Good morning friends, here’s a few more “fish faces” for your viewing pleasure today that I got yesterday morning right here on our own Substation house reef! Most of you know that for the past year I have been really trying harder than usual to get some fun fish face photos but as it turns out these are the hardest photos I have ever tried to shoot! Why you ask?? Go ahead ask why!! Fish are not prone to look a diver or a potential predator in the face, they just want to flee! I spend most of my dives in hot pursuit and mostly taking tail shots.

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Checkin' Out Will's Mixed Reef Tank I haven't done a tank video in a long time, mostly because I'm a hermit, but I did manage to get out of my pajamas and visit my friend Will. Will is a long-time customer of Tidal Gardens... From: tidalgardens Views: 0 0 ratingsTime: 07:16 More in Pets & Animals

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Support St. Jude research and give yourself a chance to win this reef system.

It’s time once again to do the marine-aquarium hobby podcast thing that we do. This week’s subjects are our “Where Do You Listen” contest, the St. Jude/Reef Savvy reef system raffle, women in the hobby, lionfish videos, Ret Talbot’s new series, hobby expense, and mysis shrimp and other frozen foods. Download the podcast here, or subscribe to our podcasts at iTunes. Also, follow us on Twitter at reefthreads.—Gary and Christine

St. Jude raffle

Spearing lionfish

Ladies fragswapping site

Ret writes

It costs too much

1.5-gal. vase reef

Bulk frozen

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Different elasmobranchs produce different styles of egg cases. Shown right to left: Brown Banded Bamboo Shark, Clearnose Skate, and White Spotted Bamboo Shark.From the ferocious great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) to the graceful white-spotted eagle ray (Aetobatus narinari), Elasmobranchii are a diverse group of boneless fishes that are circumglobal, inhabiting a diverse array of habitats, temperature ranges, salinity, and niches in the world’s oceans and rivers. It is no wonder that these unique creatures, while usually boasting comparably bland coloration to the typical teleostei reef fishes, pique the interest of pretty much every hobbyist. This group of fishes definitely has its challenges but, with proper information and species selection, can be kept fairly easily by a moderately skilled aquarist with a generous budget. Breeding and raising elasmobranchs You may skim over this installment of Elasmobranch Enthusiasts because your goal maybe isn’t to breed them…but you shouldn’t! Many elasmobranchs that are sold in stores are eggs or babies, and special care needs to be taken to provide the right conditions to be successful with these smaller, more delicate aquatic animals. Because it is just the beginning of our “baby” season right now, this the perfect time to talk about elasmobranch reproduction. The birds and bees Male and female elasmobranchs are morphologically different from each other.

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Winter is coming. With it comes notoriously unpredictable weather. Snowstorms and blizzards can poise difficult challenges for zoos and aquariums and even your average hobbyists. Infectious disease and natural disasters like hurricanes, earthquakes and typhoons are not just cause for concern for people. Natural disasters leave aquariums susceptible to power outages, staff shortages, and possibly lack of food, clean water and medicine too. Infectious diseases can devastate animal population. Its important to be prepared with a plan in case of emergency. For the past four years, folks at the US Department of Agriculture Division of Animal Care and the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, and  the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine has been having emergency preparedness trials at small and large facilities. The main point is there needs to be a plan. Its important to stay calm in the face of chaos. To stay calm you need to know what to do, how to do it, and who does what. Knowing what animals to move and in what order makes the most out of valuable time. There is nothing worse than spinning wheels when time is running out and the crisis is approaching.Hopefully this has inspired you to create your own disaster plan to save your fishy friends from the zombie apocalypse or other impending forms of doom. MORE… More:

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Perhaps according to Sir David Attenborough, though I’ve seem some pretty sexy anthias  (have you SEEN a Holanthias fuscipinnis?). But we’re not talking aesthetics this time around, we’re going strictly based on their romance game. At first glance, the unassuming porky pufferfish, with his rotund cheeks, toothy grin and goofy, bulgy eyes wouldn’t strike you as any sort of Rico Suave – in fact you’d probably assume him to be a stuttering, clumsy buffoon in the sack. This is why you shouldn’t make snap judgements! Turns out Mr. Pufferfish has some seriously sultry tricks up his metaphorical sleeve.   Upon viewing footage of the courtship before narration, Attenborough had this to say,

“I promise you I speak the literal truth when I say I was shocked when I saw it,” he says. “Had I not known who filmed it, I would swear it was a fake, done by computer imagery. It’s like an enormously complex flower with symmetrical petals all the way around. It is amazing. You cannot believe it’s true.”

  So what makes this little guy worthy of the title “sex god”? Read carefully, gentlemen, it’s his acute attention to detail, particularly when crafting a “boudoir”, attracting the attention from his female counterpart. Meticulously built love nests boast the potential mate’s handyman skills, and we all know just how important that can be. Furthermore, the stunning, flowery circular nests feature petal-like peaks and valleys, and even decorated with delicate shells (it’s the little details, really). An impressed female swims along, robust with eggs, sizing up the gentleman’s potential. She likes what she sees and gingerly makes her way into the circle. Now this is where things get heated – the male latches on, grabbing her cheek with his teeth, and they swim together side by side, the pair spawn and part ways. That’s right, nothing sexier than being bit in the face. You must admit, it’s quite gallant. The male spends several days being father of the year, fanning and fawning over the fertilized eggs, keeping them oxygenized with his undulating fins until they’ve hatched. Little Rico’s job is done here, he swims off to woo another unsuspecting, but perfectly willing female. I hope you took notes, you can all learn a thing or two from this little pufferfish (except I don’t recommend bringing hundreds of kin into the world and then bailing to find the next victim of your steamy prowess).… More:

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You just never know when you will find a gem.  This coral is a prime example of this premise when speaking about corals in captivity.  This Acropopra tenius started out very different then it appears today.  Even with the couple decades of keeping corals under my belt I did not see the potential in this specimen.  It was a small seed fragment I acquired from a hobbyist at one of the many frag swaps I attended.  The coloration was quite unimpressive so I did not give it much attention or prime real estate in any of my systems until recently.  After a few months in the original location it was placed I saw the yellow pigments and a hint of blue on the axial coralites.  I promptly decided it was worthy of some attention and better placement.  I positioned it to receive strong light and random flow in one of my most mature reef aquariums.  After several months in the new location the pigments began to develop into what you see now.  As each month passes the coral becomes more vibrant although  is not adding mass as quickly as I would anticipate.  The polyp extension and new active growth tips tell me I did the right thing.  Now I must have patience and watch my new gem grow into a mature colony with hopes of propagating this coral in the future.  I believe it has the genetics to be a worthy addition to my brood stock and only time will tell if I made the proper decision.  The moral of the story is you just never know.  Never assume a certain specimen will not become your next diamond in the rough.… More:

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Apologies to anyone with sinus issues, but facts are facts. Anywho, very much like that little tidbit of a fact, this is hardly news, but thanks to Ret Tablot, I’ve got Bangaiis on the brain and figured I’d merge that into an ongoing theme of fishy breeding habits, so here we go.  First, let me point out a grossly irritating inaccuracy here – for SHAME weather.com, for shame. Bangaii Cardinals are NOT endangered, merely in danger of being threatened after a 90-day observation of findings, so cool your jets. Over-dramatizatoin and misinformation does absolutely zilch to aid a species’ endangered status, so I really hope outlets such as weather.com will stop throwing gasoline on an “anti-hobby” fire without even the wobbliest of legs to stand on. OK, exhale. So, mouthbrooding, not a common practice in saltwater species, this practice is limited to cardinal fish and Opistognathidae (jawfish). More commonly observed within freshwater species, this behavior consists of one sex (the male in the instance of Bangaiis) hoarding a bunch fertilized eggs in one’s mouth. Don’t go scolding me that “a bunch” isn’t a valid form of measurement, let me get to that. I want to really talk about Bangaiis. Bangaii Cardinalfish, Pterapogon kauderni, are striking fish. Pearly, dusky grey scales are dabbled with stark white dots and painted with three bold black stripes. They boast an iconic shape, even an elongated anal fin, one that would make your average damsel putridly green with envy. After the usual daunting courtship, the female expels eggs from her urogenital papilla, about ninety or so, and the male briskly gobbles them up. This Rainman of fish is somehow able to detect duds, ejecting dead eggs to reserve his care taking for the strong and promising of the clutch. Ever the hero, the male refrains from eating for a duration of up to 30 days whilst the eggs progress. Thank goodness humans don’t reproduce this way, we’d be extinct, for every slice of pizza dangled in front of a man’s face, an entire clutch would be spat out and trampled over for just a taste.  As the man guards their eggs, the lady guards her man, “trembling” by his side, confining him to a intimate, relaxed space, chasing off intruders. After hatching, the juvenile cardinals hang around their oral dwellings, like a human housed until they set off for college. Therefore, the babes are quite a bit bigger when they eventually leave home, as they grow severalfold while brooding in their old man’s trap.… More:

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In shocking and breaking news Petco company has announced its acquisition of the online pet product retail mogul Dr. Foster and Smith. Owned by veterinarians the online retail outlet Dr. Foster and Smith has a saltwater division that supplies live coral to customers all over the united states called LiveAquaria (DiversDen). The terms have already been agreed upon and LiveAquaria’s director was quoted saying “Things will be business as usual here at Drs. Foster and Smith. That’s all the information we have at the moment as this is brand new, but thanks for asking. We are excited about what it means for our company!” Petco’s CEO Jim Meyers is quoted in a prepared statement saying the acquisition “underscores our commitment to nurturing the complete health and well-being of animals and further allows Petco to meet the diverse and expansive needs of pet parents.” The acquisition is slatted to be complete early 2015 without disclosure of terms. … More:

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I’m sure you’ve all heard the news by now – an ominous cloud hovers over our beloved industry in light of Petco coming forward to purchase Doctors Foster and Smith. I woke up this morning and prayed it was merely a bad dream, but alas my hopes were crushed and reality set in as I reviewed the confirming evidence. It didn’t sit right with me – Petco has a less than stellar reputation when it comes to the aquarium industry, and I immediately feared the worst. Not wanting to be a Doomsday Dreading Debbie Downer Doll, I decided to take a deep breath and reach out to LiveAquaria’s director, Kevin Kohen. After his response, I’m happy to report we should really not be so afraid here. This could actually be a good thing for the hobby! I want to stress that while it looks like this will be the ultimate fate of Doctors Foster and Smith, no action has been taken aside from an agreement for Petco to acquire the company, along with LiveAquaria. So how does LA feel about all of this? They’re excited. They feel this could be a very positive merge. Don’t fret – Kevin had some very reassuring words for us. 

Dr. Race Foster and Dr. Marty Smith have worked incredibly hard over the last 31 years, to build a very successful business, which revolves around education, pet heath, and responsible pet ownership. The Petco mission is elevating the lives of animals and enhancing the connection people have with their pets, with a commitment to the highest standards of social responsibility, while continually striving to make things better for pets, people and the planet. Understanding each company’s mission and goals are very similar, we feel this partnership and synergy is going to be beneficial to animals, pet owners, and aquarium hobbyists and enthusiasts alike. I can assure you, my personal mission as the LiveAquaria Director is to take LiveAquaria.com to an even higher level than ever before. The continued expansion of our Aquaculture Coral and Marine Life facility in Rhinelander Wisconsin, home of the LiveAquaria.com Divers Den®, allows us to offer an even greater assortment of quality aquatic life shipped direct to your door. Dr. Race Foster and I are not going anywhere.  We will continue to operate Drs. Foster and Smith Pet Supplies and LiveAquaria.com as it’s business as usual, right here in Rhinelander Wisconsin.   

… More:

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I’ve been sadly following the Starfish Wasting Syndrome since it started shocking researchers and scientists with alarming rates of starfish mutilation and deaths since 2013. Scientists first starting noticing the disease along the North American West Coast. The degenerating disease is devastating starfish populations and scientists couldn’t figure out why. Although the disease has been present sine the 1970′s, never have soo many starfish been affected at one time. When the disease affected starfish in aquariums, scientists were able to better understand the root. By analyzing the DNA of infected and healthy starfish of different species, scientists found the virus SSaDV was most usually present in both the healthy and unhealthy starfish. However, the research in general showed that the levels in the unhealthy starfish was much greater than in healthy versions. The study was inconclusive as some of the starfish who were infected with the disease actually had no traces of the virus in their system. However, it seems to be a go lead to try and uncover what is happening to the starfish and why now, all of a sudden, starfish populations are being decimated at such high levels. MORE… More:

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A juvenile three-spot domino damselfish (Dascyllus trimaculatus)As human beings, it’s in our nature to assign certain traits to small animals—cute, dependent, harmless, defenseless, etc. Perhaps we think this way because when it comes to animals, people included, smallness is usually correlated with infancy. However, if applied to marine fish, this type of anthropomorphic thinking can lead to some rather significant compatibility issues in our aquariums. So let’s dispel a few of the misconceptions we may have with respect to smaller marine fish species: Small fish are peaceful While many smaller fish species seem to know they’re vulnerable to predation and bullying by larger fish and so have learned that their best defense is beating a hasty retreat whenever danger threatens, some species apparently never got the memo. For example, as mentioned in my previous post on humbug damsels, certain damselfish species, including many representatives of the genera Dascyllus and Stegastes, can be explosively belligerent despite their small size, making it very difficult to house them with other fishes (though “Caribbean Chris” claims he can calm dusky damsels into a tonic state and lead them away from the reef like an aquatic Pied Piper by playing soothing tones on a conch shell). Many of the dottyback species also pack a fairly powerful territorial punch for their size, e.g. the irresistibly colorful royal dottyback (Pictichromis paccagnellae) and the gorgeous magenta dottyback (Pictichromis porphyrea), both of which reach only 2 to 3 inches in length.

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Two years ago I was knee deep in the trenches of building my house. If you’ve ever built a home, you know that so many aspects require attention to detail, it’s easy to get lost and confused. If you’re a reef aquarist like me, then it is inevitable that at some level, reef aquariums factor into your construction plan. Building, or even large scale renovation, creates a perfect canvas for a reefer to create their dream working environment. There is so much that can be done when building that doesn’t greatly impact cost, which will make your aquarium maintenance life much easier down the road. Over the course of building my home, and eventually designing an entire fish level, I learned some dos and some don’ts – if you’re seeking the optimal place to pursue your hobby. Many of these ideas could easily be applied to an existing room, or used if you wish to turn a room of your home into a dedicated fish room. Go for the basement level: Basement levels are often the perfect place to keep utilities. Pressure tanks, hot water heaters and furnaces are all loud, and take up copious amounts of space. When designing my house, the basement level was initially added to serve the sole purpose of a utility area. Upon closer inspection, it became clear it was also perfect for a fish room. Being below grade, and on a cement floor, means that there is no tank too large, and weight stress on the home’s structure becomes a non-issue when working in the basement. Utilities and aquarium equipment share a lot of similarities. One, they both can be loud, and are often best left un-seen. Protein skimmers, sumps and other filtration devices are cool, and hardcore reef keepers love to dissect their equipment, though they don’t offer anything aseptically pleasing, especially if you seek to re-create a natural environment. Using a dedicated fish room, or in my case fish level, allows you copious amounts of working room to hide various filtration equipment. If you’re handy with building, or using a team of contractors, building or renovating is the perfect time to create the stand, cabinets and custom design YOU want. When laying out my fish room, I decided to tie two large fish only systems together, on one massive sump, which is hidden behind cabinetry which matches the rest of the home’s style and décor.… More:

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ORA announced earlier today that they discovered a mysterious hybrid at their hatchery while sorting through a tank of several hundred Black Polymnus juvenile clowns. Three deep chocolatey-hued fish were pulled from the group, all wearing thinner, sleeker stripes than your average Black Polymnus,  gold accents around their body and a shimmery. light yellow trim on their ventral edges. ORA is guessing their mother to be a young F1 Black Polymnus and the father is one of their Goldflake Maroons. While the hybrids are certainly a unique, handsome little fish ORA has no intention of breeding or producing them on any sort of regular basis, and simply are enjoying, and thankfully sharing, the happy little surprise.… More:

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A Sohal Tang (Acanthurus sohal) grazing on algaeThe sohal tang (Acanthurus sohal) is one of many fish species available in the marine aquarium trade that should come with a warning label. It’s a gorgeous fish and generally very hardy, which is a plus, but anyone contemplating purchasing A. sohal should also be aware of its eventual size and often hyper-aggressive disposition. Physical traits A. sohal, which is found in the Western Indian Ocean, from the Red Sea to the Persian Gulf, is laterally compressed and ovoid in general shape. On its flanks and head, it exhibits narrow, horizontal, alternating light and dark stripes, which are vermiculated (wavy) around the head. The dorsal, anal, and pelvic fins are black while the pectoral and caudal fins are yellowish.

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The Moorish Idol (Zanclus cornutus) is notoriously hard to feed and has a high mortality rate in home aquariaRegular Saltwater Smarts readers might wonder why we often post profiles of fish or invertebrates that are very difficult if not impossible to keep in home aquariums. After all, if we want to discourage you from buying these animals, why on earth do we go to all the trouble of describing them? Well, the answer is simple: because you’re going to encounter them for sale on the marine aquarium market anyway. One of our biggest frustrations as long-time hobbyists is the fact that, for whatever reason, many dealers out there continue to trade in species that have no business in hobbyists’ tanks. It’s wise to be armed with information about these animals so you’re in a better position to make responsible purchases. If you want to help discourage the sale of off-limits livestock, here are some simple steps you can take: Educate yourself In order to recognize animals that don’t belong in the aquarium trade, it helps to do some research on the various species you’re apt to come across when shopping at your LFS or online. That way, you’ll know what to buy and what to avoid so you don’t unwittingly support unsustainable practices with your dollars. The various species profiles posted here at Saltwater Smarts (which are increasing all the time) are a good research starting point.

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Gary (right) joins two BRS members to enjoy the delicious fish goo.

We’re excited to bring you yet another Reef Threads podcast. This week’s subjects are our “Where Do You Listen” contest, the St. Jude/Reef Savvy reef system raffle, Boston Reef Society, Gary eating fish goo, Petco buying Drs. Foster and Smith, and beginner tips. Download the podcast here, or subscribe to our podcasts at iTunes. Also, follow us on Twitter at reefthreads.—Gary and Christine

St. Jude raffle

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Many years ago I saw a tiny fragment of a blue Acropora and knew I was hooked.  After looking at every image of our natural coral reefs I could find, I started to realize how rare this genetic strain was.  I began to search for a seed fragment to grow and bought many before finally landing on one that was truly blue in coloration.  The many others were not and ranged from green to brown.  The creative photo editing of the sellers made the corals appear blue.  After seeing the specimens with my own eyes I realized they were not.  The blue pigments of the coral in the image above were visible to the naked eye even under natural light and did not require actinic lighting to display this.  I knew this was the coral that I had been searching for and placed it in a good location where it would receive the proper amount of lighting and strong random flow.  The coral grew very slow for the first couple years with other faster growing corals doing there best to take its space.  I assume the reason why you do not see these blue Acroporas very often in the wild.  I trimmed the faster growing corals back and away from it and donated the space and time it required to mature.  As the years passed the coral became very blue and started to grow at a faster rate.  The goal of owning a mature colony of a true blue Acropora was finally realized.  Although initially I did not know it would take as long as it did to mature.  Probably a good thing given I would have been discouraged to undertake the long road and make this happen.… More:

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Here is a nifty portable frag rack that should make trips to the local frag swaps a whole lot more convenient. Building An Obsession, an acrylic fabricator that has lots of sweet goodies, showed this off a little while back, and it is completely awesome in a number of ways. For one, this frag frack stacks numerous shelves on top of each other, but keeps them separated thanks to the holding post design. The trays can be set at varying distances, allowing for space for taller frags or for numerous trays to be stored closer together. The design of the post also locks the trays in place, preventing them from falling on top of the corals on the shelves below.

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With the lists of “threatened” and “endangered” coral species being increased every year, this paper sheds light onto a presumptuous problem guiding reef research. Researchers from the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies want to take a proactive approach towards maintaining reef ecosystems, and steer away from the perceived threat of extinction, currently defined by a small geographic range and small numbers of a given species. But without truly knowing how many exist, and on what reef, the “extinction threat” approach has been antiquated by this paper.  “Extinction is the final endpoint, but coral reefs are in deep trouble long before we get to that point. We need to take action much earlier, the goal should be to maintain reefs that can support corals, fish and humans.” says Professor David Bellwood from the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies (Coral CoE) at James Cook University. “Our findings call into question the growing practice of assessing extinction risk of coral reef species without knowing how many of them are out there,” says Professor Hughes. This is the first study to systematically count corals and reef fishes at a geographic scale.” says professor Terry Hughes of Coral CoE. With the ever-present fear of coral species being labeled as endangered or threatened, professor Bellwood concludes: “This paper calls for caution when identifying species at risk of extinction on coral reefs. It highlights the potential weaknesses in current approaches and offers an alternative approach where species are valued for the services they provide for both reefs and humans.” Read more here! … More:

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