of-thorns starfish

  Posted: May 2nd, 2012, 5:00pm CDT by Shane Graber

  Click through to see the images.

  
  

  Crown-of-thorns starfish (Acanthaster planci) are fierce predators of coral reefs - especially of their favorite meal: scleractinian (stony) corals like Acropora. As we reported previously, these starfish can eat up to 6 square meters (65 square feet) of coral cover each year per starfish. They can destroy a large chunk of the reef when their populations swell. But what happens to them when their food source runs out?

  Researchers Suzuki, Kai and Yamashita reported this week in the scientific journal Coral Reefs about one event that can happen when their food source runs out: mass strandings of crown-of-thorns starfish.

  They report that in January of 2012 in Urasoko Bay, Ishigaki Island (southern Japan), 806 crown-of-thorns starfish (Acanthaster planci) were found stranded on a 330 yard section of a beach (pictured above). The researchers observed that these crown-of-thorns starfish invaded the Acropora-rich reef around Urasoko Bay and then headed into the inner bay toward the end of 2011 in search of food. The researchers believe after the crown-of-thorns ran out of Acropora to gorge on,  they became emaciated and in their weakened condition congregated in the shallows at high tide. When the tide went out, they were stranded and subsequently died. This phenomenon was also reported twice in the local papers: once in February 2011 and another in August 2011.

  Suzuki, Kai, and Yamashita noted that:

  ...these observations possibly provide an answer to the question of what happens to COTS when they have completely depleted their food, at least on reefs within lagoons and around islands. On other reefs with different morphologies and hydrodynamic settings, COTS die and disintegrate on or near the reef, as evidenced by the finding of COTS spicules in near-reef sediments.

  Goes to show: Gluttony is truly a deadly sin.