How much do you know about the salt that makes the water in which your animals live?

It’s salty guest week! Wait, that didn’t come out right. Let’s try: Craig Bingman is our returning guest this week and our subject is salt. If you have questions about the salt you’re using, the salt you’d like to use, or how you’re handling your salt, listen to this information-packed hour about our favorite powder. 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

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This Saturday, at 6PM EST, Dr. Mac will open up his famous farm and join us in an online chat and live sale event.  The Live Sale System allows people from all over the world to participate in a timed event where the fine folks at Pacific East Aquaculture will offer some incredible deals and lots of fun for 6 hours on our website.  Unlike all other live sales, this one is actually LIVE.  You don’t need to refresh the page at all.  The chatroom is live and the products drop every few minutes.  There is a counter at the top to indicate when the next item goes on sale, so you can hang out and talk with other buyers until the right moment.  When products show up, you have to be FAST in order to get things, but don’t worry there will be plenty of items for everyone.  This live sale is a fun and fast paced event, but you can enjoy it from the comfort of your own home and even view it from a mobile device.  All sales are for mail order shipment the following week and you buy a shipping pack according to what day you want to receive your goodies.  So don’t forget to join us this Saturday the 26th and good luck! 

Find the latest live events at https://www.reefs.com/live

… More:

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A misguided and hasty approach often leads to a failed aquarium and exit from the hobbyIt’s a tale as old as the hobby itself: A novice marine aquarist sets up his or her first system, runs headlong into every conceivable obstacle and pitfall, responds with a series of misguided decisions, loses a whole tank’s worth of fish and corals, and finally chucks the entire hobby in frustration and despair, all the while cursing Neptune and that silly enchanted trident of his. Just as this scenario is all too common (with the possible exception of the Neptune part), so too are the reasons many novice marine aquarists fail and drop out of the hobby. A post-mortem analysis of the average hobby failure would likely reveal one or more of the following five underlying elements:1. Failure to research I’m including this point first because it’s the most significant contributor to hobby dropout and encompasses many of the major oversights that newcomers make. Failing to cycle, skipping quarantine, overstocking/overfeeding, combining incompatible species, and choosing inappropriate life-support equipment (skimmer, lighting, etc.) are just some of the bad decisions new hobbyists sometimes make due to lack of prior research—and all can have hobby-ending (not to mention budget-breaking) consequences. Without ever reading hobby literature, perusing informative websites, seeking advice from more advanced hobbyists, studying up on the habits and demands of various species, etc., newcomers don’t even know they’re supposed to be concerned about these things—or, as Caribbean Chris and I like to say, “They don’t even know that they don’t know.” And that’s a recipe for certain disaster in this hobby! 2. Having no coherent strategy The best way to get started on the road to success in our crazy pastime is to establish a set of long-term goals—a strategic vision of the type of system and livestock you’d like to keep—and then implement the appropriate tactics, equipment purchases, and stocking approach to help you achieve those goals.

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Radial Filefish (Acreichthys radiatus) hanging out in some Xenia. Credit: Doug Anderson

 Coral reefs are rife with camouflaged fishes. Some hide by mimicking the surrounding rocks and sponges and algae, while others are well-known for passing themselves off as more-noxious species of fish. And, fewer still, are those fishes which actively mimic corals. Perhaps the most familiar example of this are the many pygmy seahorses, which were first discovered when their host gorgonians were collected for aquarists. An even more remarkable example can be found within the community of species known to associate with the soft coral Xenia. This common aquarium coral often grows to plague proportions, spreading up and over everything to create a pulsating carpet of white. This, in and of itself, is a beautiful sight, but usually not the diverse and colorful reefscape the aquarist had hoped for. But such an aquarium offers a perfect opportunity to recreate a truly unique biotope. The fishes in this article are mostly unavailable in the aquarium hobby, but this is due to a perceived lack of demand rather than any real difficulty acquiring specimens from the wild. The images here are all from shallow reefs in the Philippines, an area with plenty of fish collectors. 

Radial Filefish (Acreichthys radiatus). Credit: Doug Anderson

Radial Filefish (Acreichthys radiatus). Credit: Kunihiko

Radial Filefish (Acreichthys radiatus). Credit: Doug Anderson

Hyaline Cardinalfish (Foa hyalina). Credit: やーた

Hyaline Cardinalfish (Foa hyalina). Credit: ドン☆タコス

Hyaline Cardinalfish (Foa hylaina). マンぶーン

Eightspine Cardinalfish (Neamia octospina). Credit: kiss2sea

Eightspine Cardinalfish (Neamia octospina). Credit: honey

Unknown Cardinalfish (Apogonidae sp.). Credit: divermatsukun

Spotted Xenia Pipefish (Siokunichthys herrei). Credit: Matt Tworkowski

Unknown Pipefish (Sioukunichthys sp.). Credit: manboon

 Pretty damn neat, right? Why are these not available? Would this not make for an AMAZING aquarium?! Picture a vast field of white pulsing corals offering up the occasional glimpse of a perfectly hidden fish flitting about. I haven’t even bothered with all of the invertebrates which likewise mimic these corals. Numerous shrimps, crabs, nudibranchs, and who knows what else can be found alongside these faux-Xenia fishes. And, just to show that these types of mimicry communities aren’t restricted to Xenia, here are a couple bonus copycats found on other soft corals.… More:

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The market is getting crowded, when it comes to reef aquarium circulation pumps. Just about all the major reef equipment companies have one, and many of them perform much the same. The Vortech by Ecotech Marine still stands as one of the greatest innovations in the realm of propeller pumps, though over the past year both Panta Rhei and Maxspect have taken a shot at out-innovating Ecotech. Now there is another kid on the block, the WAV from Neptune Systems. Immediately the WAV stands out for a few reasons, one being that it is designed by a company with a solid reputation for high tech, ultra-controllable reef aquarium gear. Neptune Systems’ Apex still sets the bar for aquarium controllers, and over the past few years the company has stretched its legs, offering everything from automatic dosing systems to hidden PAR monitors. All of these products work within the ecosystem of Apex Fusion, and in this regard the WAV is no different. This is another unique factor regarding the WAV, it’s the first circulation pump system that requires a full blown aquarium controller. While it may seem like Neptune is alienating much of the reefing population by requiring an Apex in order to use the WAV, when you see how flawlessly the circulation system ties in with Apex Fusion, instantly you realize why they opted for that route. Getting started:Often I find that aquarists either love Neptune System’s Apex or they have never used one. Even though Neptune has eased aquarist’s introduction and set-up of Apex with Apex Fusion, some less than technically inclined aquarists are a bit squeamish about it. Having set-up multiple Apex units over the years, I can confidently say it’s now easier than ever to have total aquarium control. The two main points to consider if you haven’t used an Apex before, and have considered one, is first that they require a hard CAT 6 connection to a router. We’ve become spoiled these days with devices that automatically connect to wireless networks, but the Apex still requires a hard connection. For some aquarists whose tanks are far from their modem and router, this could be a problem. The other factor is that Apex units require a CAT 6 connection from your computer to the router for firmware updates. Attempting a firmware update without a hard router connection can end in disaster, meaning your Apex unit is flushed of all software and suddenly an expensive paperweight.… More:

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 Just a day after the official end of summer, and two more shark attacks occurred in the United States, both of which were captured on video. Despite the spate of high profile shark attacks over recent months, I swim in the ocean at least once a week in hope of encountering one of those beautiful creatures. Yesterday, Mark McCracken, a kayaker off the coast of Goleta, California, armed with a go-pro and paddle, had a harrowing encounter with a hammerhead shark. McCracken said: “I was trolling for bonito yesterday when out of nowhere this tweaked out hammerhead started ramming and biting my kayak. I had to hit him over 20 times before he finally gave me some space but still stalked me for a half mile all the way back to shore.” Watch the incredible video here. Hammerheads, once rare to see in the waters off California, are now more common. The Hammerheads are following warmer water fish that are moving into California. Meanwhile, in Honolulu, a spear fisherman, Braxton Rocha, was bitten in the leg by a tiger shark off the coast of the Big Island. Rocha was able to swim to shore after the attack and filmed a video of his wound as he was being carried away by paramedics. “I just got attacked by a tiger shark,” Said rocha in a very gruesome video posted to Instagram. It is believed a 13 foot Tiger Shark bit his leg. He was airlifted to the hospital and the last reports indicate he is in critical condition. MORE… More:

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Virtually since the advent of the internet, there’s been a tendency in our hobby to rate the reliability and trustworthiness of online content beneath that of print-format materials—books, magazines, and so forth. But is this assessment really fair?The general premises behind this viewpoint are: Anyone with a computer and internet connection can post anything they want online, whether or not he or she has the requisite expertise to expound on the subject. Online articles and posts are seldom given professional editorial treatment and/or subjected to peer review, so you can’t trust that they’ve been vetted properly for accuracy. There tends to be an “echo-chamber effect” online, so inaccurate or outright fallacious information appearing on one site can be picked up immediately by others and repeated ad nauseam, creating the false impression of consensus on the information/viewpoint. Now, there’s truth to each of these arguments, but as someone who’s made his living as a writer/editor for nearly 20 years (primarily in print format) and once served on an editorial committee that reviewed book submissions for a major retail pet chain, I can say with some confidence that print materials have their limitations as reference sources, too. Among them: Just as with online materials, print books and magazines are no more reliable or accurate than the writers and editors who produce them. You can’t assume that just because someone went to the effort to produce something in hardcopy, the information it contains was properly vetted.

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Anthias under sunbeams. Swarms of anthias fish shelter near coral outcroppings and feed in the passing current. Fiji

 It’s never fun to jump on the negative news bandwagon, but a recently updated report from the World Wildlife Fund finds our oceans to be in far worse condition than just 45 years ago. The Living Blue Planet report, published annually, states that the average populations of marine mammals, birds, reptiles and fish declined by 49% between 1970 and 2012. Coral reef coverage has also decreased by more than 50% in the last 30 years. The report more or less attributes all population decline to anthropomorphic (human-driven) influences, including climate change. The WWF worked with the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) to establish the Living Planet Index; a metric that measures trends in population change for 5,829 populations of 1,234 species of marine-dependent animals. Certain groups, including the the Scombridae family (tunas, mackerels, bonitos, etc.), have been affected by as much as 74% worldwide. The numbers are truly shocking to anyone with a passion for marine life. Of course, we always need to be careful when interpreting data to avoid bias. The WWF is an inherenitly partial source and repeatedly uses large figures to shock the audience. The report doesn’t make much of a compelling scientific case to link population change and anthropomorhpic causation. Perhaps that wasn’t the goal, but this is just more fodder for you, the reader, to make your own evaluations. We can, however, find value in the report’s information if we look at the data through the lens of the “Shifting Baselines” concept.  This is the idea that our perception of what is normal today may not have been normal 40 or 50 years ago. What should our baseline be and can this report help us to determine it? More on this in a later post. WWF annoucnement via:   WWF Website LinkShifting Baselines:  http://www.shiftingbaselines.org/op_ed/ Author Note: I am a big supporter of the WWF and a firm believer in human-induced changes to our oceans, but we can always use more data to justify our arguments.… More:

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Flannel Beach: The Doom Years by Various Artists Today we release an album we’ve been compiling for years: Flannel Beach – The Doom Years, a mixtape featuring great SoFL bands spanning the years of 2004-2012. The album is available in 12″ vinyl & cassette format(s) via our online store & IRL @ Gramps tonight, Friday, September the 25th. ‘Coral City‘ & ‘Natural History Redux‘ are screening before Rick Guerre goes live, followed by a special Guy Harvey reunion set. The compilation benefits our current project, the South Pointe Park Coral Nursery. Read more about Flannel Beach here via the Miami New Times. Thank You to the Musicians of Flannel Beach, Michael Alen of Sound Nutrition, who co-produced the LP, Jorge Gonzalez Graupera, who mastered it, and Brian Butler, the artist behind the swampy album artwork. Tags: Coral Morphologic, Flannel Beach, Flannel Beach: The Doom Years This entry was posted on Friday, September 25th, 2015 at 12:12 am and is filed under Music. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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Australia’s coral reefs are under attack from the rapidly reproducing crown-of-thorns starfish. The crown-of-thorns starfish currently pose one of the greatest threats to the Great Barrier Reefs. According to research by the Australian Institute of Marine Science, coral population on the reefs has declined by about 50 per cent over the past 30 years, with Crown-of-thorns starfish attributed to at least half of this decline. Since the 1960’s, there have been four main outbreaks of crown-of-thorns populations. There are short and long term strategies currently in effect to try and control the ever growing problematic population. As I wrote about previously, most recently, a lethal injection providing robot has been designed to help combat the crown of thorns population. Now, a new study by the  Australian Institute of Marine Science (Aims) has discovered that vinegar may be the next key to fighting the starfish battle. Vinegar is very inexpensive and accessible. However, there still needs to be more research conducted to make sure vinegar does not harm other marine life. “For that, vinegar is a great method. Vinegar can be bought at any supermarket and is roughly half the price,” lead researcher Lisa Bostrom-Einarsson from James Cook University told the BBC’s Rone McFarlane. MORE… More:

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Hammer coral (Euphyllia ancora) can be quite variable in colorSeveral of the so-called large-polyp stony (LPS) corals offer the advantages of being very hardy, adaptable, and beautiful and, thus, make excellent reef aquarium candidates, even for relatively new reefkeepers. The hammer coral (Euphyllia ancora), however, I would characterize slightly differently. There’s no question this coral is gorgeous, but I would rate it as rather less forgiving than, say, Trachyphyllia geoffroyi. Still, if its care requirements and aggressive nature are given proper attention, this coral can be a showpiece reef aquarium resident. Physical traitsE. ancora has long, tubular tentacles with tips that resemble, as you might guess, the head of a hammer or an anchor. Most specimens I’ve come across have had brownish to grayish tentacles with the tips being some shade of green, gold, or cream, but the color can be quite variable. Colonies of this coral can get quite large—upwards of 3 feet across—which must be taken into consideration when determining tank size, placement, etc

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MECoral a provider of high quality aquarium additives, is proud to introduce “WASH OFF”. The newly-developed formula for Wash Off includes lavender, lemon, and pine oil at a powerful concentration. The 100% pure plant extracts are highly effective at cleaning newly acquired corals with less stress or harm than harsher medicines, pesticides, or iodine based dips, and is very effective at promoting coral heath and rejuvenating damaged corals (Rtn, Stn, or Bacterial Infection). It is available at local fish stores and online at MECoral.com.MECoral was incorporated 4 years ago as a Licensed Aquaculture Facility in Florida.  While they are still licensed for aquaculture, they no longer focus on selling corals to the public, but use the facility to grow corals for testing supplements and coral additives. The founder and owner, Mark Esquenazi, is committed to using pharmaceutical grade (USP) additives; they are 99.x% pure with minimal impurities. Industrial grade additives can range from 70-90% in purity and hence they have 10-30% impurities, which are very difficult to remove once they’re in your system . Mark decided to enter the coral dip market with the hope of improving upon the formulations already available from other companies, whose main effective ingredients are pine and lemon oil. His company began testing various other dip additives, and asked for feedback on forums and other web sites. They discovered that adding lavender oil to the dip formulation eliminated more pest and bacterial issues. Lavender has been used for years as an antimicrobial agent and as a natural pesticide, and it is still used today as a mosquito and bug repellent without the harmful effects of deet or harmful pesticides. This new dip is made from .75% Lavender Oil, .75% Lemon Oil, and .75%Pine oil. Steve Brooker owner of Crazycorals says,  ” I have used many dips, but Wash Off does a much better job washing corals”. How to use dip: 20 ml of dip should be added to 1 gallon of saltwater taken from the aquarium and placed in a container. Place newly acquired or recently-fragged corals in this solution, and agitate the water with a small pump or a turkey baster. Leave the coral in this solution for 10-15 minutes, and then rinse coral in another container of clean tank water to remove the dip and then it’s ready to place in the aquarium. The formulation works on all corals such as SPS,LPS, Chalice, Monti, and Zoas.… More:

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A little purple nephthea.

We return once again. This week we talk about salt, Gary’s new Live Aquaria t-shirt, the Reef Savvy Dream Tank giveaway, the Internet as a research tool, placing corals, and Level 1 and Level 2 fun. 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

Internet research
Is the Internet a Viable Resource for Marine Aquarium Research?, Jeff Kurtz, Saltwater Smarts

Coral placement
Need help with coral location, gam3ovr, Reef Central

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The ubiquitous Yellowtail Damselfish, Chrysiptera parasema. Credit: Masamichi Torisu

 Damselfishes are usually thought of as a cheap staple of the aquarium trade, more often treated as “starter fish” than desirable species in their own right. But such prejudices belie the fascinating evolutionary story these fishes have to tell. One group in particular—the Chrysiptera hemicyanea Complex—stands above its pomacentrid brethren for the vibrant beauty and evolutionary enigmas of its members. Here we find such common and recommendable species as the Yellowtail, Azure, and Springer’s Damselfishes, as well as several others less-familiar to the average aquarist.   The ten or so species in this group are placed in Chrysiptera (Greek: “gold-finned”), a diverse genus of nearly thirty recognized taxa which currently finds itself in a state of flux. Molecular data has shown that several species belong to distinct lineages far distant from the type species (the Blue Damselfish C. cyaneus). Some sporadically-seen aquarium species (kuiteri & tricincta), as well as some less-familiar ones (brownriggii & unimaculata), will likely be reclassified into new genera, but this awaits a formal taxonomic revision of the genus.The members of the hemicyanea Complex can be identified, in part, by their relatively tall body compared to more elongated species of Chrysiptera, as well as the highly incised margin of the spinous dorsal fin. These fishes are entirely restricted to the Coral Triangle—a region of peak coral reef diversity located from Bali, Indonesia, north to the Philippines, and east to the Solomon Islands. Unlike many other groups from this region, these damselfishes appear to have a reduced ability to disperse, and are often undocumented from some of the peripheral reefs of the West Pacific (e.g. Palau, the Ryukyu Arc, Cocos-Keeling/Christmas Islands, Western Australia). This may be related to the benthic egg-laying habits of the genus, which results in a shortened pelagic larval stage.As aquarium inhabitants, these are some of the least aggressive members of the family, but they are still a ways away from being piscine pacifists. Specimens kept in smaller aquaria become highly territorial and are known to pester docile species to death. Conversely, mixing these with more aggressive damselfishes (Dascyllus, Pomacentrus, even other Chrysiptera) is a recipe for disaster. And, despite being schooling fishes, keeping these in groups can be highly problematical. Males are highly aggressive towards other males of their species (and presumably related species), and the dominant male will eventually succeed in killing his rivals unless placed in an appropriately sized aquarium—a six foot aquarium might be a safe minimum for housing multiple males.… More:

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If there has been a mysterious death in your aquarium, determine the cause before seeking a replacement.In a nutshell, the reason people are drawn to this hobby (not counting the genetic mutation unique to marine aquarists that I can only assume researchers are close to isolating) is to enjoy up-close-and-personal encounters with exotic marine life. In other words, the whole point of this crazy venture of ours is to acquire specimens for our tanks so we can spend as much of our free time as possible viewing and appreciating them—just as the point of taking up golf is to go golfing as often as possible. But one significant difference between aquarium keeping and many other pursuits is that there are certain times when it’s decidedly not in your best interest to engage in one of the core aspects of the hobby—the livestock-acquisition part, that is.Here are five circumstances in which adding another animal is precisely the wrong thing to do. You’ll notice I’ve targeted this post at beginners, but even experienced hobbyists sometimes forget these points or get impatient and add specimens when they really shouldn’t. 1. Before cycling is complete When cycling a new system, you should observe subsequent spikes and declines in ammonia and nitrite levels and then gradual accumulation of nitrate.

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Indonesian C. springeri. A) Bali, Credit: delpacifico B) Raja Ampats, Credit: David Rolla c) Togean Islands Credit: Massimo Boyer D) Lembeh Credit: risingmoon

 “Springer’s Damselfish” C. springeri

• Range: Indonesia, though likely absent from the Java Sea and Sumatra.
• Etymology: After ichthyologist Dr. Victor Springer of the Smithsonian
• Size: 5cm
• Aquarium Rarity: Common
• ID: Mostly blue, with little black exposed.

  Notes: Very similar to the Melanesian cyamatilis, but without a black spot beneath the soft dorsal fin. While frequently available in the aquarium trade, it seems to be less common than the undescribed species found in the Philippines. It is alleged to feed on Convulotriloba flatworms in aquariums, though not every aquarist reports success with this.   

Ontogenetic changes of C. cf springeri, from Cebu. Credit: よみん

 “Black Sapphire Damselfish” C. cf springeri

• Range: Mostly Philippines and Northern Borneo
• Etymology: n/a
• Size: 5cm
• Aquarium Rarity: Common
• ID: Mostly blue, but with large patches of underlying black exposed.

  Notes: The northern variant of springeri has long been suspected of being a separate species, and is currently being investigated by Dr. Gerry Allen. Juveniles appear identical to the true springeri, but specimens develops black patches dorsally and on the caudal peduncle as they mature. The ventral fins also turn black, similar to the Melanesian cymatilis. Both springeri and cf springeri may be present in Lembeh, but genetic study is needed to confirm this. In the aquarium, it has been reported that the two phenotypes segregate themselves. I’ve chosen to create a new common name for this species, as there doesn’t seem to be any consistently used name for this population.   

C. pricei, from Cenderawasih. Note the greenish hue of the lower left specimen and its sharply contrasting caudal peduncle spot. Credit: Gerry Allen and unknown.

 “Price’s Damselfish” C. pricei

• Range: Endemic to Cenderawasih Bay
• Etymology: After David Price, an ichthyologist from New Guinea
• Size: 5cm
• Aquarium Rarity: Absent
• ID: Pattern is similar to hemicyanea or juvenile oxycephala, but the yellow is more pale and diffusely blended with the blue. The small black spot at the base of the pectoral fin is diagnostic.

  Note: Depending on lighting, specimens can appear green-blue with only the upper caudal peduncle exhibiting a bright blue. It’s possible populations may exist to the west in the Raja Ampats, as other Cenderawasih endemics have been found here, but it is unlikely that this species will ever be collected for aquarists.… More:

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Reef aquariums replicate one of the most stable environments on Earth. Coral reefs are the product of millions of years of evolution, an environment created and sustained by tiny animals. Corals capability to build structures and tailor their environment is second only to human beings, with various reefs being visible from space. Natural ecological processes provide coral reefs with water that is nutrient free, meaning that no nitrate, phosphate or other dissolved organic matter is present and water conditions are extremely stable. This is why ocean temperature increases of 2-5 degrees spell disaster for coral reefs, as they are perfectly suited to an environment that never changes. Our aquariums often exist as unstable mimics of natural reefs. Tiny boxes of water that are subject to constant chemical changes, whether it be from water evaporation, temperature and ph fluctuation, or any other host of processes taking place in the aquarium water. Keeping the calcium, magnesium and carbonate hardness of marine water within acceptable parameters is a painstaking process. Inability to achieve stability has kept many would-be reef keepers from fully realizing their dreams of a home coral reef. Wouldn’t it be so much easier if the entire process was automated?  Most aquarists are familiar with full blown reef controllers, but for some reason just as many have never used one. Years ago controllers were given the reputation of being hard to hook-up, tough to update and impossible to fully program. The controller market was plagued with complete failures, such as the Digital Aquatics Lifeguard. Not only did this system advertise simplicity, it failed aquarists with bad firmware, constant misreading and an inability to control anything. Out of the ashes of the controller market, Neptune Systems has been constantly refining their product. With advancements in communications technology, online software and evolving aquarium products – a Neptune System’s Apex is easier to use today than ever. Yet, there are still aquarists who are shy about implementing an aquarium controller. Below is a common-sense guide to setting up an Apex. You don’t need any computer programming skills and a basic knowledge of computer/communication technology will be more than enough. Once the system is set-up, you will be surprised at how Apex Fusion takes over, and literally allows for total control, monitoring and automation of your aquarium. What you will need: (remember all the networking with an Apex requires a hard connection to the router.… More:

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C. parasema, from Komodo. Credit: 55mermaid

 “Yellowtail Damselfish” C. parasema

• Range: Philippines north to the Ryukyu Islands, south to Sabah, Java Sea, Flores
• Etymology: Greek “streamer”, allegedly in reference to the pale tail
• Size: 5cm
• Aquarium Rarity: Abundant
• ID: Entirely blue, except for a bright yellow caudal fin and peduncle.

  Notes: Originally described in 1918 as Abudufduf parasema. This species ranges further north than any other in its complex, reaching the Amami Islands of Japan, but apparently unknown from the main islands. It’s difficult to theorize why this species should be found here, but not some of the other Philippine populations (e.g. cf springeri & oxycephala). 

C. hemicyanea, aquarium specimen. Credit: Aquarent

 “Azure Damselfish” C. hemicyanea

• Range: Bali, Southern Sulawesi, east to Raja Ampats and Kei Islands
• Etymology: Greek “half dark-blue”
• Size: 5cm
• Aquarium Rarity: Common
• ID: Yellow ventrally from the throat to the anterodorsal corner of the caudal peduncle, and all the encompassed fins.

  Notes: Also known as the “Royal Damselfish”… neither common name is particularly informative. The only species in this complex authoritatively documented from Western Australia. 

C. giti at Lembeh, an apparent range extension. Credit: Masamichi Torisu & risingmoon

 “Giti Damselfish” C. giti

• Range: Northern Sulawesi (Togean Islands & Lembeh) and Sebakor Bay, Fak Fak Peninsula, New Guinea
• Etymology: Named after Giti Tire, a Singapore-based tire manufacturer, whose owners placed a winning bid during an auction to name the species. Proceeds went towards conservation efforts in the region.
• Size: 5cm
• Aquarium Rarity: Absent
• ID: Yellow restricted caudally and in anal fin

  Notes: Only described in 2008, this species is a perfect intermediate between parasema and hemicyanea. A detailed genetic study is warranted to help in understanding its evolutionary origins, and whether it might be of hybrid derivation. It is known to hybridize with C. arnazae at Lembeh (see below). Aquarium specimens are unknown, but collection does take place in parts of its range. 

C. arnazae seen at Lembeh. Credit: Masamichi Torisu

 “Arnaz’s Damselfish” C. arnazae

• Range: Flores, Lembeh, Halmahera, Raja Ampats, east to Madang and Bismarck Archipelago
• Etymology: After Arnaz Mehta, wife of Dr. Mark Erdmann, one of the authors.
• Size: 5cm
• Aquarium Rarity: Uncommon
• ID: yellow extending posterior to anal fin origin, as well as pelvic fins

  Notes: Described in 2010, this uncommonly collected species is sometimes seen as the Half-blue Damselfish—a confusing choice given the etymology of hemicyanea.… More:

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You may notice a trend recently, in that I am writing quite a bit about Neptune System’s products. While I’ve used an Apex controller for as long as I can remember, it’s only recently that I started to explore all of Fusion’s new enhancements, and began adding features onto my Apex. I’ve been impressed with what Neptune is building, a system that totally controls a reef aquarium and is easy to install. Also, firmware updates that were once painstaking can be accomplished easily, and new networking technologies make it possible to have a hardline network connection right at your tank.  After installing the new Neptune System’s WAV, I liked having detailed water circulation data so much, that I was hungry for more. One natural evolution of Fusion’s data center is PAR measurements. Many aquarists are not monitoring their PAR levels, and this is partially because in the past PAR monitors were expensive, and none were especially suited to continuous monitoring, which is most effective for reef aquariums. The first device to offer PAR monitoring was the Seneye aquarium monitor. While it was effective, the Seneye was difficult to place in an area within the tank, so getting accurate readings required holding it by hand in the exact position you wanted to measure. In short, its design failed to offer consistent PAR monitoring that was easily recorded and other half-baked features made it a less than ideal aquarium monitor. Neptune System’s PAR monitor takes an entirely different approach. The monitor is a small optical probe, and arrives with a piece of artificial live rock with a small hole that perfectly accepts and hides the sensor. After connecting a module with your Apex (via an open aqua bus port) suddenly you have live PAR monitoring, along with a unit that is easy to place anywhere within your aquarium. What is PAR?PAR stands for photosynthetically active radiation and designates the wave band of solar radiation within a range of 400-700 nanometers that photosynthetic organisms require to fully photosynthesize. This tends to correspond with the range of light visible to the human eye. Shorter range photons can damage cells and tissue, but are naturally filtered out by the ozone layer and photons at longer ranges do not carry enough energy to allow for photosynthesis. How does PAR help reef keepers:As we all know, within photosynthetic coral tissues live zooxanthellae, which via photosynthesis pass extra nutrition over to our corals.… More:

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Large coral colonies and adult surgeonfish in Key LargoWe aquarists try very hard to keep our animals alive as long as possible for a few reasons. The first is that we are caring people and don’t want to see them hurt. The second is that our specimens cost us a lot of money. Exactly how much money depends a little on the care we provide. For example, if we buy a purple tang for $100 and it lives for 10 days, then that fish cost us $10 a day to enjoy. I would say that is an expensive fish! But if that same fish lives ten years, then it costs us maybe around three cents a day (I didn’t do the math, but you get my point)

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