Biologist: Post-'Nemo' Demand Threatens Clownfish

Five years after the hit film that endeared the clownfish to audiences the world over, Nemo is becoming increasingly difficult to find.

The lovable tropical species, immortalized in the smash Pixar movie "Finding Nemo," is facing extinction in many parts of the world because of soaring demand from the pet trade, according to one marine biologist.

Parents whose children who fell in love with Nemo at the cinema are seeking out the clownfish in ever greater numbers, leading to over-harvesting of wild specimens because captive breeding programs cannot cope with demand.

Dr. Billy Sinclair of the University of Cumbria in northern England, who has been studying clownfish populations for 5 years, says the species should now be listed as endangered.

Studies of clownfish on Australia's Great Barrier Reef have revealed a dramatic population decline since the release of the movie in 2003. Shoals that used to number dozens of clownfish have dwindled to just a few specimens, leaving them with difficulty breeding, Sinclair says.

"In one coral reef we looked at in Keppel Bay, clownfish populations have dropped from 25 to just six in two years," he says.

SOURCE: Fox News

• Additional Reference: TimesOnline

Send a Father's Day eCard

The Ocean Conservancy allows you to send free marine-themed eCards to dads for Father's Day.

They have plenty of cool images to choose from, including Clownfish, Coral Reef, Crashing Waves, Flippers, Hudson Bay Canada, Sea Otters, Turtle Hatchlings or White Sails.

You can use or edit a pre-written note or even pen one of your own.

The Mating Game

We have a pair of 8-year-old Darwin (black and white) Ocellaris Clownfish in the company's main display tank that lay eggs every couple of weeks or so.

I've been with the company just over a year now, and they spawn like clockwork.

The male has very little orange coloring and the female has none, so their offspring may be very unique.

A couple of our staffers reached out to Bluewater Aquaculture to see if they were interested in raising the hatchlings, since we're not equipped to do so here in the office.

The first batch off eggs they took to their facilities were laid on the side of a clam. Unfortunately, they did not have the best luck harvesting them.

Bluewater recommended putting a piece of tile in the display tank so the clowns would opt for it instead of the clam. At 5 PM last Saturday, they did just that.

If you're wondering why I'm only giving a roundabout explanation of all the goings-on, it's because this whole process is documented on Bluewater Aquaculture's own blog.

I've included some photos that Steve, head of our livestock division (MarineDepotLive.com), shot last week.

Enjoy!

Pom Pom Crab sans Pom Pom

We've had a Pom Pom Crab in the marketing tank for 9-10 months and recently we noticed that one of his/her "pom poms" was missing.

Normally the Pom Pom is pretty coy and cautious about coming out of the rockwork, but recently we began feeding the tank a little less to help thwart an issue we were having with flatworms, so the Pom Pom has been coming out into the open more ... which is how we noticed the missing pom pom.

So we're curious: is this normal, or was the Pom Pom perhaps injured somehow?

Our cleaner and coral banded shrimps molt, so I wasn't really sure if this little crab goes through similar changes. We don't have any predators in the tank except for, perhaps, the coral banded. We have your usual mix of snails, hermits and fish (clown, midas & scooter blennys and a blue assessor).

I described this scenario in the Marine Depot Forum this morning, so hopefully some of you help us find an answer.

If you're interested in joining the discussion, please leave a comment here or visit the thread on our forum.

Schooling fish and a fish going to school are not the same

Most of our regular readers are familiar with my Maroon Clown, Malcom, since he’s been featured in a few comic strips and blog posts. What you may not know about my favorite clownfish is that he also does tricks.

Yeah, that’s right. I said tricks.

Take, for example, our morning feedings. On days when I lag or outright forget to feed, Malcom will remind me of my oversight by gently tapping on the glass (don’t ask me how he does this; every time I look over, he’s just there staring at me with hungry eyes). Should further negligence occur, he’ll rear back, aim and spit water at me.

I also use food as an incentive to get Malcom to peform: many times I’ll have him swim backwards and wiggle his tail before I’ll drop food into the tank.

So all this trickery got me thinking: do other fish do this?

I decided I’d Google “fish tricks” to see if there were any other fish out there like Malcom. And, “Who knows?” I thought. Maybe I’d find some other circus performers out there and even some info to help me teach him a new act.

So that’s how I stumbled upon the R2 Fish School, brought to you by the same folks that manufacture R2 Aquarium Moonlighting.

After watching the videos, I was stunned. The myth about fish only having a 3-second memory was busted.

Immediately I began searching for the “Add to Cart” button only to discover that The R2 Fish School Complete Training Kit will be available “soon.”

Soon?!? When is soon? I want it now!

Well, I guess I’ll have to wait somewhat patiently until the messaging on R2’s site is updated.

In the meantime, you can join me by teaching your old fish some new tricks.

Here’s to education!

The Doctor Is In: Q&A with Ronald L. Shimek, Ph. D

Marine Depot: For readers of our blog who aren’t yet familiar with your forum or blog, tell us a little about yourself and your involvement (past/present) in the aquarium hobby.

Ronald L. Shimek, Ph. D.: I am invertebrate zoologist/marine ecologist who has kept marine animals in aquaria since the invention of water. My scientific work has been mostly with animals that live in soft-sediments (muds or sands) and often in the deep seas, although I have worked in pretty much all marine environments. I have close to 30 peer-reviewed scientific publications, the latest in 2007.

I started keeping marine aquaria in my home in the late 1980s and have had “reef” aquaria ever since. I have been answering questions online since 1994, when I was one of the moderators of the old “Compuserve” Fishnet. Since then, I have been online more or less continuously ever since, and my career has turned from deep sea researcher to “aquarium consultant.” I still teach though, both online (through my forums- which have been well supported by MD, I must add!!) and at universities.

I have written 2 books, and 3 pamphlets for the marine hobby, and maybe about 120 articles in just about every venue.

• Shimek, R. L. 1999. The Coral Reef Aquarium, An Owner’s Guide to A Happy Healthy Fish. Howell Book House. New York. 126 pp. ISBN: 1-58245-117-6
• Shimek, R. L. 2004. Marine Invertebrates. 500+ Essential –To-Know Aquarium Species. T. F. H. Publications. Neptune City, New Jersey. 448 pp. ISBN: 1-890087-66-

Pamphlets Published:

• Shimek, R. L. 2001. Host Sea Anemone Secrets. A Guide to the Successful Husbandry of Indo-Pacific Clownfish Host Sea Anemones. Marc Weiss Companies, Inc. Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. 24 pp. ISBN: 0-9664549-5-2
• Shimek, R. L. 2001. Sand Bed Secrets. The Common-Sense Way to Biological Filtration. Marc Weiss Companies, Inc. Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. 36 pp. ISBN: 0-9664549-6-0
• Shimek, R. L. 2001. How to Get There from Here... Hints and Techniques to Make Reef Keeping Easier. Marc Weiss Companies, Inc. Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. 32 pp. ISBN: 0-9664549-7-9

MD: What do you feel are the 3 biggest innovations to hit the aquarium hobby since your humble beginnings at age 12?

RLS:

1. Keeping organisms in a more natural environmental setting (with all aspects of an “ecosystem” – sand bed, rock, water, etc.
2. Good foam filtration as a means to remove some of the organic problem chemicals.
3. One or two good salt mix formulations.

MD: What advancements in the hobby do you foresee being introduced in, say, the next 5-10 years? What products/solutions do you see (or want to see) push the boundaries of what is currently possible?

RLS: Possibly better salt mixes; most of the present brands leave a lot to be desired. Hopefully, a reduction in the use of unnecessary and toxic additives. We will need to start to breed animals, otherwise we will see the beginning of the end of the hobby within 10 years as coral reefs start to fade out all over the world.

This breeding will only be feasible with better salts, and with reduction in the use of toxic additives.

MD: Share with us one of Montana’s best kept secrets or local legends (sorry, we don’t get out much).

RLS: Jackalopes. And it is a truly nice place to live.

MD: (starting egg timer) Quick, name your top five favorite inverts!

Any of the scaphopoda, but particularly my old friends Pulsellum salishorum, and Antalis pretiosum. Also, the venomous snails: Oenopota levidensis, and Ophiodermella inermis And finally the sea pen: Ptilosarcus gurneyi.

From aquaria...
Stomatella varia; Sabellastarte magnifica, Eunice species; Scleronephthya species; Fungia fungites.

MD: What’s the good doctor got planned for 2008? (so we can clear our calendars!)

RLS: I will turn 60, given that age, I hope to live through the year! I will be at the IMAC; don't know about MACNA (they haven't really asked). I am doing research on feeding in gorgonians in reef tanks and will present those data. Also I hope to do some online teaching through the MD forums; possibly on sand beds, and invertebrate biology.

Clownfish off hook as fishermen fight global warming

SYDNEY - Clownfish made famous by the Disney film Finding Nemo are to be left alone by fishermen after their Great Barrier Reef habitat was devastated by coral bleaching, a phenomenon associated with global warming.

The fish, which are found in numerous colours but most often are orange with white stripes, depend on anemones - fish-eating animals with poisonous tentacles.

They eat morsels of fish left by the anemones, and are protected by them.

In return, clownfish protect anemones and clean them by eating dead tentacles.

The clownfish are popular with aquariums, particularly since the film.

But in one area of the reef, near Keppel Island in north Queensland, commercial operators have voluntarily agreed not to catch the fish or their host anemones.

Several episodes of coral bleaching have reduced the number of anemones and the fish that depend on them.

That is bad news for the tourism industry, as snorkellers and divers at the Great Barrier Reef hope to see the clownfish underwater.

The agreement was reached between operators and the Barrier Reef authority, as a step towards allowing the reef to regenerate.

Lyle Squire, a commercial fisherman and industry representative, told The Australian newspaper: "We recognise the importance of these fish to the tourism industry.

"People come from all over the world to snorkel the Keppels, so we are happy to exercise our stewardship and stop taking clownfish from those reefs."

Mr Squire, whose family has run aquariums in Cairns for many years, said the voluntary moratorium was a precautionary measure to allow the clownfish's habitat to recover from bleaching.

Coral bleaching is associated with climate change and warmer sea temperatures.

"There is a real worry that they [clownfish] will become less common on the reef, and that will be a tragedy not just for us, but for all users of the reef," he said.

The agreement was welcomed by the Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries.

A spokeswoman described it as "an important step towards effective co-management of this small but economically viable fishery."

The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority said the moratorium would help to protect the reef, which is considered to be under serious threat from global warming and coral bleaching.

"Such an initiative is probably a world first in addressing this growing problem," it said.

— Courtesy of The New Zealand Herald

Star Clownfish

The marketing department recently lost one of our two clownfish.

I say "lost" because we searched high and low for her carcass but came up empty-handed (literally).

Our remaining clownfish eventually healed from the stress and disease plaguing our tank and emerged a different fish.

The first noticeably different change is new, darker coloring around the spinous dorsal. The second, more interesting, change we've observed is that he's seemed to have chosen the star polyps in our sand bed as a host.

We had an anemone in the tank before that the clowns didn't take to and later acquired some frogspawn they were not particularly fond of either.

I wonder if, in the absence of the "alpha" clown, this little guy felt he needed a host to be safe.

Any thoughts?

The New Hydor Koralia Nano is here! Your Nano tank just got bigger

Over the vast land of the internet I have been reading rumors and speculation about Hydor making a nano version of their Koralia series. For weeks, office talk suggested that what I have been reading and hoping for has come true. Today, MarineDepot.com proudly carries the Hydor Koralia Nano.

That’s right, folks. For a mere 30 USD this baby will flow 240 gallons per hour, at a low 3.5 watts. Aimed for the 10-15 gallon tank keepers, you are sure to get that water moving to keep those fish and corals happy.

Not wanting to leave our European friends out, here is the European pitch:

That’s right, folks. For approximately € 21.15 EUR this baby will flow 900 litres per hour, at a low 4.5 watts. Aimed for the 35 thru 50 litre tank keepers, you are sure to get that water moving to keep those fish and corals happy.

Upon receiving my Hydor, I opened the box and examined the design. It’s similar to the other Koralia counterparts except in size; it’s about the size of an egg.

The installation was very simple: take it out of the box, place it against your glass inside your tank and then apply the magnet to the other side of the glass, plug in and you’re done! It started up a bit noisy at first, but as soon as that puppy got a minute to get adjusted, my water was propelling.

Now my Maroon Clown, Malcolm, is in heaven. I often find him swimming against the current with a slight smile on his face.

With Hydor’s patented magnet support for rotational positioning I can move the flow anywhere I want and, for 29.99 (or 21.15 euros); it’s great for the budget.

Well that is it for my review, until next time, readers.

Blow, baby, blow!

Beginner's Luck

I was perusing through past posts in our blog this morning and realized I haven’t written much about the marketing tank lately.

Thus, today seemed like the perfect day for an update.

I confess the reason today is the “perfect” day is because my boss is currently en route to Pittsburgh, PA for MACNA XIX, leaving me free to work on whatever my little heart desires.

So, this is my way of sticking it to the man. If you’re reading this from the plane, Boss, I hope you know I’m kidding.

Whoa, hold on a sec.

My extrasensory perception seems to be picking up a disturbance in the force. Yes! My keen psychic ability is definitely picking up something. I see… [concentrating] I see…

I foresee a write-up in my future!

OK, look… I don’t have psychic abilities. I have honed my reef keeping abilities, however, since the marketing department first acquired a 24-gallon AquaPod back in May of this year (thanks to Current USA for getting us started!).

After the untimely death of Blenny Kravitz, the mysterious disappearance of Pulsating Xenia and learning the hard way which corals possess (and use) stinging tentacles, the tank—and its inhabitants—have reached a pinnacle of sorts.

So that, my friends, is why I wanted to share some updated pix with you!

We welcome your comments... let us know what you think.

Top 10: Marine Fish

10. CLARKII CLOWN
Jeff: It is unfair introducing a fish with a built-in fan base into our Top 10. Look, I like clownfish as much as the next guy who’s seen Finding Nemo. But this guy? Eh. First of all, what’s up with the spelling of his name? Seems fishy to me. Imagine Clark Kent as “Clarkii Kent.” Jeez, talk about blowing your cover. An experienced investigative reporter, Lois Lane would have certainly picked up on Clarkii’s alien vibe.
Royce: I think it's pronounced Clark-key, like the Nintendo Wii. And, of course a clownfish will make the Top 10: it’s a pop culture icon!

9. LAWNMOWER BLENNY
Jeff: Wow, this is going to be harder than I thought (eyes welling with tears) …
Royce: Reader, you must excuse Jeff, he is still grieving.
Jeff: The Lawnmower Blenny was my first: my first saltwater fish, and (bursting into tears) …
Royce: …
Jeff: … my first dead saltwater fish. I do owe Blenny Kravitiz (RIP) a dept of gratitude. He’s the reason I now put the lid on my tank each night before leaving the office.
Royce: I think the sheer ugliness of the Lawnmower Blenny is what attracted you to him. That is why he made number nine in our Top 10!

8. ROYAL GRAMMA
Royce: I love the Royal Gramma. I've been secretly jealous ever since you put one in your tank.
Jeff: I was secretly mad my boss recommended this nocturnal fish. Had I known he was a night owl, I never would have purchased him. But he’s adapted; at first he was a bit coy (not koi, folks) during the day, and would stay hidden behind the live rock. Now he darts in and out of the cave system like nobody’s business. Some Royal Gramma highlights, if you’re interested in getting one: they’re very unique swimmers. I’ve caught ours cruising around the tank upside down, sideways and vertically. He also scares our Domino Damsel by opening his mouth so wide it looks like he’s unhinged his jaw. I liken it to Imhotep in The Mummy movies.

7. MIDAS BLENNY
Royce: Remember that time I had my hand in your tank and King Midas bit me?
Jeff: Wait, what were you doing with your hand in my tank?
Royce: That is beside the point. The Midas Blenny earned my respect the instant he swam off with a piece of my flesh dangling from his mouth.
Jeff: Serves you right for sticking your hand in my tank.

6. YASHA HASE SHRIMP GOBY
Royce: Orange eye, long fin, super thin, sand bed, nuff said.
Jeff: Holla!

5. PISTOL SHRIMP
Royce: I think readers may disagree with our decision to include an invert in a "Top 10: Marine Fish" list. Even though the Pistol Shrimp is not a fish, it does deserve to be here. Especially since his AWESOME counterpart, the Yasha Hase Shrimp Goby, is here, too. What is Bill without Ted?
Jeff: That was a most excellent observation, Royce.­­
Royce: Thank you, Jeff.
Jeff: Hey, remember that time you got a Pistol Shrimp and put it in your tank … and before it even made it to the bottom, your damsel ate it? Ha ha. That sucked, dude ... I’m sorry.
Royce: Yeah. That was totally bogus.

4. PRINCESS PARROT FISH
Jeff: I don’t own a parrot fish, but I heard you can teach them to talk. Is that true?
Royce: I’m training mine to talk, but I suspect he may suffer from Polynesia.
Random Noise: Ba-doom-CHA!

3. PINNATUS BATFISH
Jeff: Dadadadadadadadadadadadada...Batfish!
Royce: One fish, two fish, red fish, Batfish.

2. LONGHORN COWFISH
Royce: When I first laid eyes upon the cowfish, I instantly fell in love. Basically a floating box with a tail. Can it get any better?
Jeff: It can’t, Royce, it sure can’t. Besides being our sister site’s (MarineDepotLive.com) official mascot, this guy is cute as a button. Unfortunately you can’t go Longhorn Cowfish tipping, otherwise he’d be higher on the list.

1. WARTSKIN FROGFISH
Royce: Jeff and I can agree this fish rocks! Show them the picture, Jeff.
Jeff: Boo-yah! We unofficially named our web designer’s frogfish Kurt Angler. Although, after witnessing it eat his cleaner shrimp, I’d like to propose that we rename him “Whiskers.”

Reeftopia, Part I

I have been plagued with the fascination of contained ecosystems since I was a kid. Started with ant farms and collecting pill bugs from the garden. I was 10 years old when I bought my first aquarium from the local pet store. I remember I saved my allowance for weeks just to get the 5 gal. Hexagon Eclipse tank. I kept a Calico Ryukin goldfish named “Purty”. My fascination grew with my age and a few large planted tanks and one Marine system later, behold “Reeftopia."

“Reeftopia” is my 10 gallon nano reef system that resides on my desk, in my cubicle, at my job, in my life. Most of my experience with keeping tanks has been fun and enjoyable, rarely to the point of obsession. When I discovered mini reef keeping and all the possibilities, I acquired the fixation. I daydreamed of all the gorgeous mixtures of miniature organisms functioning and growing together in a tiny reef system. Tiny Zooanthid gardens, little clusters of cloves, tiny branching Acroporas, just below the waters surface; the possibilities are endless! I truly admit that I have become obsessed. You know, one of those people who can stare blankly at the tank for hours without hesitation or distraction.

I started the tank about 8 months back to “fit in” with the crowd here at the MD headquarters. I have kept extensive freshwater planted tanks and one FOWLR system. Never had enough money for corals and inverts and was scared to experience the horror stories I have heard about contained reefs. I wanted to keep it natural so I supplied the tank with a Hydor Thermo-filter and x2 Aquaclear hang on power filters. One filter for strictly mechanical filtration and the other one I stuffed with Chito and Coulerpa. I do not use carbon or any chemical filtration in my tanks on a normal basis. Some situation may call for special filtration, but water changes should handle it!

Once established, the wonderful staff at Marine Depot Live hand selected my first corals for me. I don’t have any pictures of this stage but it was truly a new venture. I started with just a couple of Candy coral and a Pearl Bubble Coral with the company of a damsel that was left from the cycle, and a big ol' Clarky Clown.

I began reading more and seeing pictures of these gorgeous nano-reefs and learned that this is really a fairly new way to keep reefs. Tiny little systems make the maintenance of a large reef seem minute and you still have the ability to create the rainbow essence of a reef. Not more than a week later I bought more coral, Zooanthids and a Galaxea. Now at this point I was not aware that my new tank friends would not be friends forever...

“Bring out yer dead”

I purchased a new aquarium since my last post.

It is 10” x 11” x 22” … or approximately 10-gallons, whichever you prefer. I’ve detailed the specs below for your reading pleasure.

• Nickname: Bedrock
• Custom 10-gallon
• Current USA 24” Orbit Fixture
• Aqua Clear Power Filter
• Tom Aquarium Temp Alert
• Aquarium Systems 73 GPH Micro Jet
• Hydor EKIP 250

Maintaining the perfect tank is hard work.

Most people don’t realize it, but caring for an aquarium is a lot like having a cat or dog. You don’t need to take your tank for a walk or anything, but you certainly need to provide the same level of attention to your tanks’ inhabitants as you would any other pet.

I am in a constant state of worry about the well-being of my fish, inverts and coral. Are they happy? Are they healthy? These questions are never more pressing than when you are about to go on vacation. Like a cat or dog, they need a babysitter for feeding, cleaning and, [insert whoever you pray to here] forbid, anything that may go wrong while you’re away.

But, when it comes down to it, all you can really do is hope for the best and that when you return they will have missed you as much as you missed them.

THE STORY

I had to leave the country a couple of weeks back for a family emergency. Since I would be gone for 10 days, I gave my tank a thorough cleaning and carefully crafted an email with instructions for a fellow employee, hobbyist and friend. He is a rookie reef keeper himself, but considering his tank is flourishing with more than a dozen fish and corals, I concluded he would be a more than adequate caregiver in my absence.

THE EMAIL

Dear XXXX,

There will be a limited amount of actual work involved in the care of my tank, so I feel confident leaving things in your hands while I am away. Basically all you’ll need to do is remember to feed my fish and corals.

There are brine shrimp and krill in the lunch room freezer. Take a cube of your choice and warm it between your fingertips to allow the ice time to melt. Fish do not like cold food, so no TV dinners! Dip your hand in the tank and distribute the melting meat cube evenly amount my tanks’ inhabitants. Be certain to feed the anemone so he doesn’t dine on one of my fish.

Don’t feed them too much, either. If they seem uninterested in food, just remove it and give the remainder to Dot or Ryan’s fish. If Kira dips by with her cup of coral food, please have her hook up my tank, too. I guess that’s it … the telephone number is on the fridge and you can watch TV if you want. I have cable and feel free to use the phone. Please also feel free to clean the glass of my aquarium. Many thanks!

From your humble friend,
Royce

THE RETURN

I arrived home jet-lagged but jovial, anxious to learn how my reef faired while I was away.

First impression: good! My corals never looked better. Wait, wait… there’s something unusual. The sandbed now had a reddish-tint that spread throughout the tank. No matter, though.

I powered up my PC and breathed a sigh of relief. I glanced over at the tank once again.

“Hmmm … I wonder where my fish are,” I pondered, scanning the tank. “Where’s my clown?”

Strange. There seemed to be no fish in my tank. NO FISH IN MY TANK!?!

“Oh, $%#@! My anemone ate them!” I rationalized.

But then the truth sauntered in. “Dude, I’m sorry. I tried.”

THE DIAGNOSIS

The following string of events is pieced together from equal parts eyewitness account and scuttlebutt.

Witness reports indicate the first couple of days I was away passed without incident. Until one warm morning, when the caretaker—whose identity shall remain anonymous—noticed white spots on the fins of my clownfish.

Concerned, the-man-who-shall-remain nameless instant messaged one of MarineDepot.com’s resident reef keeping experts, Kira, to ask for her professional opinion. She moseyed over and quickly classified the ailment as Ichthyophthirius multifiliis or “Ick”, as it is more commonly referred to.

Kira tested the tank’s salinity, temperature and chemical balance to isolate the cause of the outbreak. Other MarineDepot.com employees also stepped up and collectively they did all they could to save my fish.

But it was too late.

Ick spread through my tank like the plague did in Monty Python and the Holy Grail and, like the film, there were no survivors, save for my corals screaming, “I’m not dead!”

The following day, my purple dottyback wearily gasped for air, but resistance was futile. My reef Haitian anemone finished the job, and the caretaker tossed the carcass in the trash.White spots began appearing on the Chromis Damsels and within a day they were gone, too.

A small funeral service was held in memory of 7, 8, 9 and 10 aka “Briefs” (he acquired the nickname because he had a pattern on his side that bore a striking resemblance to a pair of underwear).

When I first started working at Marine Depot I was told many things about keeping an aquatic habitat. One urban myth was never to name your fish because it was bad luck. What I have opened my eyes to is that fish pass away regardless of whether you name them or not.

Today I have rid myself of the ick by using Super Ick Cure by Aquarium Pharmaceuticals. I also rearranged the scenery, since too many tragic events happened in the old one. Two True Percula Clown’s now reside in Bedrock and they seem to like their new home.

“I Have the Powerhead!”

For non-80’s babies who didn’t catch or care for the “He-Man” reference in my headline, I feel a more surefire approach to labeling our blog posts may be necessary going forward.

But before we proceed, there are a couple of things you should know about me:

1. I’m not funny … although I’d like to think I’m funny. Therefore you must forgive me because I will be trying my darnedest to make you snicker, smirk or smile because, really, that’s what makes my job worthwhile.
2. I’m an advocate of easy-to-read, user-friendly websites. So when we write, we will try to make paragraphs short and easy-to-digest. When we do layout and design, we promise eye-candy will take a backseat to usability. Nevertheless, we will try to make the entire experience easy on the eyes. Some stunning scenery to stimulate your senses along the way should help make your journey that much more enjoyable.

So anyway, like I was saying, we’re introducing some straight-to-the-point graphic sigs to help you determine if a blog post is worth your time.

We know tagging stories is handy, but nothing beats inserting a functional (yet decorative) typographic treatment to identify certain topics, like a How-To or a Product Review.

And so, without further ado, I’d like to take a stab at penning a product review about the new Powerhead I just picked up for our 24-gallon AquaPod.

So, what is Powerhead exactly? I’m glad you asked…

A Powerhead, dear reader, is a small water pump that can be completely submersed in an aquarium. They are generally used to provide water circulation—which is why I bought one—but also power protein skimmers, wavemakers and/or undergravel filters.

Based on recommendations by both my boss and one of our customer service reps, I purchased the Hydor Koralia 1 Circulation Pump/Powerhead for $37.99 from the MarineDepot.com website.

Installation was quick and easy, with no small parts or assembly required. In fact, this puppy was ready to go right out of the box.

It’s a good thing, too. I hate reading instruction manuals.

The Hydor Koralia has a suction cup on one side with a magnetic support for the outside of the tank. To setup, all you do is attach the Powerhead to the wall of your tank and plug it in. That’s it!

For something so simple to setup, the effects could not be more dramatic. The instant we put the Hydor Koralia in our tank a week ago, everything began to spring to life.

Our Midas Blenny and False Ocellaris Clowns now swim around the entire tank. Pre-Powerhead, King Midas (our Blenny) would only sit inside a hole in the live rock, opening and closing his mouth. Now we enjoy his brilliant yellow color daily as he patrols his turf at the front of the tank.

Krusty and Pennywise, our clowns, used to migrate together to the top-rear of the aquarium by the pump, which I never understood. Now they are constantly abuzz, cruising around exploring areas of the tank they never used to visit.

I have to say, though, that I am most pleased with how the Powerhead has influenced the behavior of our Reef Haitian Anemone and corals.

Our anemone looked a little, I dunno … flaccid when we first put it in the tank. I was worried about its health because I’d read they were hard to care for and my boss cautioned us about putting one in the tank so soon.

It’s now behaving like I’ve read about in the forums, burying its base into a crevice of live rock for protection while the long, purple-tipped tentacles sway in the current.

Our Sun Coral and Star Polyps are also benefiting from the increased water circulation. The Sun Coral emigrated from a coworker’s tank after failing to thrive in a 3-gallon aquarium. The polyps’ normally orange skin tone has now returned and the beautiful yellow branches protract for its daily feeding (and presumably, to show off in front of other coral).

The water is clear, the light is bright and everything appears healthy and harmonious.

Oh yeah: just in case my personal account isn’t enough to convince you to invest in a Powerhead, I’ve included a fast-facts spec box for more tech-obsessed reef keepers out there.

Well, until next time … that’s all folks!

Corals and Crabs and Blennys ... Oh, My!

In the beginning, the Marketing department setup an aquarium and a light.

Marketing saw the illuminating power of the SunPod and it was good.

It was all good.

Alas, the waters were not calm in this supposed sea of tranquility.

For Current USA divided the SunPond in two; they called the light day, and the darkness night. A metal halide HQI lamp produced the daylight, with blue and white lunar LED lights completing the 24-hour cycle.

Of course, a lot can happen in 24-hours. Just ask Kiefer Sutherland.

I left the office yesterday around 5 PM. Marketing’s nano reef was ostensibly harmonious prior to my departure, so I had no trouble bidding adieu to the tank’s residents before taking off for the evening.

I said farewell to the feather dusters, late to the plate coral, ciao to the crabs and buh-bye to the blenny. I head into the dusk, blissfully unaware that death was waiting on our doorstep.

I arrived at work this morning and was greeted by the rigid corpse of Blenny Kravitz. His lifeless body lay peacefully on top of a 6” x 9” sheet of steno notebook paper.

I was shocked, immediately entering the first phase of grief feeling utter disbelief and numbness.

Next stop: denial. “I don’t believe it!” I cried. “It can’t be!”

Of course, it could be … and was. I mean, there was clearly a dead fish on my desk. The evidence was irrefutable.

What wasn’t clear, however, was the cause of death.

Was Blenny the jumper in an apparent suicide, or was foul play involved? Did my Hermit and Pom Pom Crabs form an alliance and gang up on Blenny? Even worse, am I to blame? Am I a lousy reef keeper?

Guilt is a difficult stage and hard to deal with on your own. I asked our photographer, Royce, “Let’s assume for a second that Blenny wasn’t dead but just appeared dead. If I had dropped him back into the tank, do you think he would have survived?”

Royce told me that Blenny was dead and that I shouldn’t blame myself. I feel guilty though because I didn’t like him when I first stuck him in the tank. He had a face only a mother could love. She would have had to have been one crazy mutha too because Blenny was downright ugly. Yet his repulsiveness began to grow on me.