In case you are still skeptical about the claim that the ORA Spotted Mandarins eat prepared foods, here’s a video of a large group of these amazing fish chowing down. These juveniles mandarins, that just recently became available to hobbyists from ORA, are sweeping through the aquarium hobby. For the first time, aquarium keepers are now able to keep mandarins alive long term. Prior to these captive bred dragonettes, hobbyists would try their luck with their wild-caught counterparts only to be disappointed a month or more down the road. The wild-caught mandarins would eat all of the “pods” in the aquarium and then slowly starve. ORA got involved and solved these issues. Aquarium keepers can now have success with these beautiful fish.

Polished Aluminum Reflector for Stunner Strip

We really enjoyed the Ecoxotic Stunner Strips that were sent to use for a product review a while back, and it seems Ecoxotic is giving them a little boost. The Stunner Strips are getting their very own reflectors, allowing the light output of each strip to be significantly increased. The polished aluminum reflectors snap onto the strip an,  according to Ecoxitic, they double the amount of light entering your aquarium. Reflectors can make or break any lighting system, so we are definitely glad to see the Ecoxotic Stunner Strips getting this accessory. The reflectors will focus light into the desired area and prevent stray from being wasted on the nearby environment, making each strip so much more effective. Each reflector, sold separately from the Stunner Strips, will retail for $6.95, making them very affordable to anyone looking to use these lights over their aquarium.

Below is a promotional video from Ecoxotic, including a little footage of a couple of other Stunner Strip accessories that we will be introducing shortly.

Above is a video of the Ecoxotic 25-gallon LED Aquarium System that we discussed earlier today. This 18″ true cube all-in-one aquarium features a discrete filtration system that includes its very own protein skimmer and even automatic top-off jugs. The top-off jugs basically function with atmospheric pressure. The jug, with a hole in the lid, is inverted and placed above the return section of the sump. When the water level drops, the water in the jug spills into the chamber until the water level has reached its maximum level or the jug empties. This device uses absolutely zero energy and is extremely simple and efficient.

Enjoy the video and stay tuned for more product updates from Ecoxotic via the staff at the AquaNerd Blog. We will be discussing all of the new products and accessories that Ecoxotic is rolling out in the very near future, including the Ecoxotic LED Photon Cannon and the Panorama Retro 36 LED fixture.

Here’s a video of the Rare Red Mandarin Dragonette that we introduced a few days ago. The image quality isn’t that great, and the footage of the red mandarin is very brief. But the video does all you to see this fish’s marvelous coloration. There’s still no word on who bought this fish or how much it went for, but given the unusual coloration, I’m sure the price was pretty steep.

After what seems like forever (about 8 months to narrow it down), Frank and the Blue Zoo TV crew are back at it. This time, Blue Zoo TV takes us to a high school where they are teaching kids about aquariums and different aquatic life. These sorts of programs are a great way to get kids involved in a hobby or extracurricular activity. Having to take care of living animals teaches your child all about responsibility and gets them involved with different aspects of life. Additionally, kids can learn while they have fun. Aquariums involve a great deal of chemistry and biology, and relating something fun like aquariums to these two topics can help your child excel in them.

Some oddities of the sea, like the Picasso clownfish and Lightning Maroon clownfish turn out to be stunning. Others seem to be completely pointless, much like the pair of clownfish in the above video. These tailless Ocellaris clownfish seem almost normal, except they are lacking a tail. Each fish in the above pair has a caudal fin (the fin typically located at the end of the tail), but the structure leading to this fin is almost completely gone. In it’s place is a nub.

Edit:

Apparently, the origination of these fish is somewhat of a mystery. The YouTube user who uploaded this video claims the fish to a natural, wild-caught clownfish. Others, say otherwise, indicating that these weird clownfish are in fact normal clownfish that had their tails surgically removed. Regardless of how these fish came about, they seem very pointless. Special thanks to AquaNerd commenter “Narwhal” for pointing out that these fish aren’t natural, but are commonly cut on to drive up their prices. We’ll dig a little deeper and find out who is cutting these fish and for what point (if not commercial).

Above is a video of the Xaqua X-Inout from Fins Reef that we introduced yesterday. The video displays two of the wavemaker’s creating a nice wave action in an SPS dominated reef. Though the video doesn’t show it, the wave action is effective all the way to the bottom of the aquarium. Other footage covering Interzoo 2010 shows the corals near the bottom of the aquarium pulsing back and forth in the current created Xaqua X-Inout. This device could help eliminate the need for extra pumps to create waves in a reef tank, thereby reducing the amount of energy your aquarium requires. The Xaqua X-Inout is currently available to reef keepers in the US, to the tune of $180.

Following up with our discussion of Designer Fish, I came across an article on Practical Fishkeeping showing off fluorescing Cichlids. I know freshwater fish are out of the scope of this website, but seeing as how we just wrote about “designer fish”, I had to bring this story up. I was so surprised to see these glowing abominations actually receiving praise. Apparently, these “miracle fish”, as they are highly regarded in the article, took seven years to create. The Taiwan Council of Agriculture, in collaboration with the Academia Sinica, Tawain’s national research accademy, had successfully bred transgenic Convict cichlids (Amatitlania nigrofasciata) and Angelfish (Pterophyllum scalare) that fluoresce. To achieve the glowing look, researchers had to inject gene fragments into fish eggs shortly after they were laid.

But the scary part of the article has yet to rear its ugly head. Approaching the bottom of the story, the author reveals that the technology to breed these ransgenic cichlids has been given to private companies for commercial production. Still, the shocking moment has not arisen. Continuing on I read, “approximately one more year of field tests is needed (scheduled for completion at the end of 2011) to ensure that the cichlids would not have adverse effects on the natural environment.” These fish should never be release to the public. They will get into local waterways somehow and they will screw up the local ecosystems somehow.

Coral Morphologic has rolled out another amazing clip of a Crustacean hitch hiking on an Echinoderm. The black and white Squat Urchin Shrimp is seen hiding among the spines of a black and white West Indian Sea Egg (a type of sea urchin). The Squat Urchin Shrimp will take any opportunity to eat up any detritus it can find, but on occasion it will also eat tissue from the urchin. The urchin, besides offering an epidermal snack from time to time, also provides a great deal of protection for the shrimp.

Like a ghost among a forest of spines, the Urchin Pea Crab (Dissodactylus primitivus), seen in this gorgeous Coral Morphologic video, hides out on a Red Heart Sea Urchin. This crab shares a commensal relationship with the sea urchin. It lives among the spines of the urchin, feeding on detritus and any other food particles that get close enough. The urchin is a sand dweller that feeds on decaying organic matter. It buries itself in the sand, where it hides from predators and feeds on anything it can find.