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Arrested by the Tang Police: I Refuse to Confess!
The Poster Child of the Tang Police: Paracanthurus hepatus is actually very site-specific and not range as widely over the reef as do other tang species.
Most marine aquarists who frequent online message boards have heard the term “Tang Police” (abbreviated here as TP). Some are even members of this group themselves, while a few other unlucky souls have been “arrested” by them. Conversely, there are also a few people willing to challenge their assertions regarding the swimming space requirements of Acanthurids (surgeonfishes and tangs). For those who haven’t heard the term, it will help to define the phrase “Tang Police.” The best way to identify an officer in this force is by hearing him LOUDLY express his opinions regarding the amount of swimming space required by tangs (or other species). MORE: Arrested by the Tang Police: I Refuse to Confess!… More:
Posted in Corals, Fish, Opinion, Science, Tanks, Uncategorized
Tagged author, corals, dry, hippo tang, officer, paracanthurus hepatus, physics, police, policy, science, tanks
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Better Late Than Never: Banggai Cardinalfish Book to Debut Soon
A Banggai Cardinalfish book sneak peek – the opening spread for the Appearance & Anatomy chapter, featuring artwork by project artist Karen Talbot. A year ago, I was preparing for a trip to Indonesia to immerse myself in the world of a small reef fish called the Banggai cardinalfish with the intent of contributing to an important book on the species. Editor James Lawrence recently sent me a revised copy of the manuscript (including some absolutely stunning layouts shown here), and it has me thinking back over the past year and the places this project has taken me both physically and intellectually. It also has me thinking about getting the book into your hands! Taking the Time to Get it Right While travelling halfway around the world to better understand a fish and its relationship to its environment and the fishers who interact with it is something to which I am not unaccustomed in my line of work, there was (and remains) something different—something very special—about the Banngai cardinalfish project. For one, it has been a much larger project than any of us anticipated, and the challenges along the way have been significant. From lengthy delays in getting the science done right to dealing with our own losses of broodstock secondary to the very virus about which we were writing, everything seemed to take twice as long as expected. Having said that, what we have learned has reinforced the importance of embarking on the Project in the first place. We have made the internal decision to take the time to do it right, and while we know the delay is frustrating, we think the final product (which is now over 300 pages–about 35% more than projected!) will more than justify our decision. As you know, we had originally planned on having the book MORE: Better Late Than Never: Banggai Cardinalfish Book to Debut Soon… More:
Posted in Fish, Science, Uncategorized
Tagged banggai rescue project, editor, king, new products, pterapogon, pterapogon kauderni, science, vermont
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Diving Galapagos
There are endless dive spots to visit in the world, but there’s no doubt in my mind that Galapagos is on the “bucket list” of every diver out there. I know it has always been on mine, and it absolutely did not disappoint. While the rules and regulations have changed a bit over the last few years with regard to combined land/water-based trips, you can still experience both underwater and topside locations on the same trip. Ideally, it would be perfect to book two weeks or more in Galapagos, the first half diving, the second hiking around on land, but since this much time off from the grind is not always an option, I think 10 days, including travel, is a reasonable amount of time to get the feel of this incredible place and hit the major dive spots and explore a bit on the islands.South of Mexico, West of Ecuador, a small group of islands draws divers year round.I booked my trip through DEEP BLUE (http://www.deepbluegalapagosdiving.com) and they did a fabulous job with every aspect of the trip. The staff was extremely knowledgeable about the history of the areas visited, diving conditions, and all manner of wildlife both underwater and on land. MORE: Diving Galapagos… More:
Posted in Conservation, Fish, Science, Seahorses, Uncategorized
Tagged conservation, fish, reefaddicts, science, Seahorses
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Marine Breeder’s Workshop 2013
You’ve seen the black shirts…this is what it’s all about. Workshop Preview by Tal Sweet Since 2010 the Marine Breeder’s Workshop has been at the forefront of captive breeding events in North America. The Workshop is part of the Marine Breeding Initiative (MBI, www.mbisite.org) and was created to bring some of the biggest names in marine ornamental fish and invertebrate captive breeding together in one place to speak about various topics related to captive breeding. MBI participants attending the workshop might be recognized for personal breeding accomplishments. The concept of the Workshop is to provide attendees with the latest information and plenty of time to interact with the speakers and other breeders in an intimate setting. MORE: Marine Breeder’s Workshop 2013… More:
Posted in Events, Fish, Science, Uncategorized
Tagged america, Atlantic, concept, cranbrook, marine, marine fish breeding, MBI workshop, michigan, NEWS, policy, science
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Spectacular Footage of Corals Under Confocal Microscope
This video may have already been making the rounds for the past couple of months, but it’s certainly worth mentioning here considering its focus. Put together by the University of Hawaii and the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology, the clip features up close footage of a popular aquarium specimen, the Pocillopora damincornis coral. As the video progresses, we get to dive deeper into the coral’s tissues, starting on the surface with some amazing fluorescing coral tissue and moving into individual polyps for a look at their internal structures and symbionts. Wrapping up the up close look at Pocillopora, we actually get a great view of its messentarial tissue expelling symbiont algae and even live coral larvae moving about on their hunt for an appropriate settlement area. Following the Pocillopora, the video gives us a microscopic look at other coral species, including Leptastrea, a couple Porites species, and Fungia. And no coral video would be complete without touching on the danger they face in the wild, most notably bleaching. The video avoids mentioning the often politically divisive topics like global warming and ocean acidification, instead keeping the message much simpler by stating that we need to have a better understanding of corals and their endosymbiotes, and how those two react/interact with their environment. MORE: Spectacular Footage of Corals Under Confocal Microscope … More:
Posted in Corals, Science, Uncategorized
Tagged aquarium livestock, aquarium videos, confocal microscopy, corals, pocillopora damicornis, science
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Julian Sprung’s NOAA / ESA Commentary
11:59 PM EST April 5th, 2013 has passed and Regulations.gov appears to still be accepting public commentary, so you have another 11 hours or so to say your piece online. [Update, comment period has now closed, you can Two Little Fishies, and a member of the CORAL Sr. Advisory Board, shares his opinions on why failing to speak up isn’t an option. MORE: Julian Sprung’s NOAA/ESA Commentary… More:
Posted in Conservation, Corals, Fish, Industry, Opinion, Science, Uncategorized
Tagged endangered corals, julian, king, NOAA, Opinion, policy, science, sprung
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Reef Threads Podcast #107
Moon jelly at the Steinhart Aquarium, California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco. It’s time for a new podcast. This week we’re discussing talking fish, corals summoning gobies, frag swap likes and dislikes, zoanthids, plumbing, and anemone control, or lack thereof. Download the podcast here , or subscribe to our podcasts at iTunes . Also, follow us on Twitter at reefthreads. If you enjoyed our podcast, please tell others.— Christine and Gary Clownfish talking Corals summon gobies Anemone control
Continue reading here:
Reef Threads Podcast #107… More:
Posted in Corals, Fish, Podcast, Science, Uncategorized
Tagged corals, else-load, fish, podcast, science, typeof-add, var-load
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Conservation status of Surgeonfishes and Parrotfishes
A new report published this week in the journal PLoS ONE indicates that two groups of iconic coral reef herbivores (parrotfishes and surgeonfishes) are in relatively good shape. Life history characteristics of fast growth and high fecundity, combined with the fact that it is hard to catch them with hook and line, seems to be protecting them from overfishing. However, local declines have been noted in populations in the Coral Triangle area (Indonesia and the Philippines), the Caribbean and Brazil. This study also analyzed the status of the most popular marine aquarium fish: the Yellow Tang (Zebrasoma flavescens). The conclusions about this species are that its populations are not at risk because of 1) good fisheries management in Hawaii, 2) protection, the species is present through the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, which are part of the largest marine protected area in the USA, and 3) high fecundity and fast growth, which makes the species resilient to fishing. The entire study can be viewed here: The Likelihood of Extinction of Iconic and Dominant Herbivores and Detritivores of Coral Reefs: The Parrotfishes and Surgeonfishes… More:
Want an Affordable Underwater Robot? No Problem!
This is a very interesting project I came across on Kickstarter earlier today. As of this writing you still have 31 days to jump on and support the project/ get your own R.O.V. or even fund an expedition! As you can see in the video, this is an open source unit which means the plans and code for all the equipment is made public so others can jump in and help make improvements or addons. Being in New York and having plenty of water around us there would be plenty of opportunities to play or do some actual work with these seeing as how the price point is well within the reach of most people especially when you consider the price tag on a conventional R.O.V (who knew there was a website just for buying and selling subs and R.O.V.s?). So far they have only taken these down to about 20m with an estimated 100m being the max depth it was designed for which leaves plenty of room to go exploring. The bottom has been designed with four crossbars to act as hardpoints for extra equipment such as metal detectors or articulated robot arms among other things. I could easily see myself “wasting” a lot of hours on boats or docks and maybe a few tanks with these things. The company website is http://openrov.com/… More:
Posted in DIY, Equipment, Science
Tagged DIY, Equipment, kickstarter, open rov, science
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Orphek LED to Release Refugium Specific Light
LEDs are permeating the hobby and while there are plenty of options to put over your reef, the refugium has been overlooked thus far. Orphek’s DIF series are the most advanced multi chip LEDs available for your reef. The new DIF-30C aims to… More:
The Best Dive Location on Earth?
http://bcove.me/jkix8zqu Thanks to a collaboration between The University of Queensland, a multinational insurance firm called The Catlin Group, and (prepare to be shocked) Google, the best dive destination on the planet just might be… More:
Posted in Conservation, Events, Eye Candy, Industry, Photography, Science, Uncategorized
Tagged catlin group, Coral, Environment, fish, google, Photography, science, seaview, University of Queensland
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