Tres Palmas Marine Reserve Marine Life Guide

This comes courtesy of Surfrider Foundation's weekly digital newsletter, Soup.

Would you like to explore the underwater universe of the Caribbean basin? Well now with just the click of your mouse you can take a photographic journey as if you were gliding over the reef of the marine reserve yourself.

Click here to check the site and slideshow.

If you'd like to learn more about the Surfrider Foundation and how you can help protect our world’s oceans, waves and beaches, click here.

Aiptasia-X performs X-actly as Advertised

There is a buzz in the reef aquarium community surrounding the release of Red Sea’s new pest anemone treatment, Aiptasia-X.

What seems to be on everyone’s mind is, “Does this stuff really work? I mean really, really work?”

I’ve read the forums. I’ve spoken with fellow reefers. It isn’t skepticism.

We’ve simply tried other aiptasia treatments and, well … you know how it is: you treat your tank and just when things start looking better, all of a sudden, a new colony appears even larger than the last.

It’s not that we don’t believe this new treatment will be different. It’s just that we’re afraid of getting our hopes up.

That is why I am pleased—even excited—to report that Aiptasia-X works. Remarkably well, in fact.

So well that I have no reservations stating here, in writing, that Aiptasia-X is the most effective aiptasia treatment I have ever used.

What’s so different about Aiptasia-X? Superficially speaking, not much.

Pop open the box and you’ve got your standard issue aiptasia treatment: a bottle of goo and a syringe.

Look closer and you’ll see the applicators have metal tips. Seemingly inconsequential, however, if you’ve used other aiptasia treatments, you know that plastic-tipped applicators inevitably get clogged with dried gunk. Then you get to play the “stick the paper clip in the tip” game, which, although vexing, is better than the alternative “push the plunger as hard as you can until it squirts all over your tank” game.

The second thing I noticed upon closer inspection was that the size of the bottle is 3 times larger than the stuff I usually buy to treat aiptasias. Scoring 3x the treatment plus two—one curved, one straight—metal-tipped applicators for only a couple of dollars more than I normally fork over is a heckuva deal.

But let’s cut to the chase. How effective is Aiptasia-X at exterminating glass anemones? In a word: X-tremely.

Since Aiptasia-X is sensed as food, injecting it near the oral disk of an anemone will stimulate it to expand and ingest the treatment. Another difference between Aiptasia-X and other like-minded products on the market is Aiptasia-X globulates as it enters the water, forming a thick adhesive that seals the anemone’s oral disk and mouth, thus preventing the release of planulas (larvae).

Within 60 seconds, the aiptasia implodes, just like Red Sea demonstrates in their video, eradicating both the anemone and planula.

As you might imagine, this can be very entertaining if you’ve treated an entire colony of aiptasias. My marketing cohort and I imagined the aiptasias imploding to the volley of cannon fire in Tchaikovsky's famous 1812 Overture.

Red Sea states that “Aiptasia-X globules will not affect the sessile polyps of corals and allows for the safe treatment of Aiptasia that have grown inside coral colonies. Excess X-Aiptasia will decompose over time without causing any harm to the reef.”

I’ve used Aiptasia-X three times and made two noteworthy observations regarding its interaction with the corals in our tank. First, I believe Red Sea’s claim that Aiptasia-X is sensed as food because each time I used it, our Trumpet Coral protracted its feeder tentacles (not to mention the anemones reaction, which was to expand rather than retract into a hole).

Second, I accidently squirted a decent-sized globule on our Orange Montipora and it left a white blemish about ½” long and ¼” across, even after I blew off most of it with our squirt tube. Since this only happened yesterday, I’m not sure if individual polyps were killed but either way I’m confident Monty’ll make a comeback. A similar stain appeared after our frogspawn latched on to Monty but the spot eventually returned to its striking orange in no time.

And that's pretty much the gist of it. I'll keep an eye on Monty and let you know if the white spot doesn't clear up, but otherwise, I'm giving Aiptasia-X a "killer" rating.

Happy hunting!

Controllable Koralias now In Stock

You may remember that header graphic from our Best New Products from the Global Pet Expo post back in March.

Well, I've got good news: the controllable koralias are now in stock! Woo-hoo!

You can now pick up the Controllable Hydor Koralia 1, 2, 3, 4, Nano and the Wavemaker 2-Way Controller at our online store.

And, if you do, be sure to write a product review to let us—and your peers—know how you liked them and how they performed in your setup!

Candy Coral Feeding

Please excuse the poor image quality of these photos (they were shot with a 1.3 megapixel Motorola Q).

Oh, and nevermind that aiptaisa there in the background, either.

These images of the marketing department's Candy Coral were shot this morning after we turned off our Hydor Koralia and Maxi-Jet pumps and fed the tank.

It was a beautiful display, although you probably can't tell from these couple of pictures. The candy's feeding tentacles were transparent with white tips—some reaching as far as two inches—further than we'd ever observed.

Nothing too exciting, I suppose, if it's not your own tank you're ogling at. It did, however, give me something to blog about during my lunch hour while sitting at my desk eating a salad.

And no, I did not extract any tentacles to consume said lunch. Instead, I used one of the world's most useful inventions: the spork.

Stranger Than Fiction

Back in February, I posted a picture of a very unusual fish.

A fish so unusual, in fact, that I posed the question: is this monster of the deep, in fact, real … or some Photoshop’d monstrosity created by a graphic designer with too much time on his hands.

A month passed before an anonymous commenter concluded our “Fact or Fiction?” was indeed fact. Further, our unnamed hero even identified the silver beast as an Oarfish.

SeaSky.org had this to say about the Oarfish:

The oarfish, or Regalecus glesne, is the longest bony fish in the sea. Also known as the ribbon fish, it can grow up to 50 feet in length and weigh as much as 100 pounds. The oarfish is easily distinguished by its shiny, silvery body and its bright red crest that runs the entire length of its body. Oarfish live in the deep ocean at depths down to 3000 feet. They have only been known to come up to the surface when sick or dying and have rarely ever been seen alive. Oarfish have a small mouth and no teeth. They strain crustaceans from the gill rakers in their mouth. It is believed that an oarfish can survive with only half of its body intact. Many researchers also believe that the oarfish may have been responsible for the many sightings of sea serpents reported by ancient mariners. It is indeed one of the strangest looking fish in the sea. Oarfish are found throughout the deep seas of the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea.

Conclusion: Fact
Case: Closed

I would like to leave you with a poem:

Crashing waves bring something in
Among the swell a bright red fin
What is this coming in to the shore?
A strange sea creature never glimpsed before.
With a piercing glare and silvery eyes
I stopped to stare at its unusual size
An enormous beast and true sea monster
Spawned from deep to creep and leap
From ocean waters to scare young daughters
Who beg & plead for no more fish
One more victim of the old Oarfish

New Addition: Peppermint Shrimp

We've been battling aiptasias in the marketing tank for some time, so I decided to hit up the Marine Depot forum again for some advice from the experts.

I jumped into a thread about aiptasias and gave a brief rundown of what livestock we had in the tank to see if they thought picking up a Peppermint Shrimp—who are known to eat aiptasias—would be a good idea.

After receiving mostly favorable feedback, I decided to go ahead and buy one (about $6.00 USD). We acclimated him using the drip technique for about an hour and then dropped him into our 24-gallon AquaPod.

Our Blue Assessor immediately began pecking at the Peppermint once he settled on the sandbed. The shrimp tried in vein to find shelter, attempting to hide beneath the mantle of our Crocea Clam.

I should note the Assessor displayed similar behavior when we introduced a Six Line Wrass awhile back (RIP - he jumped into the back, never to be heard from again). The Assessor's behavior is odd because he's normally pretty low-key, hanging out in a cave with our Pom Pom Crab whom he never, ever disturbs.

Evidently he doesn't appreciate strangers in his 'hood.

The Peppermint disappeared for the remainder of the day, scurrying into the back to avoid the wrath of the Blue Assessor. After no signs of him yesterday evening and this morning, I figured our big coral banded shrimp ripped him in two for disturbing his molt.

Fortunately, one of our purchasers spotted him around lunchtime doing what appeared to be push-ups beneath a big blue mushroom.

I'm relieved he's alive. I'm also stoked he's into staying physically fit. I'll report back on his appetite for aiptasias.

Oh, and I named him, too. :-)

Cory Matthews joins Corey Feldman, the coral banded, and Corey Haim, the Cleaner, to complete the trinity of aquarium shrimps.

Hopefully all three amigos make it through the weekend!

Best New Products from the Global Pet Expo

CONTROLLABLE KORALIA
The Hydor Koralias have changed the way people think about water flow and powerheads. Now, Hydor has improved upon the previous design and is introducing a wavemaker with wavemaker-compatible powerheads. These new pumps run on only 12 volts and, with the controller, can produce waves with varying speeds and durations. Yup, you heard right. You’ll be able to control the speed setting and duration of each pump independently to alternate and synchronous flows to suit your tank’s needs. The controllers are feature-rich, with a feeding mode and an automatic or manual low-flow night mode.

TAAM POLARIO
Another long-awiated product that will hit the market within the next 90-days is the Polario from TAAM. The controllable Polario pump is perfect for large tanks that require a ton of flow (alternating flow rates up to 10,000 gallons/40,000 liters!). With a single pump unit you can create multi-directional flow. Varied flow rates from alternating output creates ocean-like currents. Low-voltage, safe-self shut off (when removed from water) and a magnet mount round out why the Polario is high on our wish lists.

CURRENT USA CARDIFF AQUARIUM
The Cardiff: designer good-looks at a price the average aquarist can afford. Building upon the success of the Solana, Current USA’s latest creation is arguably the most stunning nano aquarium to hit the market in a long time. Similar in size and capacity to its forefather but with a personality all its own, the Cardiff features an elegant bull nose-shaped front that makes viewing life in the tank a pleasure. Bow fronts are becoming the norm for nano aquariums, but the sleek, seamless bull nose design is a new twist in the growing world of nano reefs. Includes built-in filtration and circulation, too!

MAG-FLOAT MAG FLIP
Tired of scraping algae from the front of your aquarium? The Mag-Float may be your answer. On one side, a basic algae cleaner; the other, a scraper. But wait! I don’t want to stick my hands in the tank to change the cleaner over. No problemo: just flip the outer (dry side) of the magnet and the inner (wet side) follows along. Voila! Both the cleaner pad and scraper are replaceable as well, so this algae cleaner should last a very long time.

TWO LITTLE FISHIES NANOMAG
Fans of nano reefing rejoice! A small solution for a big problem, the NanoMag is a magnet cleaner for budget reefkeepers. It seems most cleaning magnets on the market these days are made for big to ridiculously gigantic tanks. Unfortunately, these larger magnets can take up precious real estate in a small aquarium and obscure your view. The Two Little Fishies NanoMag floats and will easily slip between coral polyps because of its small size. The circular outer half is soft with a comfortable grip and the inner half is square—1” x 1”—and only ¼” thick.

JBJ VIPER LIGHTS
While metal halide lamps are great for your corals, the bulbs can also adversely affect the temperature of your aquarium due to heat produced by the bulbs. JBJ has solved this problem by placing a small fan on the arm of their extremely powerful Viper light. The K-2 Viper Deluxe’s new design incorporates a larger reflector for more light output, two LEDs integrated inside one of the arms (with their own power supply), and a two-speed high velocity fan. The fan can be set to a low setting with 105 CFM rating or high setting with 163 CFM setting. The K-2 Viper Deluxe will be available in 150-watt and 250-watt versions.

Six Legged "Hexapus" discovered in Britain

I came across this article last night and I thought I would share it with everyone. Enjoy!

Source: Yahoo! News

Too Close For Comfort

These two kayakers got more than they bargained for on a trip to spot sea turtles off the Hawaiian island of Maui - winding up in the path of an anxious female humpback whale, surging out of the water to protect her young.

The female adult flapped her fin at the passers-by to warn them off, before coming up out of the water as the kayakers quickly escaped. Neither was hurt.

Humpback whales are not aggressive, but adults can reach up to 16 metres in length and 36,000 kilos in weight.

About 60 percent of the population of North Pacific humpback whales migrates to Hawaii every winter to mate and to give birth to calves conceived during last year's breeding season.

What makes the waters so welcoming is their relatively shallow depth. The maximum diving depth of a humpback is about 180 metres, and the plateau linking the Hawaiian islands doesn't get any deeper than that.

Researchers believe that the population has been rising at a rate of about 7 per cent per year for some time. Just two weeks ago, Maui’s annual Great Whale Count logged a record number of sightings. 150 participants counted 1,726 whales in a three-hour period, almost 400 more than the previous year.

Humpback whales have been internationally protected since the 1960s and shielded under United States federal law. Boat drivers are required to follow an "approach rule" forcing them to travel below 13 knots and to stay 100 yards away from the whales.

"Obviously this can't be helped if the whale comes up beneath or next to you," said Dr Quincy Gibson, Research Director at Pacific Whale Foundation, Maui's oldest and largest marine conservation organization.

"We are not at the peak of the season yet. There will be a lot more whales here before the winter is over," said Dr Gibson. "We want to remind ocean users to operate with utmost care and at slow speeds in areas where whales are present."

Just a few thousand miles away, the future of many humpbacks hangs in the balance as Japan temporarily halts its controversial "scientific whaling" at the request of the International Whaling Commission.

Source: Times Online

Fact Or Fiction

Cruising the World Wide Web as I often do (not at work, boss, honest!), I came across a very unusual fish.

In fact, I’m even sure if it’s real.

One photograph reveals what appears to be a fish so long that it takes 10+ grown men to hold it up for the shot.

Is this fact … or fiction?

In any case, it seemed beyond belief so I thought I’d let you, dear reader, decide.

Here is the link: Strange Fish

New Addition: Macneill's Basslet

During the holiday season, the Marketing department picked up a few new additions to the tank: a purple nudibranch (now deceased), a cleaner shrimp and, my personal favorite, a Macneill's Basslet aka the Blue Assessor.

The nudibranch was an impulse buy; he was beautiful, affordable and ... available. Had I done my homework, I would have known the likelihood of his survival in our aquarium was next to nil.

From the research I conducted after the fact, I learned that purple nudibranches rarely live longer than 90 days in captivity. It seems to be a consensus among hobbyists that, in a case like this, you shouldn't buy such an animal so that the pet store will learn its lesson and not stock it in the future.

Let this be a lesson to other novice reef keepers out there: don't buy livestock spontaneously!

The cleaner shrimp is turning out to be a nice addition to the tank. He's a stark contrast to our huge coral banded shrimp, Corey Feldman, who is very timid and only emerges from the rock work once or twice a day (if that). The cleaner shrimp (name TBD) isn't the least bit shy and stays active throughout most of the day. I worry about him at night when I'm not in the office; that's why we make sure Corey Feldman always has a full belly before we leave for the day!

Everything else in the tank is doing great. We've been on a regular regimen of Prodibio's Bio Kit Reef and Purple Up since August '07 and everything is doing really, really well. The picture below doesn't really do the tank justice but it's the most updated I have.

Whataya think?

International Aquatic Plants Layout Contest

Growing up, my parents were surprisingly accepting of me and my sister's innate desire to keep and care for animals.

Dogs, cats, rats, hamsters, lizards, turtles ... heck, even sea monkeys. We tried—and often failed—being responsible pet owners. Of course, 6-year-olds are not generally recognized as models of responsibility.

In fact, quite the opposite.

I remember back in first grade I brought Godzilla, my lizard (he was a golden skink, if memory serves), to school for show-and-tell. My classmates were most impressed by his bug-eating abilities, as I demonstrated feeding by putting a couple of live crickets in his habitat (formally my hamster's terrarium).

My peers convinced me (although I'm sure it wasn't too hard) to stick some other bugs in his home that we found at recess, including 3 ants and a centipede.

The next morning I woke up to find Godzilla dead, stiff from rigor mortis. The worst part: his eyes were missing.

After that, I set my eyes on a different type of pet: fish. We had a 40-gallon freshwater tank already—the family tank, as it were—that teemed with life. Boring life, as far as I was concerned.

So I convinced my parents to buy me my own 10-gallon tank. Maintenance, in retrospect, was easy ... and I kept an interesting array of fish, crabs, frogs and newts.

When I joined Marine Depot earlier this year and got into the saltwater hobby, I all but abandoned the idea of having a freshwater tank. Saltwater seemed superior to me in terms of sheer beauty. That is, until I started reading about planted tanks on sites like aquatic-eden.com (also in our blog roll).

The author of the site recently posted a blurb about the International Aquatic Plants Layout Contest, and included a small photo of a stunning tank that lured me into learning more.

I don't know what the ratio of saltwater to freshwater aquariums is in our hobby, but I can tell you this: after viewing these photos, I'm now considering a freshwater tank for the house, leaving the saltwater aquarium for the office.

That way, I have the best of both worlds.

Practical Fishkeeping has posted pics of the the world's top 27 nature aquariums, so I encourage you to check them out because they are truly spectacular. If you like what you see, there are larger photos of the winners available at PlantedTank.net.

Oh, and just because the name of our company is "Marine" Depot, that doesn't mean we don't know a thing or two (or three) about freshwater tanks and ponds.

Our "pond guy," Matt, from customer service just started a freshwater tank here in the office a few weeks ago and it's already got me "green" with envy (check out the photo up and to your left ... the cool rock-like wall was created using Rockin Waterfall Foam).

Sigh.

I'm going to have to start working overtime to support this aquarium addiction.