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CAD Lights Launches New Nano and Pico Series

Wednesday, February 2nd, 2011

Photo courtesy of www.cadlights.com

The good people at CAD Lights Aquariums have joined the pico and nano markets with their recent addition of 4, 8, and 20 gallon Mini Series tanks. CAD Lights Aquariums is better known for their 39 gallon all in tank plus sump setups, but with the help of the exceptionally well priced Mini Series’, their name will be tossed around a bit more.

The Mini Series tanks come equipped with stellar 2 or 3 panel LED lights. The LEDS come equipped with a remote control, dimming capabilities, and white to blue spectrums. Each LED has an individual reflector and lens for ultimate exposure. As with all CAD Lights systems, the Mini Series tanks are made with glass not acrylic. The corners are gently rounded not seamed, creating phenomenal viewing.

The CAD Lights Mini-Series offers a lot of personality and the prices range from $124.99 – $319.99. A total steal for such an impressive system.

Tags: CAD Lights Aquariums, CAD Lights Mini Series, Nano Aquarium, Pico Aquarium
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Octopus vs Cleaner Shrimp – Ultimate Game of Cat and Mouse

Tuesday, February 1st, 2011

I’m not one to condone cruelty to animals. If you’ve even caught one glimpse of an ASPCA commercial with Sarah McLachlan serenading you with guilt, there is no way that you could feel right about animal abuse. This video demonstrates a cunning octopus stalking a cleaner shrimp. The cleaner shrimp is clearly a gifted escape artist and the octopus is a highly skilled hunter, but you’ll have to watch to see the outcome. Nothing like watching a shrimp outsmart a human and an Octopus.

Tags: feeding an octopus, Octopus tank, Octopus vs Cleaner Shrimp
Posted in News | 2 Comments »

Hungry Fungia Devours Fauna Marine LPS Pellets

Wednesday, January 26th, 2011

Awesome clip of a fungia going to town on Fauna Marine’s LPS Pellets. Fauna Marine has revamped their LPS food to include soft granules, new trace elements, color enhancing acid mixes, and protein packed oils. This sweet clip makes me want to drop everything, pick up the FM LPS Pellets, and feed my reef. Check it out for yourself, and please share your experiences with the Fauna Marine LPS Food in the comments section below.

Tags: Fauna Marine LPS Food, Feeding Fungia Corals, LPS Feeding
Posted in News | 1 Comment »

Quite Possibly the Ugliest Fish in the Sea

Tuesday, January 25th, 2011

Photo courtesy of Reef Hot Spot

The Yellow Wartskin Anglerfish, Antennarius maculatus possesses a face that only a mother could love, yet its unique aesthetic and predator status keep it active within the hobby.

Also called Warty Frogfish, Wartskin Frogfish, and the Clown Wartskin Angler the Yellow Wartskin Anglerfish has highly recognizable characteristics such as its bumpy textured skin and its blotchy color variations. This fish uses it’s sub-par looks to blend into the reef, which is a great compliment to its sedentary lifestyle. In addition to the rough exterior the fish is able to change its color camouflaging itself to blend in even better.

Although slow moving, the bite of the Yellow Wartskin Anglerfish is speedy and impressive. They can swallow fish and invertebrates of the same size, making them an ultimate predator. Special care should be taken when selecting fellow tank mates. Often times, when hobbyists are having issues getting the Yellow Wartskin Anglerfish to eat, they will add chromis or damsels to the tank as colorful reef-safe incentives.

The Yellow Wartskin Anglerfish tops out at 6″ and should only be kept in tanks larger than 50 gallons. The ideal diet would include live saltwater feeder fish, shrimp, and small invertebrates. Considered “reef-safe”, the Yellow Wartskin Anglerfish is a great choice for the more refined hobbyist, as long as the clean-up crew is able to be used for dietary purposes.

The Yellow Wartskin Anglerfish is generally priced between $100-$250 for a small 2-3″ specimen, shop around.

Tags: Antennarius maculatus, Clown Wartskin Angler, Wartskin Frogfish, Warty Frogfish, Yellow Wartkskin Anglerfish
Posted in News | 3 Comments »

ROD’s FOOD – Total Reef Dietary Plans

Monday, January 24th, 2011

When it comes to feeding my reef, I have never practiced “brand loyalty”. I have a string of LFS’s that are always pushing their latest and greatest new lines, and I am the perfect guy to sell them to. I will buy pretty much anything that is suggested to me, especially if you throw buzz words in like: High Quality, Ocean Fresh, and All Natural.

A few weeks ago, my local LFS started carrying ROD’s FOOD. Flashy packaging naturally caught my eye, but the salesman’s convincing experience-based story closed the deal. This guy raved about ROD’s FOOD as though it had become a part of his special diet too. With ROD’s FOOD in my bag, and my wallet feeling lighter, I was homebound to feed the reef.

ROD’s Foods offers several formulas to choose from, I personally went with the Original Blend. The personal blend has tons of stuff in it. Shrimp, Scallop, Oyster, Clam, Squid, Octopus, Mysis, Krill, Plankton, Nori, Brine, Red Cyclops, Fish and Oyster Eggs, Broccoli, Carrot, Garlic, Rotifers, are just a few of the ingredients mentioned on the package.

With my lights still fully on, I fed the tank. To my surprise, many of my finicky corals extended their polyps and begged for a bite. It was awesome. The cherry on top was watching my mandarin goby eat something other than live pods! I’ve been feeding the reef every two or three days and the reactions have been consistent. My tank goes into a state of frenzied feeding from second the food hits the water.

If you are in the market for a new food that will please all of your reef critters, give ROD’s FOOD a try.

Tags: Marine Fish Food, ROD's FOOD
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The Ultimate Fiji Frag Setup

Monday, January 24th, 2011

In Fiji, biologists and divers have created open water coral farms to ensure the longevity of the surrounding damaged reefs. As the reefs are exposed to less than ideal parameters, the corals have died off in large patches, causing bunched up pockets of life. As the corals grow, the begin to overlap, killing out the neighboring less dominant species.

The biologists are seeking out the poorly spaced corals and fragging them. The frags are placed on selectively placed grates and monitored for up to two years. Once matured, they remove a few frags from the parent colony and then transplant it back onto a less than vital area of the reef in an ideal position. The entire process takes about to years.

Although this is a crucial step towards re-seeding our reefs with life, the support of the local fisherman will be key to making this a success. w

Tags: Fiji Coral, Fiji Frag Farming, Open Ocean Coral Farming
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Creating Zoanthid Morphs – A Challenging Experiment

Thursday, January 20th, 2011

Photo of morphing green and watermelon zoanthids. Photo courtesy of Alanmorehead’s Reef Central thread Zaonthids Growing Together

Zoanthids are by far one of the most diversely colored corals available within the hobby. In addition to possessing a rainbow of color options, they have patterns and combinations that make them incredibly fascinating. We are always seeking out the latest and greatest zoanthid morphs with the rarest color schemes and vibrancies, so why not create our own hybrids? After all, we are always being introduced to new varieties, isn’t it time that we challenged ourselves to be the mad-scientist reefer that gets to name the next hot zoa? I think it is.

There are tons of ideas on how to go about morphing zoanthids. Some seem easier than others, and some seem straight up intense. I wanted to share a few techniques with you, and hopefully you will share some techniques with us. Below are the techniques that seemed to have some forum credibility.

Concept 1 – The Light Switch
Alternate lighting intensities for varied periods of time. This would entail moving the zoanthids back and forth from different light ranges and strengths over a period of time. Some have reported that this technique has created slight changes.

Concept 2 – Slice and Dice
Take tow or more different zoanthids and slice them at their mats. Glue the two or more mats together on the same plug leaving the freshly cut sides unglued and touching each other. This will cause the mats to grow into one unit, and potentially cause the zoanthids to take on some of the characteristics of the other. This method seems to have a decent success rate, but can be tricky based on working with a small slimly wet product.

Concept 3 – Mother Nature’s Helper
Places several species of zoanthid on one small rock. With time they zoanthids will grow together and bunch up. The shared space and friction has at times created morphs. However, the morphs generally have not been able to reproduce offspring morphs. That is the challenge at hand with this technique.

All three techniques have been tested and all three proved some rate of occasional success. If you have tried to create your own morphs and want to share your experience with this lofty endeavor, please post about it in the comments section below.

Tags: Creating Zoanthid, Zoanthid Morphs
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Flat Rock Crab Takes a Ride

Thursday, January 20th, 2011

This is a quick clip of the Flat Rock Crab (Percnon planissimum) grazing on a Hydor Flo while in motion. The crab clearly is not shaken by the ride. In addition to being great algae eaters, these little guys clearly work in the entertainment industry. Enjoy.

Tags: flat rock crab, Hydor Flo, Percnon planissimum
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Marine Depot “Like It” Giveaway

Wednesday, January 19th, 2011

The good people at Marine Depot know just how much all of us love winning free stuff, so they have launched a giveaway that is super simple to partake in and chock full of goodies. As many of us know, Facebook is the ultimate socially driven marketing tool, so naturally Marine Depot wants you to “Like” them. By “Liking” them, you are automatically entered into the Giveaway pool. As I mentioned, this is the easiest way to enter a contest. Hats off to our good friends at Marine Depot!

Of course, there are a few stipulations (nothing out of the ordinary), so read up on the details and then hit em’ up on Facebook.

Tags: Marine Depot Facebook, Marine Depot Giveaway
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Aquacon’s 40 Sweet Deals