Ok, this little six centimeter stunner isn’t actually called a “Rorschach” Clarion (I made that up), but you have to admit his aberrant pattern is reminiscent of the good ol’ fashioned psychological inkblot test. I see two seahorses kissing, or perhaps human embryos? Now we do occasionally see an aberrant Holacanthus clarionensis, usually from Bali, but this is one of the coolest ones we’ve seen in a while. Bali Aquarich is currently in possession of the teensy, vividly orange and blue fish where they’ll be bulking him up for the next two to three weeks before carefully packing him up and sending him to Carolina Aquatics for wholesale. There he can join another (slightly larger – 10cm) Clarion with a pretty wild pattern. Oh, and the 40 intergenus hybrid Citron Clownfish we mentioned earlier this week. Carolina Aquatics sure is seeing a lot of orange lately.
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Most reef aquarists are familiar with coral’s symbiotic relationship with zooxanthellae algae. These tiny algae are responsible for providing corals with nutrition, in the form of sucrose which is over-produced during photosynthesis. Scientists have uncovered that coral’s have another (possible equally as important) organism living with them. In keeping in line with my recent posts on marine microbes, I thought it pertinent to discuss the relationship between corals and various species of marine bacteria. Many aquarists don’t realize the extent of this relationship. Various bacteria actually produce antibiotic which helps heal coral infections, and establish networks of bacterial communication, literally serving as coral’s microscopic caretakers. Since we are just beginning to understand the importance of microbes in the marine ecosystem, it’s also vital to understand how remarkably crucial earth’s tiniest organisms are to living corals. Coral/bacteria relationship:At MOTE: the marine laboratory and aquarium in Sarasota Florida, researchers set out to understand how microbes and corals interact. They first assessed a baseline of microbial communities within both threatened and healthy coral species. The goal was to understand what role microbes play in health and disease, and what benefits they provide to overall resistance and antibiotic production. Researchers paid careful attention to bacterial associations with coral that produced antibiotics, and other beneficial compounds. What they found, is that microbes literally communicate with the host coral, ordering events to take place at the coral’s surface. This complex symbiosis occurs between marine microbes, the host coral and zooanthellae algae. An entire network of communication and care provided by a multitude of organisms, including the host coral itself. Researchers learned that corals harbor specific microbes that shift pathogen dominance when temperatures increase. The Symbiodinium sp. species of coral was host to large colonies of Roseobacterials. The bacteria was found to increase symbiodinium growth rates, while producing quorum sensing (bacterial communication) compounds that aided in coral larvae settlement rates. Bacteria was literally aiding and accelerating coral growth, while helping larvae settle in appropriate conditions. A bacterium was also found to produce gene transfer agents (GTA) which facilitate rapid acclimation to environmental change. This means that bacteria can aid new coral larvae in acquiring the genes required to adapt to a changing climate, or acclimate to a new set of environmental conditions. MOTE along with the University of South Florida’s Marine Science department have completely sequenced the genes of some of these highly beneficial coral bacteria.… More:

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Down in Sunny Dania Beach, Florida, something quite refreshing is rumbling within the trade – a wholesale facility brought to us by Hydra Aquatics International and Tony’s Vault that focuses on the wellbeing and health of livestock as opposed to simply turning a profit.  Many wholesalers have a tendency to do what could be considered “flipping” livestock – they get in an order of fish/corals and have it available for sale within days. This means many of the beautiful specimens you see at your local fish store were most likely halfway across the world just a few days ago, swimming (or slowly building a calcium carbonate skeleton) along, minding their own business.They’ve then likely been bagged, boxed, air-freighted, un-boxed, un-bagged, acclimated for a day or two just to be bagged, boxed and air-freighted, then go through the unpacking and acclimation process all over again at your local retailer. Clearly this can be a stressful situation for the animals, resulting in a high rate of loss for both re-sellers and customers. Hydra and Tony’s Vault, a division of Vargas Reef Enterprises, have been working in conjunction to offer a gentler option, holding livestock for a minimum of two weeks before releasing it for wholesale. The result? Hardier, happier, healthier fish and corals less prone to disease and parasites. The whole operation will remain relatively small for the time being, a “boutique”, if you will (sorry, ladies, no shoes), focusing on quality rather than quantity and turnover. This coming Saturday, January 17, 2015, Hydra Aquatics International will be launching their grand opening, where their facility will be open for tours to the public. While unfortunately you won’t be able to make any purchases, you’ll be able to get a peak at their sleek, streamlined systems (with state of the art filtration from companies like Bashsea) as well as ogle the gorgeous livestock from Bali, Australia, The Philippines, Fiji, Hawaii, Indonesia, Africa and other sustainable areas they’ll be offering. 

Hydra Aquatics / Tony’s Vault Press release Hydra Aquatics International & Tony’s Vault is proud to announce the opening of a state of the art wholesale marine livestock company in Dania Beach, Florida. Hydra started when 5 hobbyists who all met on group frag buys started discussing the state of the hobby and the industry in general. After discussing the merits of retail vs. wholesale they decided that being a wholesaler would make a bigger impact on the sustainability aspect of reef keeping.

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These guys are not algae eaters.

It’s been a long break but we’re back for first 2015 show. To kick off the year, we talk about feeding algae to Copperbands (not), Bucket-Hand Syndrome, non-natives in Florida, giant clams, staghorn-coral fields of Florida coast, tank maturity, filter socks, and milk filter socks. Download the podcast here, or subscribe to our podcasts at iTunes. Also, follow us on Twitter at reefthreads.—Gary and Christine

Florida non-natives
First Report (and Removal) of Non-Native Surgeonfish Species in Florida, Ret Talbot, The Good Catch Blog

Staghorn forest discovery
Rare staghorn coral forests found off South Florida coast, Shane Graber, Advanced Aquarist

Reef multi-tools
Giant clams are the Swiss Army Knives of coral reefs, Leonard Ho, Advanced Aquarist

Filter-sock cleaning
When I use bleach to wash the filter sock, skimmer stops foaming, chercm, Reef Central

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I have a bio-sphere, a small glass orb that I purchased from Amazon. Within it, there is a bio-pellet substrate bottom, marine water, a tiny clump of macro-algae and seven tiny marine shrimp. The entire ball is totally sealed, and the minute ecosystem within is said to last a minimum of two-years. The instructions for caring for the bio-sphere are minimal. Keep it out of constant direct light, but provide enough light for algae to grow, and keep it at room temperature. It’s fascinating to me, that within the nearly 12 months I’ve owned the bio-sphere, nothing within has changed. The tiny shrimp are thriving, the patch of algae remains the same size, and day after day it’s business as usual in the tiny sphere, which rests on a shelf in my living room. I could go throw the host of complex interactions taking place within the little sphere, that allow it to remain sealed from the outside world and still flourish. Then I could write and write how these same systems apply to the health of our aquariums. In reality it boils down to one thing, the food chain. We all know the basics of a food chain. Often though, we don’t apply knowledge of marine food chains to our aquariums. These systems complete an entire cycle of waste assimilation and animal nutrition. They are vital to every ecosystem on Earth, including the one within your aquarium. The role of microbes:Within each drop of your aquarium’s water, bacteria and plankton exists that form the base of your tank’s food chain. The oxygen and biomass they are creating are the heartbeat of your tank’s ability to sustain marine life. Algae and phytoplankton take in sunlight, carbon and other nutrients, creating oxygen and food for other organisms. Microbes at the other end of this spectrum are breaking down fish and animal waste, even decomposing dead animals, turning them into nutrients that can then be re-used by phytoplankton. It’s the very basic foundation on which your water’s quality is built. Beginning and end: Marine microbes mark the beginning and end of the food chain. They generate nutrients for all life at the beginning, and break down decomposing and decaying matter to be re-used at the end. It is estimated that the mass of all the microbes in the world’s oceans is about the weight of 240 billion African Elephants.… More:

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 Researchers, in a paper published last month in The Journal of Fish Biology, believe they have solved the mystery of how a tank containing only three female sharks, led to the birth of a shark pup. In 2012, at the time when the shark pup was born, there were just three female sharks residing in the California Aquarium, without any dad’s to be found in the tank. To make it even more interesting, the females hadn’t been in contact with any male sharks for years. The researchers analyzed the two possibilities: parthenogenesis (a sexual reproduction) or long term sperm storage. By looking at the DNA of the shark pup, the researchers were able to determine that the shark pup contained DNA not present in the mothers and tank mates. Therefore, the researchers concluded that the last time the females could of been in contact with a male was at the Aquarium of the Pacific, back in 2007. This is the longest documented case of sperm storage, at over 45 months. Now finding out who the father is would make for an entertaining episode of the aquarium version of Jerry Springer. MORE… More:

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A flame hawkfish (Neocirrhites armatus) perched on rocks while keeping an eye on the aquariumI’ve long been a fan of the hawkfishes, and many a specimen has graced my various tanks over the years—most often the readily available and affordable (for me) Falco’s hawkfish (Cirrhitichthys falco). But another hawk that I’ve always found particularly endearing is Neocirrhites armatus, the flame hawkfish. Hobbyists looking for an eye-catching splash of color in a fairly small, hardy fish can’t go wrong with this species—though be warned that it can cost as much as three times what you might fork over for C. falco. Physical traits Looking like a little football (American-style) with fins, this bottom-dwelling species is bright red overall with black shading along the base of its dorsal fin and around the eyes. Unfortunately, this intense red is prone to fading in captivity. Typical of hawkfish, N

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Stalked Crinoid Fossil.
Source: www.urweltmuseum.de

 Throughout geological time, there have been many shifts in marine animal species. Amongst these shifts is a transition known as the Mesozoic Marine Revolution. This evolutionary phenomenon not only overturned a number of bottom-dwelling marine species, it transformed the appearance of the ocean floor. Roughly 252 million years ago – the start of the Mesozoic Era, the ocean floor was littered with immobile invertebrate species. These species included stalked crinoids, molluscs, brachiopods, and other large, stationary marine invertebrates that rested along the ocean floor. Soon after the Mesozoic Era began, many predators such as sharks and ichthyosaurs came onto the scene. These predators were considered “durophagous” – shell crushing, and used their strength to exploit these immobile, bottom-dwelling invertebrates. 

Ichthyosaur Fossil.
Source: www.urweltmuseum.de

 This caused a strong evolutionary shift: stalked crinoids lost their stalks and became mobile while molluscs and brachiopods began to bury themselves in the sediment rather than remain defenseless and exposed. These evolutionary adaptations paved way for a seemingly emptier, more modern ocean floor.… More:

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Thought to be responsible for 40 per cent of coral cover loss in the past 30 years, the Crown-of-Thorns Starfish is without a doubt one of the main threats facing the Great Barrier Reef. But now scientists may have discovered a new way to repel them using the scent of their natural nemesis, the Triton Sea Snail. With one whiff enough to send the starfish running (or should that be crawling?) for its life, University of the Sunshine Coast senior lecturer Scott Cummins explains the Triton Snail is one of its most feared natural predators. “We put [the snail] next to the crown-of-thorns starfish and they reacted quite obviously,” he said. “They started to run away, which is quite an important finding because it tells us they do have very poor eyesight, they are sensing or smelling their main predator.” All that remains is for the team to successfully isolate and synthesise the molecule and then Cummins says this sort of repellent could be used to push the starfish off the reef and into areas where they could be destroyed. “We want to narrow it down to exactly what the molecule is then hopefully we can take that and put it into some slow release system on the reef.” More HERE

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Happy New Year! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday and are looking forward to the year to come. My name is Noel Heinsohn, and I am an aquarist at the Long Island Aquarium. I have been working here as the aqua culturist for the last year and a half after Todd Gardner left. I don’t know about you but my year has been off to a great start! I made myself a promise at the beginning of last year to raise at least one pelagic species in 2014. Little did I know, that not only would I accomplish it, but it would be a species first! Back in October, I collected eggs out of Joe Yaiullo’s 20,000 gallon broodstock tank. (He says it’s a reef tank but I think it’s a nice broodstock tank with some pretty coral in the background.) At first I started with hundreds of larvae, which eventually dwindled down to just two. A few weeks into rearing, Todd stopped in to take a look at my “mystery larvae”, and suggested they were anthias. At first I didn’t buy it because it would’ve be too good to be true. The last time I raised a larvae from the reef tank and thought it was anthias it turned out to be Neoglyphidodon melas( Bowtie damsel). To my astonishment, after 80 days post hatch (dph), I could tell that it was a 100% captive-bred anthias. Raising these anthias has been no easy task. The largest of the larvae developed an orange coloration around 70dph and settled at 80dph.  As of right now (94 dph), I am not sure which exact species it is, but I am certain I will find out in the weeks to come. The second larvae, however, has yet to gain any coloration, is about half the size of its tank-mate, and has yet to settle. It still spends its time at the surface, having nothing to do with PVC structures that are on the bottom. I am unsure if it’s a runt or something else entirely. Only time will tell, but once I have more information, I will let everyone know. I am hoping to replicate this rearing process in the near future to better understand anthias development. Just  last week we collected more eggs out of Joe’s reef tank, and I am hoping for a second chance with anthias to see if I can not only repeat my success, but also to see if I can boost the quantity.… More:

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The first (of three) coral study and propagation systems before it was filled with saltwater during setup.Last year I introduced you to David Bowers and the incredible marine science classroom laboratory he runs at Bellevue High School in Ohio, USA. Over the last 20 years, David and his students have transformed the humble classroom from a single modest aquarium to one of the best self-funded high school marine biology programs in the country. The classroom laboratory at this rural northern Ohio school features a 412-gallon mixed reef, 420-gallon bamboo shark research study tank, 250-gallon seahorse breeding study tank, several smaller student research project systems, and three new (not so small) additions. The new system(s) The three aforementioned additions are 8’ x 2’ custom-built (by Pentair Aquatic Eco-Systems) tanks that will be used for coral growth studies and propagation. These tanks (and tons of support equipment: sump, skimmer, heater, T-5 lights, return pump, circulation pumps, frag plugs, super glue, shipping bags/cups, and more) were generously donated by Rob McCoy of Fort Wayne, Indiana. Rob had been following the marine science club on Facebook and reached out with the thought that David and his students might be able to make use of this equipment. Currently, one of the systems is up and running with a few corals calling it home. David is now searching for branching Acropora or related SPS coral colonies, encrusting and plating corals, and LPS corals (particularly Fungia, Trachyphyllia, and Favidae)

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On March 27, 2015, the Toledo Zoo Aquarium will re-open it’s doors after two years and a $25 million dollar renovation. While the historic 1939 exterior remains the same, the interior is new and improved. The tank size has tripled and the aquarium now features 32 new exhibits. Notable additions include a 90,000 gallon saltwater tropical pacific reef display that is 35 ft wide in diameter and includes 6 viewing windows. There will also be engaging visitor friendly shark and ray touch tanks. 80 percent of the funding came from State taxes, with the remainder coming from private donations. You can even donate yourself on the Toledo Zoo Aquarium Website. The aquarium is giving guests a chance to donate and become part of the aquarium renovation as well by purchasing a metal fish that you can write your own message on..  MORE… More:

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While I like to keep my writing directed towards things that will help readers be successful at reef keeping, this one is too good not to share. A man was flying his R/C plane over Osprey Bay in Cape Range National Park (Exmouth, Western Australia) and became disoriented in the glare of the sun. The plane ended up tumbling down from the sky and splashing onto a reef. The glider was instantly greeted by some fishes, and as it bobbed at the surface we catch glimpses of some fantastic animals including sea turtles, corals and even a shark. Eventually they recovered the now destroyed glider, but the GoPro was in perfect condition with some great footage that we can now all drool over. Hope you enjoy the video as much as I did!

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 WAIT! Don’t tune out – this will be interesting. Is it a glamorous topic? Not at all. I sat down (giddily) with one Ret Talbot and one Richard Ross to talk about sustainability, conservation and what it means to the hobby. We talked about just how sexy it is (spoiler alert: it’s not even the tiniest bit sexy).  
Get more info on Short Supply Chains here.   Have any questions or topics you’d like to see discussed? Send them my way to caitlin@reefs.com! … More:

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Fish swimming overhead can make jawfish quite nervousWhen we think of compatibility problems between marine fish, what usually comes to mind is one specimen behaving outright aggressively toward another with the underlying motive of establishing territorial dominance or acquiring a meal. But sometimes incompatibility among fish has less to do with overt aggression or hungriness than, shall we say, differing “piscinalities.” Here are a few examples to illustrate my point: Is that a predator overhead? In some cases, pelagic fish can keep bottom-dwelling tankmates in a perpetual state of anxiety despite having no interest whatsoever in their doings. I’ve observed this in jawfish that share a tank with larger, open-swimming species that present no real threat to them, such as tangs and plankton-feeding triggers (e.g., Xanthichthys spp.). In this circumstance, a jawfish will tend to remain perpetually concealed in its burrow—with maybe just its eyes and mouth visible—rather than emerge and hover over it. And who can blame the jawfish? For burrowing species, danger usually comes from above, and they have to decided in a fraction of a second—based on the suspect’s body shape and movement—whether something passing overhead poses a threat or not

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Some corals, like the Acropora desalwii above, really add a blast of color to a reef aquarium.  This image was taken from the top of the coral, and shows the parts of the specimen that are exposed to the brightest light.  The contrasting colors and striking pigments are most visible from this angle, and the lower branches and the shaded areas are typically less colorful.   Its common name is Pearlberry because of its pearlescent and berry colored pigments, and it was grown from a seed fragment over several years.  This is one of the most colorful staghorn corals found in the hobby and can grow rapidly in captivity.  When ORA aqua farms first released it (several years ago) it was common and readily available, but high demand for this specimen has made it harder to find, though many smaller propagator and micro growers have seed fragments available. This coral seems to prefer bright light and has the brightest pigments in a lower nutrient aquarium; high phosphate tends to rob the beautiful colors from it but the Pearlberry is hardy and will grow in a wide range of aquarium bio types.  Keep Alkalinity, Calcium and Magnesium in range to help keep the colors at their best.  Adding a Pearlberry to the aquarium will certainly add an exciting blast of color!… More:

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Our blasto kick continues this weeks as we feature another knockout coral, this one from Exotic Reef Creations. This pink and yellow Blastomussa, which we found on found on Reef2Reef, meets all of the requirements to be a killer piece. It sports a vibrant yellow body with an awesome pink outer ring. To add to the vibrancy of the coral, the blasto’s mouth is neon green with green lines radiating away from the center

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My FB Page: https://www.facebook.com/coralfish12g http://reefertees.com/ In this CoralFish video I am going to be giving you my list of the top 10 Zoanthids and Palythoas for reef aquariums. I tried my best to base this list of popularity, price and input I researched online. If I used one of your pictures in the video let me know in the comments so I can thank you!

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Palys are beautiful but palytoxin is dangerous. Use care when fragging or cleaning around palys.

Palytoxin leads off our list of topics this week. We also discuss, DJ power strips, Bill Wann’s 20,000-gal. reef, tackling Crown of Thorns starfish, used tanks, feeding nori, and chaetomorpha. Download the podcast here, or subscribe to our podcasts at iTunes. Also, follow us on Twitter at reefthreads.—Gary and Christine

Bill Wann’s leaks
Bill Wann update, Caitlin Goldenberg, Reefs.com

Chasing Crown of Thorns
Scientists to recreate snail scent to scare starfish from Great Barrier Reef, The Guardian

Used tanks
Thoughts on a used tank?, geckoejon, Reef2Reef

Feeding nori
How to get a tang to eat nori?, 427HISS, Reef2Reef

Chaeto lighting
Lighting for chaeto, TJ1, UltimateReef

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Any number of species of seahorses can be suitable for the right aquarium. Left to right: Hippocampus erectus, Hippocampus barbouri, Hippocampus reidi I’m often asked which species of seahorse aquarists should get for their first aquarium. This question may sound simple enough, but different species behave differently and have varying levels of care required. I’ve put together a list of the most commonly available species, their difficulty level and some additional notes.

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