Having already taken a look at EcoTechs gorgeous Radion XR15w Pro LED light in our recent unboxing review, we now turn our attention to their much-anticipated RMS (Radion Mounting System) which ties-in beautifully with the Radion Pro range and allows these lights to be elegantly suspended above even the most tricky of systems. As ever, the kit (XR15 version in our case) comes effectively packaged and all the parts are present and correct on initial inspection. After a quick skim of the simple instructions it obvious that we aren’t going to need a degree in rocket science to assemble this piece of kit, which is great. We are immediately and pleasantly surprised that some of the components here are metal, indeed the whole thing feels reassuringly heavy-duty compared to other brackets we’ve handled in the past. Somehow, the RMS still manages to look sleek and minimal though and it’s also nice to have thoughtful design features like integral cord management included. Overall the bracket also allows for a good deal of flexibility with the light able to slide back and to, or to be rotated on the X bracket (although this is primarily of use with the XR30)

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I love frozen fish food yet I hate it at the same time. I recently stumbled upon a great way to thaw your food without the stink and spilled water.

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A continuing theme in the aquarium hobby over the years has been that of captive bred fish and aquacultured corals, and as each year passes, the list of conquered species just grows and grows. The efforts are obviously from the cumulative efforts of several individuals and organizations, though companies like ORA are at the forefront of the awesome and unexpected breakthroughs. Last year, we celebrated ORA’s long list of captive bred fish and corals, and just as they continue to crank out new livestock this year, we will continue to cover and applaud their efforts.

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Good morning all, it’s Black Friday!! I have been so busy this week with Holiday parties, work and cycling that my poor daily blog is just not getting done! I have a crazy beautiful colony of Great Star Coral, Montastraea cavernosa that we photographed the other night with our alien looking blue-lights. Shooting “OPEN POLYPS” like you see above has turned out to be a real challenge! Why you ask, go ahead ask why!!

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Determining the sweet spot for certain coral specimens can be challenging.  Often it is a trial and error situation.  Many factors tend to make this anything but a constant.  The type of lighting, parameters, water chemistry, and water clarity are just a few that come to mind.  This Acropora is apparently happy where it resides but this was not always true.  I tend to attach new corals to baseball size rocks so that I can reposition it if I see fit.  It is much less stressful on the coral if I can move it without touching it or gluing and removing the specimen.  This coral originally was positioned lower in the aquarium as I thought it would do best under lower lighting.  I closely observed it over the first few months and saw some recession at the base.  The pigments began to darken with little growth occurring also.  I moved it up closer to the surface where it received stronger illumination and again, observed closely for a few weeks.  I noticed some new growth at the base and the colors began to show improvement.  I believed at this point it could still use some stronger light and moved it up again.  Within a few weeks I noticed some strong growth and even a more vibrant color developing.  I call this process reading the coral.  The clues that tell me what a specific coral may desire vary but close observation on a daily basis is important.  Experience will begin to help formulate the answer if you are paying close attention to the animal.  When I am asked how much light a specific coral needs, I answer, ask the coral.… More:

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  Now, the two top fish foods are under one roof. Stay with me, guys. Every now and then a product comes along that blows all of the others out of the water (literally, in this case) and sets the bar at a seemingly impossible height. When it comes to fish food, this past year brought us face to face with Larry’s Reef Services and their Reef Frenzy®, a handcrafted frozen food that is simply untouchable in the realm of quality. As if the fish couldn’t get enough , aquarists and hobbyists created their own frenzy around the food, praising it’s ability to entice even the finickiest feeders. Reef Frenzy® became an international craze, converting even the most skeptical skeptics in a single use. So what’s the latest news from LRS? They’ve taken that bar we discussed and they’ve raised it. Larry’s Reef Services is now an authorized nationwide distributor for premium PE Mysis®. I had a little word with the mastermind of LRS, Larry DuPont, to allow him to give us his word on this exciting news. 

On Thursday December 11th Larry’s Reef Services, LLC (LRS) announced we became national wholesale distributors for Piscine Energetics®, commonly known in the hobby as PE Mysis®. You may be thinking “Why would Larry want to sell another fish food product when Reef Frenzy is so popular?”  LRS has used PE Mysis® shrimp extensively and found PE to be an excellent compliment to our blended food products. During my travels over the past year I discovered that everyone from hobbyists to public aquaria were feeding PE Mysis® and LRS, often at the same time in a 50/50 ratio. Many of the 200+ stocking LRS dealers explained that LRS and PE Mysis® where their customers two favorite frozen aquarium foods. It dawned on me that it could be extremely helpful to our stocking retail store owners if they could source LRS and PE Mysis® from one supplier with one low shipping cost. Our dealers are already ordering on a regular basis, so why not toss in as many packs of PE® as they need in the same cooler?  LRS is located very close to a dry ice manufacturer and one of the largest foam shipping cooler distributors in the US. This enables us to offer low cost shipping, but with superior packaging so the food arrives frozen solid which prevents thawing and degrading.

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If you’ve been following NOAA’s recent findings regarding the health of coral reefs, and wondered how they will effect your right to own a slice of the ocean, then likely you’ve heard of the Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council (PIJAC). If you visit PIJAC’s website you will find links regarding responsible animal ownership, environmental stewardship and the infamous right to own a pet. That Habitattitude flyer you get with online fish orders, is actually the work of PIJAC, trying to encourage fish owners not to release their unwanted specimens into the wild. Underneath the spit shine, PIJAC stands as a lobbying group on behalf of the pet industry. Since reef keepers are pet owners, we would assume PIJAC stands to keep us informed, and fight the good fight in Washington, making sure our right to keep a pet is protected.  Lobbyist is a term with a lot of taboo surrounding it. To a degree, it’s a bit of a secret just what they do, but each major U.S. industry has them. You’ve probably heard of the famous lobbyist Jack Abramoff, and during his incarceration Abramoff has shed light on the role lobbyists play in Washington. The term is so discouraged, that lobbyists often go under the name advisor, which is ironic considering the “advisory” tag in PIJAC’s name. Lobbyists are supposed to share vital information with legislators on behalf of whom they represent. For example, a tobacco lobbyist will argue that smoking doesn’t cause cancer, and that those smokers stricken with cancer were genetically prone to the disease without ever taking a drag from a cigarette. Thanks to Jack Abramoff, we know that lobbyists also treat legislators to a host of nice gifts, such as box seat tickets to a big game, fancy dinners, etc - all for a chance to ally the legislator to support their said industry. PIJAC did good work on behalf of aquarists, exposing science suggesting that the reef aquarium industry wasn’t devastating coral reefs. Though, as an aquarist, I feel overall they have lost sight of the big picture, and essentially dropped the ball, even though they keep running toward the goal. PIJAC could be instrumental in forming an education and regulatory body that can help assure that environmental and consumer abuses in the reef/marine aquarium hobby don’t take place. With Habitattitude, PIJAC has attempted to combine good husbandry with the environmental savvy not to release your pets into the wild.… More:

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In another positive spin on climate change, researchers from North­eastern University’s Marine Sci­ence Center and the Uni­ver­sity of North Car­olina at Chapel Hill have discovered one species of coral that can actually benefit from a rise in ocean acidification. “The amount of change that would typ­i­cally occur in about 10 mil­lion years is being con­densed into a 300-​​year period,” Co-author and associate professor at Northeastern Justin Ries says. “It’s not the just the mag­ni­tude of the change that mat­ters to the organ­isms, but how quickly it is occurring.” Sideras­trea siderea courtesy of coralpedia.bio.warwick.ac.uk“The study showed that this species of coral (Sideras­trea siderea) exhib­ited a peaked or par­a­bolic response to both warming and acid­i­fi­ca­tion, that is, mod­erate acid­i­fi­ca­tion and warming actu­ally enhanced coral cal­ci­fi­ca­tion, with only extreme warming and acid­i­fi­ca­tion neg­a­tively impacting the corals. This was sur­prising given that most studies have shown that corals exhibit a more neg­a­tive response to even mod­erate acidification. Ries added. “Acid­i­fi­ca­tion of the sur­rounding sea­water is cer­tainly impor­tant for marine organ­isms, but what is equally as impor­tant — per­haps even more impor­tant — is how the chem­istry of their internal cal­ci­fying fluid responds to these changes in sea­water chem­istry.” Read more here!… More:

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Fish that share similarities are more likely to fight when confined to a smaller spaceI recently introduced a Kole tang to my tank, and it keeps getting in fights with the resident yellow tang. So far, neither one has been seriously hurt, but I’m worried about where this is heading. Do I need to separate these two, or will they eventually chill out and coexist peacefully?” Over the years, I’ve often been asked questions like this or read similar ones in print media and online forums. When a compatibility issue arises between fish—as is especially common when a new specimen is introduced to an established community—the combatants may eventually sort things out and establish a wary truce or there may be no alternative to removing one or the other. Here are some conditions that, in my opinion, necessitate separating the warring factions: There’s no room for escape Remember, confined spaces tend to magnify aggression. If the tank is too small to allow the subordinate specimen to flee the aggressor’s immediate vicinity or the aquascaping doesn’t provide an adequate number of retreats and hidey holes, the two won’t be able to stay out of each other’s way and will likely continue fighting. The aggression goes beyond bluster If the aggressive behavior greatly exceeds mere displaying and posturing or passive-aggressiveness (“What?

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In more promising news about climate change, one species of reef shark can exhibit a physiological adjustment to the rise in CO2 levels associated with ocean acidification. The epaulette shark (Hemiscyllium ocellatum) has been studied before exhibiting a tolerance to low levels of oxygen in the water (hypoxia) and this discovery adds to the resilience of yet another reef inhabitant. Dr. Jodie Rummer, co-author on the paper says, “Investigating animals that are already experiencing challenging conditions in their environment may help us understand which species will fare well under future climate change conditions. Although the epaulette shark is not an apex predator, it plays an important role in balancing food webs and the overall health of coral reef ecosystems. The next obvious step is to examine predator species that live in the open ocean, as they may be more susceptible to future ocean acidification conditions.” Read more here!… More:

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An international team led by the James Cook University CoralCoE has provided some promising news for corals dealing with rising levels of acidification. “Our aim was to explore the effect of a more acidic ocean on every gene in the coral genome,” adds lead author Dr Aurelie Moya, a molecular ecologist with the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies at James Cook. Staghorn corals are known to be the number one reef building species of reefs worldwide and researchers gathered fragments of wild colonies collected from the Great Barrier Reef of Australia and subjected them to elevated levels of Co2 in the lab. “We found that, whereas 3 days of exposure to high CO₂ disrupts formation of the coral skeleton, within nine days the baby corals had re-adjusted their gene expression to pre-exposure levels. Longer exposure seems to be less detrimental to coral health than we had assumed based on shorter-term studies,” states Dr Aurelie Moya, a molecular ecologist with the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies at James Cook. “We saw that within a few days juvenile coral adapted to CO₂ levels double those experienced today with no obvious disruption to its life processes,” adds study co-author, Professor David Miller, who heads up the molecular biology group at CoralCoE. Read more here!

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Good afternoon one and all, sorry about the late post but I have been in the deep-water labs all morning photographing a bunch of new specimens found by the Smithsonian Institution on their submersible dive yesterday. I spent the morning shooting a juvenile four inch toadfish found at around 800 feet, a beautiful hermit crab, two more slit-shells and this giant 12 inch tall sea star you see above. We think this is a Linckia sp. but until we know for sure I will just say “don’t quote me on that”. Unlike brittle stars that are so fragile and can move so fast, this sea star is hard and moves super slow

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With blacklist I hope to turn aquarists attention toward various species that have a poor rate of survivability in marine/reef aquariums. It’s not uncommon to inadvertently end up with a specimen that refuses to feed, reacts poorly to new conditions, or simply fails to thrive within a captive environment. Some of these species are kept by advanced aquarists, or public aquariums and others simply don’t belong in captivity. Other species can survive, but require a tank of their own with very specific guidelines for aquascaping, filtration and feeding.  To kick it off, I will start with the pineapple fish, a species that is very daunting to keep in the mixed reef, or fish only environment which is common in home aquariums. This is a species that requires a large tank of its own to survive, but in all reality is best left alone by anyone other than a very advanced and dedicated aquarist. Cleidopus gloriamaris is a member of the family Monocentridae, being the sole member of its genus. Some refer to it as the knight fish, or coat of arms fish, as its pineapple like scales also resemble armor plating. What makes the fish so attractive, in addition to its unusual body shape and markings, is a pair of bioluminescent organs, giving the fish’s cheeks a blue or red glow during twilight hours. In Latin the pineapple fish’s name means, glory of the sea. This species is native to coastal waters off of Queensland, New South Wales and western Australia. It has a wide depth range, starting at 20 feet and ranging down to 656 feet. Size/Description:This species has a moderate size, reaching up to 8.6 inches in the aquarium. The body is plump and round, with a series of backward pointing sharp scales. Pineapple fish have a heavily armored head, complete with rough ridges and mucus pits along a ridge of thick bone. Each mucus pit is home to a colony of bioluminescent bacteria, near the lower jaw, which are concealed when the species closes its mouth. The thick scales that cover the body are yellow to cream in color, rimmed by a thick black outline. Struggles in the marine aquarium: The pineapple fish is a weak swimmer, rarely straying from one ledge. In various oceanic environments, ecologists have documented pineapple fish living on one specific ledge for upwards of seven years.… More:

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The starting point with a captive reef aquarium can be the most difficult part of the equation.  Often times the beginner starts with corals that are the most sensitive and demanding which lends to a higher failure rate.  Choosing the correct animals at the gate can be as important as the system they will reside in.  The corals in the image are some of the less demanding specimens.  The Zoantharia and larger polyp stoney corals will require less light and can stand higher nutrient loads.  The stoney corals such as Acropora species and smaller polyp stoney corals require more stability in minerals as well as higher light and lower nutrients.  Although it is best to understand sea water chemistry to keep any reef aquarium biotype, starting with the correct corals can mean the difference between success and failure.  Testing alkalinity, calcium and magnesium and keeping these in range is a good idea in any case.  This and paying attention to the more common parameters goes without saying.  Something as elementary as temperature and specific gravity is a necessity.  I tend to suggest steering away from certain species until a reef aquarium is mature.  This may take a year in certain instances.  A good indicator is strong coralline growth and  strong growth with the less demanding corals.  The beauty of the less demanding corals is no less then the latter and bring much appeal to the aquarium.  Patience is a key factor with a captive coral reef.  Taking some time in choosing the animals at start up should be paramount.  These corals are less demanding but obviously no less beautiful.… More:

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Reef Aquarium Tridacna Clams – maxima, crocea, squamosa, and gigas Overview of Reef Aquarium Tridacna Clams – maxima, crocea, squamosa, and gigas Giant clams of the Genus Tridacna are a popular mollusk in reef aquariums. Check out http://www.tidalgardens.com ... From: tidalgardens Views: 0 0 ratingsTime: 06:41 More in Pets & Animals

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Goniopora benefit from higher Potassium as well as Iron and Manganese levels.

 Are your coral ugly? Do you have coral that are dying? Do you not know why? Maybe the silent killer is what’s missing! Potassium! Gardeners care about it. We are underwater gardeners. Why don’t we? Reef aquarists are keeping photosynthetic symbiotic animal gardens in their tanks. As important as potassium is for photosynthesis, it should be important to us in our aquarium maintenance regime. Along with all the other “iums” there are in the coral keeping vernacular, one that should also be in conversation is potassium. Why are we forgetting this critical element? There is as much potassium in the ocean as there is calcium. Potassium is a critical element in fertilizers. Phosphorous (in the form of Phosphates in aquaria) and Nitrogen (in the form of Nitrate in aquaria) are the other elements that are listed in the ever present NPK rating. It is important that the ratio is correct in the fertilizer, so as to best grow your crop. Potassium is considered a macronutrient, along with nitrogen and phosphorous, as well as familiar elements to reefers, calcium, and magnesium. Another macronutrient that is a not as familiar: sulfur. In Australia fertilizers are rated with an NPKS ratio. Maybe we need to look there for some more clues in the future. Seawater usually contains about 400 ppm potassium. Not far off from the 420ppm for calcium. It is a regular practice of reef aquarists to keep higher calcium levels in their aquariums to support stony coral growth. Also most home aquariums have higher nitrate and phosphate levels than what is found on coral reefs in the ocean. In keeping with regular aquarium husbandry techniques, and being mindful of maintaining a proper balance of the major NPK nutrients in our tank, many aquaria may benefit from controlled potassium dosing. 

Fungia and their relatives exhibit excellent growth and vivid coral with higher Potassium

 I only feel comfortable now encouraging the use of potassium chloride, after half a decade of using it myself on various aquaculture and display systems. I have found it safe if used properly and I depend on it to keep my corals vibrant and healthy. More and more people are trying potassium chloride dosing, so hit them up and find out what their experience has been.… More:

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I’m not entirely sure how or why we have yet to post about the new Kessil LED pendants, but hey, better late than never, right? A few months ago, Kessil debuted the follow-up to their immensly popoular A150, the A160we. Where the A150 models had plenty of power and an awesome spectrum, they were a bit lacking in the functionality department. Sure, you could manually dim or brighten the light, but pampered aquarists prefer not to have to touch dials and knobs, opting for something a bit more tech friendly instead. We’re not saying the A150 was incapable by any means.

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Who would have thought that PetSmart was worth $8.7 billion? Well, apparently that’s the case, as the pet retail giant has changed ownership for the aforementioned lofty sum. The acquisition was spearheaded by an investment team led by BC Partners, with this buyout tipping the scales as the single biggest private equity deal announced globally this year. This move was brought on by declining stock prices earlier this year, in which the company’s stock value slipped 18%

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Snorkel Bob, it sounds almost like a Saturday morning cartoon character, that introduces our children to ocean wildlife, cracking a few corny jokes along the way. If you’re a marine aquarist, chances are you have heard Snorkel Bob’s name, and quickly he has become the one guy marine aquarists love to hate. Some call his actions a “war on aquariums” while others refer to him like the protagonist of the Harry Potter series, with a name that won’t be spoken. Regardless of your attitude towards Snorkel Bob, he has rallied environmentalists and legislators, starting a conservation movement with one endgame, a complete ban on any and all trade, collection, sale of marine wildlife. With the support of multi-national conservation group Sea Shepherd, and a growing number of independent followers, Snorkel Bob’s personal movement has gained traction. Who is Snorkel Bob, why does he hate the aquarium trade and within all the mud that gets tossed around, is there any silver lining?  Snorkel Bob is in fact Robert Witner, a semi-well known writer, living in Maui County, Hawaii. Perhaps more renown than his writing, is the line of snorkel and scuba shops which he founded throughout the Hawaiian islands. As far as his writing works, they exist as a mixture of fiction and travel guides. In Witner’s fiction, characters seek reason from within the natural environment, and his travel guides are a colorful version of something found in Lonely Planet. Last year I read In a Sweet Magnolia Time, and looking at it without any pre-conceived notion of Witner from an aquarist’s perspective, it wasn’t too bad. He claims the aquarium industry has devastated native Hawaiian fish populations due to over-fishing. His claims have merit, and Hawaii has designated “no-take” zones, which have shown a rebound of species. Though Charles Deelbek and the Waikiki Aquarium have shown that reef collection has little impact overall on the state of Hawaiian reefs.  In addition, he claims that most of the animals imported into the reef aquarium trade are offered a terrible existence, literal torture before a death that occurs within a matter of weeks or months. His sights have largely been set on Quality Marine and Petco, but any outlet selling marine livestock isn’t spared in the blast radius. He refers to aquarists as an ignorant bunch of animal jocks who relish in their ability to poorly re-create oceanic ecosystems, who at the same time care little about the environment they are devastating.… More:

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Man, I really love when Keoki Stender photographs aquatic life on a white background, there’s just something so striking about the contrast. You might recall a while back I posted that face-melting Holanthias fuscipinnis photographed in the same manner by Stender with some pretty mind-blowing results. Now, we have these two beauties, a Bandit Angelfish and a Tinkeri Butterfly, caught in perfect detail.  The Bandit Angelfish, Apolemichthys arcuatus, is an elegant little fish endemic to Hawaiian waters. Also known as the “Black-banded Angelfish” thanks to his (or her – this hermaphroditic fish is indistinguishable in color between male and female) inky black mask. Shimmering in pearlescent shades of greys, blacks, browns and golds, the semi-aggressive member of the Pomacanthidae family is somewhat difficult to keep, however, a wonderful treat for a seasoned aquarist. Next up, we have this sprightly little ‘papillon’ – the Tinkerii Butterfly.  The Tinkerii Butterfly, Chaetodon tinkeri is a peaceful Hawaiian resident with pretty darn “acute” coloration. Predominantly alabaster, he dons a bright flash of ellow vertically down his face, obscured by his pitch-black eyes. Some subtle black speckles flank his sides and meet a triangular pool of black that fills the rest of his body and dorsal fin, his anal fin returning to the same sunny yellow that masks his face. I particularly dig the blonde mohawk he appears to be rocking. As beautiful as both of these guys are, I’d unfortunately advise against adding them to a reef tank, as they will likely munch on your corals, mushrooms and anemones. However, if you happen to have a bit of experience and a fish only system, rock on.
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