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Tag Archives: Aquaculture
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DNA sequencing reveals two Genicanthus species almost raised at the Long Island Aquarium
Last summer I reported on reefs.com that I had raised a number of marine angelfish (around a dozen in all) to more than one month of age using only cultured copepods obtained from Algagen. In each case, the late-stage larvae began to show a marked increase in pigmentation and changes in behavior that often coincide with settlement.… More:
Posted in Conservation, Fish, Industry, Science, Uncategorized
Tagged angelfish, Aquaculture, DNA Sequencing, Genicanthus, larva, larvae, Long Island Aquarium, marine, Todd Gardner
3 Comments
Vossen larval catchers put to the test with Lipogramma klayi
It’s been several months since I raised my first Lipogramma klayi at the Long Island Aquarium. Sadly, I’ve only had two more reach settlement since then. One of the bottlenecks to the mass production of this beautiful deepwater basslet, as well as other grammatids, is that they are what we sometimes refer to as “trickle” spawners because although they spawn often, they lay only a few eggs at a time.… More:
Posted in DIY, Equipment, Fish, Science, Uncategorized
Tagged Aquaculture, breeding, Chad Vossen, fish, larvae, MBI
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Closing in on Captive Angels
It’s been an eventful year for the advancement of aquaculture, particularly for angelfishes. For the first time since the 1970s we’ve seen Pomacanthid angelfishes reared in intensive culture conditions.… More:
Posted in Fish, Uncategorized
Tagged Algagen, angelfish, Aquaculture, copepod, fish, rearing, Todd Gardner
1 Comment
Captive-bred Lipogramma klayi
You can now add the high-priced bicolor basslet, Lipogramma klayi, to the list of marine species that have been raised for the first time at the Long Island Aquarium. Thanks to another generous donation from one of my biggest supporters, Forrest Young at Dynasty Marine Associates, I have had the privilege of conditioning a small broodstock (2 pairs) of L. klayi for the last couple of months. Last week we were rewarded with our first glimpse of a newly settled bicolor basslet in one of our rearing tanks. 
Now that we’ve seen their price plummet from… More:
Mystery larvae from pelagic egg collectors at the Long Island Aquarium
For me, the most exciting part of collecting pelagic eggs and larvae from a large community tank like the 20,000-gallon reef tank at the Long Island Aquarium, is watching the larvae grow and trying to figure out what they are before they reach settlement. Recently we got a great haul of eggs that hatched into some very interesting larvae. As we watched them grow – unusually fast, our excitement grew proportionately. Their relatively deep bodies and large, heavily pigmented pelvic fins really set them apart from the rest of the larvae in the tank. I could tell by their morphology that they weren’t angelfishes or tangs, but there are so many species from so many families in that tank, that that didn’t help to narrow it down much. They reminded me of damselfish larvae, but I knew that was unlikely because these larvae came from pelagic eggs and as far as I know, all damselfishes are benthic spawners.
Well, luckily we didn’t have to wait too long. After a couple of more weeks, these things were overwhelming the 250-gallon rearing tank and had outcompeted all of the other species for available food. I’m not going to pretend I wasn’t disappointed when I finally figured out what they were, but of all the species in this tank – one of the most impressive reef tanks in the world…did it have to be the monos (Monodactylusargenteus)?Really – who puts monos in a reef tank. … More:
It’s settled! First captive bred candy bass, Liopropoma carmabi
After a staggering larval period of 126-143 days, three of the candy bass larvae at the Long Island Aquarium have finally reached settlement. … More:
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged Aquaculture, basslet, breeding, candy bass, MBI workshop, rearing, Todd Gardner
7 Comments
Does Pacific Aqua Farms (PAF) Condemn Sustainable Aquaculture?
A recent blog entry penned by Michael Rice of Marine Engineers called upon aquarists to not support Pacific Aqua Farms (PAF) because the Los Angeles-based wholesaler does not support sustainability in the industry. “This is…a company that we should all take note of and try to avoid due to their unethical philosophy regarding our environment and right to destroy it for the good of humanity,” writes Rice in the 12 March 2012 piece published online at the Marine Engineers’ website. At the heart of the Marine Engineers’ piece appears to be a belief that PAF is anti-aquaculture, anti-sustainability and unprepared to operate in an industry where cultured animals are playing an ever larger role. My own experience reporting on the trade, as well as several interviews with the president of PAF, suggest a more nuanced view is appropriate.… More:
Posted in Conservation, Corals, Industry, Opinion
Tagged Aquaculture, dave palmer, Mariculture, Pacific Aqua Farms, sustainability
3 Comments
Three Books You Never Knew You Needed
Books… You remember books, right? Those things with paper that you may currently be using as door stops, those are books. Many recent technological conveniences have made the ability to carry an entire library with you at all times much more convenient. However, I am of the old-school philosophy that there is just no substitute for a good old fashion library full of books. There is just something special about curling up with a cup of coffee and a good book. Not to mention, people will just assume that you have actually read all or most of the books in your library and therefore will assume that you are actually well-versed on the topics that you claim to be an expert on. This has a tendency to be very convenient…… More:
Rare basslet lands at Long Island pet shop
Country Critter’s pet shop in Patchogue, NY has landed a specimen of the rare, deepwater basslet Lipogramma evides. This small reef fish from the tropical Atlantic and Caribbean is normally found at depths of 145-365m (480-1200ft)! Collecting fishes at these depths requires the use of mixed gas diving or submersibles and a decompression period of several days, which accounts for their rarity in the trade as well as their impressive price tag. Although we’ve seen this fish on reefbuilders in recent months when it showed up at a Japanese dealer, it’s likely that this banded basslet is currently the only one in the United States. At first glance, L. evides may just appear to be a… More:
Posted in Eye Candy, Fish, Science, Uncategorized
Tagged Aquaculture, basslet, Country Critters, LFS, Long Island Aquarium, rare fishes
5 Comments
Liopropoma Update
It’s been more than two weeks since I posted news of the first settlement of a Liopropoma bass at the Long Island Aquarium. I know at least a few of you are eager for an update, but there really hasn’t been anything new to report…until now.… More:
Posted in Fish, Industry, Science, Tanks, Uncategorized
Tagged Aquaculture, bass, basslet, candy bass, larva, larvae, Liopropoma, peppermint bass, rearing, settlement, swiss guard bass
5 Comments
Acan Kaleidescope at Quality Marine
Since the day I started adding corals to my tank, one theme has remained ever present: color, color color. I’ve always been on the search for more color, whether I was buying frags or colonies. This also seems to be the biggest requirement when helping someone else find their next cool coral. At first zoas seem like the best path to color, but they all seem to blur together, leaving little contrast for the eyes to focus on. The next obvious place to look for a huge range of color was SPS, but though their colors can be amazing under the right lighting, they leave little contrast at all and are way too high maintenance to grow. What I and many other reef hobbyists need is something colorful, moderately easy to grow, easy to come by and, most of all, colorful beyond imagination. Acans are the next choice I came across. Their big fleshy bodies with wide bands of bright colors directly adjacent to bands of high contrast colors give them what’s needed to catch the eye. They are a little hard to come by though, and even when you do find them, they are not always colorful. This is where the aquaculture side of the industry really begins to shine. Acans have long been grown and fragged in captivity, but not with reliable repeatable results as far as coloration. What is needed is high grade acans, cataloged, named and readily available to the industry. Enter Quality Marine! Recently Quality Marine, famous for high quality fish, has started a program to do just that. They pick only the best of the best, grow them, catalog them, name them and frag them for our pleasure. Then they take it a step further. Available to the PUBLIC is their catalog of acans available for retailers to order, so now instead of hoping to find that choice piece at the LFS, we can simply pick from the images on their site and request a special order of the exact acan we want! If that’s not progress, I don’t know what is. Visit their online catalogue today and ask your LFS to get that special piece in for you: Quality Marine Reefhab Acans… More:
