Matt Korten and Rich Ross tenting colonies

 Exciting news from the Coral Restoration Foundation and the Florida Aquarium!  Last night, a group of scientists affiliated with the two organizations, including Rich Ross, Matt Korten, Justin Zimmerman, and Rick Klobuchar Jr., observed 6 different genotypes (7 colonies total) of Acropra Cervicornis spawning in the CRF Lab. They were able to collect bundles yielding approximately 25 mL of concentrated eggs, which they then fertilized. It is too soon to know how successful the fertilization was. They recorded the staging at 21:45, and the bundle release between 22:45 and 23:45.  The Acerv are from the Coral Restoration Foundation Nursery off of Tavernier, FL (Florida Keys). 

Rick Klobuchar Jr. tends to developing spawn

 At the CRF Nursery (Tavernier), scientists observed just a trickle of spawning by Acropra Cervicornis; only 7 individual colonies representing 7 different genotypes out of the 30 tented colonies were active.  They were only able to collect a few dozen Acerv eggs, and no complete bundles. Staging was observed at 20:40, and the nets and bottles were collected at 23:40, when no further staging or release was observed. 

Acropora cervicornis at 12 hours development

 What exactly is coral spawning?  The Coral Restoration Foundation explains:” In August, sometime around the full moon, coral will synchronously broadcast spawn up and down the Florida Reef Tract. Each individual polyp making up a coral colony will release many bundles of egg and sperm into the water column where they float to the waters’ surface. Once released from the coral, the bundles break apart in the water column so that the egg and sperm from different corals can mix, fertilize one another, and create what is known as a planula larvae.”  You can find out more about this organization and the important work they are doing here. All photos by Richard Ross.… More:

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image credit: http://www.pelagicodyssey.ca

 There are around 500 different species of squid in our oceans, from the 1-inch-long sepiolid squid, to the enormous colossal squid, which can grow up to 45 feet in length – that’s about as long as a school bus!  Scientists are learning more and more about these interesting creatures, but, because many squid live far beneath the ocean’s surface, they are hard to observe, and we still have a lot to find out. One of the most interesting species is the Ommastrephid squid. These creatures can be as small as 10 cm and as long as 100cm, and are often the dominant squid in their habitat.  They are some of the strongest swimmers in the ocean, and are sometimes referred to as “flying squid”, because they glide along the surface of the water. These squid only live for about one year, and as soon as they reproduce, they die. Males mature first, and transfer their spermatophores on the still immature females. Then the females mature and spawn 300 to 4,000 small, elliptical or semi-spherical eggs. The squid migrate together, and lay all their eggs in the same area where they were born. The eggs hatch into larvae after only 5 days, depending on the water temperature The video below gives a fascinating peek into the flying squid’s reproduction – specifically, how the female makes her enormous egg masses.  Enjoy!
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Good afternoon all, we just loaded our 6 ton, 2.5 million dollar submersible onto a flatbed truck for it’s journey over to our research ship called the Chapman where it will be loaded onboard for it’s early morning voyage tomorrow. The plan is to take the sub to our little island of Klein Curacao and do a pre-run of sorts before the Smithsonian Institution arrives later this month, we want to make sure the ship is in tip-top running order. I am unable to go on this trip due to my broken hand and not being able to get the cast wet so I will hold down the fort here at substation. This is one of my resident lionfish that lives at around 110 feet out in front of the Substation lagoon and I try to stop and say hi every time I am out. There are a few lionfish here that everyone knows not to mess with as I photograph them on a daily basis and they have become very docile and super easy to approach, kind of like fish friends if you will

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The Pacific Northwest’s increasingly rising temperatures have been all over the news lately. Global warming or not, its clear that rising temperatures all over the world have been making headlines this summer. And the results are not good for marine and animal life in these especially affected regions. This summer, Washington State’s Olympic National Park caught fire for the first time in recorded history. A very warm winter, combined with a very dry spring, led to fires throughout the State. A warm winter meant less slow, which ultimately resulted in less water for the streams and river. Combined with record setting high temperatures, its no wonder the conditions are making headlines as the ‘perfect storm’ of conditions, with catastrophic results on the fish population. This drastic heat increase is affecting the State’s waterways in major ways. Especially affected are the Sockeye Salmon which migrate through the Columbia River every July. Reports indicate that over a quarter million Sockeye Salmon which were returning to the region to spawn are dead or dying, which is about half of the anticipated return of Salmon. “We’ve lost about 1.5 million juvenile fish this year due to drought conditions at our hatcheries,” Ron Warren of Washington State’s Department of Fish and Wildlife said in a statement. “This is unlike anything we’ve seen for some time.” Temperatures in the river are already in the 70’s and Seattle in August alone has had record breaking high temperatures. Sockeye Salmon become stressed when temperatures go above 70, and if they go above 74, the fish no longer migrate. Researchers indicate the pathology of the dead fish indicated they died from a bacterial infection associated with high water temperatures and low oxygen. Unfortunately, the end does not seem near in sight and the outlook for the remaining Salmon appears dire.MORE… More:

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A more reasonably stocked reef aquarium, unlike those portrayed in some advertisements (we’ve all seen them…)Right now, I’m gazing at a magazine ad featuring the image of a reef tank, and the one word that comes to mind is “magnificent.” I’m sure you’ve seen one like it before, but allow me to describe it to you. In this one tank, I can see all manner of soft and stony corals; sea apples; Tridacna clams; mushroom and zoanthid polyps; non-photosynthetic and photosynthetic gorgonians; giant feather duster worms; sponges; and various macroalgae—all packed together in a glorious riot of color.And the fish! Captured in this image alone are schools (that’s right, schools!) of anthias, blue-green chromis, regal tangs, yellow tangs, and ocellaris clownfish. If you scan the image carefully enough, you might just spot royal and magenta dottybacks, a few royal grammas, various dwarf angelfishes, and maybe even Waldo peeking out from little niches. So, what could be wrong with such a magnificent image? Sounds like the sort of tank we’d all be proud to possess, right? Well, not so much. In addition to “magnificent,” this (clearly doctored) ad image, while definitely eye-catching, brings another word to mind: “misleading.” What’s more, I worry that these types of images might just inspire hobby newcomers to take the wrong approach right off the starting block

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Good morning friends, first off, does anyone know how I can waterproof my little hand cast?? I need a cool homemade design of sorts as there is nothing available for sale here on the island, please let me know. Next someone was asking about discarded tires which we call “tire coral” which are found at just about every dive site on the island. The question was.. “does stuff like sponges and corals grow on tires” and the answer is YES!!

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Eight Months after their stay at the New England Aquarium, four sea turtles have been released back into the ocean. The three Kemp’s Ridley and one Loggerhead turtle were found stranded on Cape Cod last Fall due to water temperature problems. The turtles were successfully transferred to the aquarium for rehabilitation at the New England Aquarium Animal Care Center. The Center was established in 1968, with its goal to rescue and rehabilitate injured and diseased marine animals in the New England Area. On an average year, volunteers from the Massachusetts Audubon society comb the beaches and rescue up to 90 sea turtles per year looking for stranded sea turtles. The Kemps Ridley Sea Turtle is the most endangered sea turtle in the World.The Aquarium estimates that an overage 90 sea turtles are brought by volunteers to the aquarium. These four turtles, like many others, suffered from hypothermia, pneumonia and organ damage. The turtles were treated by veterinarians on staff at the aquarium. The success rate at the Aquarium is phenomenal, with over 90% of all turtles who arrive being released back into the Ocean. This is awesome work. You can follow the Marine Animal Rescue Team blog here. What this team does is crucial to these sea turtles lives, every life counts to ensure the survival of this beautiful species. MORE… More:

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Being in a somewhat contemplative mood as I enjoy my third cup of coffee this Friday morning, I’ve posed to myself the philosophical question, what does it mean to be an “expert” marine aquarist? In other words, when I write something like, “That challenging species should be kept only by expert hobbyists,” who exactly am I referring to? As I mull it over, I’m coming to the realization that the answer to this question isn’t as obvious as it might seem.Years in the hobby? Is expertise a simple a matter of years in the hobby? If that were the case, someone who has been a hobbyist for 20 years but has never kept anything other than a single ocellaris clownfish would be considered an expert—when in reality, that individual is experienced only in keeping one specimen of a relatively bulletproof species. Further, there are plenty of long-time hobbyists out there who repeatedly exercise poor judgment, never learn from their mistakes, and make irresponsible stocking/husbandry decisions no matter how many years they keep at it. So time in the hobby can’t be the sole answer

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“My Kingdom for a Pair of Boots!” The refrain is the same from people throughout the aquatics industry; our saltwater work environment is hell on footwear. Over the years, I have  destroyed countless pairs of boots, and, while there are a few tricks to reducing the damage, it only serves to delay the inevitable. After seeing how saltwater and salt spray have dissolved concrete down to powder, it’s no wonder that my boots don’t fair much better.
I usually buy two pairs of boots, so I can rotate them every other day to let each pair dry out before wearing them again. I have tried out boots of every quality level, but it doesn’t matter –  if they are $30 or $200, they all meet the same fate. Over time, the corrosive, high saline solution eats away the leather, metal and rubber. The salt is an equal opportunity destroyer. Oftentimes, my laces fuse with the metal they feed through, leaving most of the lower laces locked in position, a shoelace rigor mortis if you will. I am currently in the danger zone. I waited too long to buy new boots because I hate the breaking-in process,and I am making do with these rather comfortable, but quickly disintegrating, foot covers. They mostly do the job that they were intended for, but I fear that their end is near.… More:

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 A new species of angler fish was discovered  in the Gulf of Mexico. Three female fish were just found in the Gulf of Mexico. The fish have been named ‘Lasiognathus dinem’. Tracey Sutton, a researcher from Nova Southeastern University and Theodore W. Pietsch, from the University of Washington discovered the new species.  “I recognized it as a new species fairly quickly because it was so distinctive,” said Sutton. Sutton and Peitsch’s findings were published in the Copeia Journal. The fish were found 3500-5000 feet below the surface.The new species ranges from 1 to 3 1/2-inches long. As is typical of angler fish, the fish have a spiky jaw and a typical pole like structure coming from the top of their head, which is the source of their bio-luminescence. It also serves to attract,s and confuse, potential prey in the deep depths of the ocean where no sunlight penetrates. Deep sea fish are not widely known or studied by scientists or researchers, due to the difficulty of observing these fish in their natural habitats. Until recently, they were rarely seen by humans. There is certainly a wide ocean o fish still to be discovered by scientists and researchers alike. These three fish will be studied at the University of Washington, in the World’s largest deep sea angler-fish collection. MORE… More:

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Two varieties of captive grown pipe organ coral

 When I was new to the reef hobby, I encountered a vendor with morals. I was fascinated with Pipe Organ coral (Tubipora musica) and wanted to purchase one. I was promptly educated that this coral, much like Goniopora at that time, was impossible to keep. I respected his honesty, candor, and willingness not to make a quick buck. He said they came in with his bulk shipments, but he would not sell them. These unique soft coral are also known as an Octocoral, due to their groups of eight tentacles. The only other Octocoral with hard skeletons are Heliopora and a newly discovered cousin. Pipe Organs can be mistaken for star polyps when all the polyps are open and the skeleton is covered, and in my systems growth can often be similar to star polyps, with plates of horizontal growth quickly attaching and encrusting onto nearby substrate. 

Colony grown from single-polyp frag

 Fast forward 20 years, and now I’m up to my ears in these guys! I grew my first two strains from newly-settled, tiny little one or two polyp colonies that had come in on maricultured coral. After 6 months of growth, I took single polyp frags from these colonies to start new colonies. Growth was quick and made me feel quite successful. And these days, I hear some aquarists scoff at Pipe Organ; “That stuff is just a weed in my tank…” is the refrain. What happened? Why can we keep these coral so easily now, while a decade ago they were nearly impossible? I feel that we are entering something of a golden age of reef keeping, where more and more people are keeping SPS and other coral that had previously been left to the most advanced aquarists with the most expensive equipment. The technology and abundance of knowledge we have accrued in our hobby is now such that the percentage of people keeping Acropora successfully has tripled in the last few years. In the past, we believed that we couldn’t keep Pipe Organ because either they could not get enough food, or that there was some essential element or mineral missing from our tanks. No doubt that wild caught specimens had various insults and injuries before they arrived in stores, and most had a matrix of organisms living in their diffuse and porous skeleton, many of whom did not survive transport from the ocean and subsequently died and started rotting, impacting the health of the colony from the inside.… More:

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Gary’s grandson, Cooper Michael

On our minds this week are Gary’s new grandson, the Reef Savvy Tank Giveaway, moving, MACNA activities, and a newly discovered reef near Ireland. Download the podcast here, or subscribe to our podcasts at iTunes. Also, follow us on Twitter at reefthreads.—Gary and Christine

Sponsor: Rod’s Food
Rod’s Food website

Win a reef system
Reef Savvy Tank Giveaway

MACNA 2015
MACNA website

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Candy Basslet (Liopropoma carmabi)Ask any group of marine fishkeepers to name their most sought-after species—the fishes they’d really love to own if money and availability were no object—and most of them will likely place the candy basslet (Liopropoma carmabi) somewhere close to the top of that list. Ah, but despite its stunning good looks and very manageable size, L. carmabi, a deepwater species hailing from the tropical western Atlantic and Caribbean, is rarely available in the hobby and fetches a daunting price on the few occasions it is offered for sale. I’ve only ever seen this species in photos and videos (oddly enough, it seldom finds its way into Toledo-area fish stores), but if those depictions are anywhere near accurate, L. carmabi truly is a jewel of a fish. It’s probably all for the best that specimens never materialize locally, however, as I’d probably have to sell my firstborn to afford one.Physical traits Reaching only around 2½ inches, the candy basslet is a relatively diminutive species. But there’s nothing small about its eye-dazzling coloration

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Hate is a strong word. A word that I rarely, if ever, use. But I hate coral predators! These pesky little bugs can ruin years of work, bring grown reefers to their knees in tears and cause thousands upon thousands of [polyp] lives and dollars lost. One way to help prevent coral pests is dipping, which can be done in so many ways it’s hard to wrap a new reefers mind around. The basics are simple, and should be followed by all reefers in my opinion: 

1. Choose your weapon (read: dip). There are many on the market today, some wielding wild claims that come up empty handed, so be wary and read reviews. As of this posting not one dip on the market kills eggs of pests [without killing the coral too]. Eggs must be inspected for visually, and better yet, new additions should be quarantined for a period of time prior to being introduced into your display aquarium. A few common dips that come to mind are: ReVive, Bayer insecticide, RPS All-Out and Coral Rx. Please be sure to follow the directions of manufacturer, and read reviews of any aforementioned product prior to using.
2. Prepare your dip and rinse water. Personally I use a five gallon bucket, but any reservoir can work. Make sure to have a powerhead or something to stir the water within the dip reservoir, which helps remove pests.
3. Place coral in dip and set timer so you don’t forget (most dips call for a fifteen minute period). Turn on powerhead or stir vigorously every few minutes. Some dips don’t kill pests, rather they’ll stun the pests which can then be knocked off via high flow. Error on the shorter side of a dip if you’re treating many corals at once to ensure you don’t go over allotted time.
4. Remove coral from dip and scrub base and skeleton purposefully to remove any pests and their eggs. A toothbrush works great for this. Most coral predators lay their eggs around the base of the coral, rather than the tissue itself. Some people even go the next step and remove the plug/rock entirely from the bottom of the coral. Even so you should still scrub the base of the coral, or any dead skeleton visible as a precautionary measure. This also helps prevent unwanted algaes from making their way into your aquarium.
5. Place coral in rinse water.

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The Sea Life Michigan Aquarium is currently conducting on online poll to name its Enteroctopus dofleini, or Giant Pacific Octopus. The 14 month old female octopus arrived at the Aquarium last December and has remained unnamed. She weighs around 12 pounds, but is not yet fully grown. Giant Pacific Octopus, hence the name, can vary greatly in size, but get up to 30 pounds in weight, on average. The Guinness Book of World Records list the largest of the species at 300 pounds and a 33 ft arm span!! But more importantly, every Giant Pacific Octopus (GPO) should have an awesome name!! And now you can participate in what name this GPO shall have by going here and logging in your vote. The sky’s not the limit with regards to names, the aquarium has already narrowed it down to four choices, in which you can pick what you think is the best one. The contenders are:Ursula, Octesha, Lola and Morrigan. Quite an interesting assortment of names. Spoiler alert, at the time I voted, Lola was in the lead with 43% of all votes.This was just above Ursula, holding strong with 42%, Octesha had 8% and Morrigan had just 6% of the votes. The aquarium is also giving away four tickets to the aquarium through a Facebook contest, if you are close to Auburn Hills, Michigan. The voting will continue until this Friday, and then the polls will be closed. The name will be announced on Monday. I’m personally rooting for Lola myself. MORE… More:

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There’s a lot of conversation these days about gender equality with respect to income, career opportunities, education, and many other arenas of life. However, we tend to give it very little thought when it comes to participation in our hobby. Let’s face it, the perception—if not the reality—of the gender ratio in the marine aquarium hobby is that it’s largely tipped in favor of males.But if this is true, why is it so? After all, there’s nothing inherently masculine about keeping fish and corals in glass or acrylic boxes. What is it that seemingly discourages many women from getting involved or, if they are hobbyists, from getting their voices and opinions heard just as much—or as loudly—as their male counterparts do? As regular Saltwater Smarts visitor Louise Maggs helpfully points out, there are some persistent myths and misconceptions floating around out there that might be inhibiting women from participating fully in our salty pastime. That really got me thinking, so I’d like to dedicate today’s post to a discussion of those myths as I perceive them and invite all of you—whatever your gender—to weigh in with your thoughts.

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Check out this video from Richard Ross!  Acropora cervicornis larvae – baby Staghorn coral – are swimming around in their petri dish, just 7 days after he and a world-renowned team of scientists collected 25 mL of concentrated eggs from the spawning Acerv at the Coral Restoration Foundation Nursery. These coral only reproduce once a year, via broadcast spawning of gametes into the water column. Individual Acerv colonies are both male and female (simultaneous hermaphrodites) and release millions of gametes after the full moon in late summer. In ideal circumstances, the larvae live in and around the plankton near their “parents” for several days before settling in a suitable area and metamorphosing into new colonies.  But very few planula live that long, and the majority of Acropra reproduce asexually, as branches of the coral break off and then establish themselves wherever they land. As NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, states, “…this mode of reproduction makes recovery from disease or bleaching episodes (in which entire colonies or even entire stands are killed) very difficult. The large role of asexual reproduction for this species also increases the likelihood that genetic diversity in the remnant populations is very low.” Since 1980, populations of this coral have declined by up to 98% worldwide. But, as NOAA states, ” This coral exhibits the fastest growth of all known western Atlantic corals, with branches increasing in length by 4-8 inches (10-20 cm) per year. Staghorn coral has been one of the three most important Caribbean corals in terms of its contribution to reef growth and fish habitat.” Rich was joined by scientists from such world-renowned institutions as the Florida Aquarium, Steinhart (California Academy of Sciences), the Georgia Aquarium, the Coral Restoration Foundation, NOAA, the University of Florida, Sea World, and the Akron Zoo, and their success represents a major step forward in reef conservation and repopulation efforts.  I look forward to hearing more about this exciting project!… More:

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Science is a wonderful and fascinating thing that never ceases to amaze us. Scientist’s now discovered the first complete genome sequence for any octopus. A genome is the complete set of genetic material in a cell or organism. To put it another way, a genome is like an instruction book on how to to recreate an organism. And also, how to know what that organism will need to maintain itself. The octopus sequence was published in Nature International Weekly Journal of Science. It was no easy task. The scientists first had to grow a California two-spot octopus in the lab. Discovering just what makes an octopus an octopus should unleash questions to answers which have puzzled scientists and layman alike. We all have been wondering how octopus use all those arms or how they become so smart? This is information will also help scientists determine how octopus, rarely fossilized, may have evolved. The genome sequence revealed some interesting stuff, for example, octopus can taste with their suckers. They also discovered that the comparatively large size of the octopus genome wasn’t due to duplication, like previously believed. Scientists believe the octopus has duplicated its genes through evolution, and acquired new genes. Talk about one smart octopus!! Genome sequencing is very complex and I certainly don’t speak the language, but I think it is clear that this knowledge discovery will yield new findings to a wealth of fields. MORE… More:

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Hey gang, things have been busy as of late, I spent all day yesterday in the deep water labs photographing new finds collected from a recent collecting trip to Klein Curacao. One of the coolest finds is another “possible” new fish species and as soon as I get the go ahead I will post the photo for you and the whole planet to see, it’s super beautiful! I spent hours photographing a juvenile deep-sea butterflyfish and could not have completed that task without the help of my colleague Barbarba. We also have a bunch more live slit-shells but those are all headed to Japan sometime next week for study and my favorite find of them all was a 1700′s bottle that I will for sure post for you all to see.

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It’s important to use a container you can trust for RO/DI and saltwater storageOne of my biggest nightmares as a marine aquarist is someday having one of the panes of my glass aquarium suddenly give out and dump 125 gallons of salt water on my living room floor. What a costly, hideous mess that would be! Frankly, I don’t even want to think about it! But your aquarium isn’t the only vessel you should be concerned about when it comes to water spillage and other safety issues. Another is the container you use to mix and store salt water (or to hold RO/DI product water, etc.).Why am I bringing this up? Many of us like to use containers such as plastic storage bins or trash cans to mix and store salt water for use in future water changes or just to be ready in the event of any other eventuality that might call for clean salt water. We trust these containers to hold many gallons of water reliably, yet, for all intents and purposes, water storage is an “off-label” use for them and some are certainly better suited to the purpose than others

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