Wintner is in the tourism industry. He owns Snorkel Bob’s, a company that sells entry-level diving equipment, performs diving excursions, and basically caters to tourists. With this in mind, one might begin to question his motives. Does he really care for the reefs or Hawaii, or is he worried his revenue might decrease because there are divers in the water collecting fish and corals? Where does businessman end and “conservationist” begin? Additionally, the very industry he apparently thrives in is probably more responsible for reef devastation than the aquarium hobby.

Continue reading below for a few of our opinions…

In response to Wintner’s claims that the aquarium hobby is destructive to wild reefs, I have several points I would like to bring up. For starters, doesn’t tourism to remote reef locations also harm the reef? How much gasoline is being pumped into the ocean? How many people are taking live animals or breaking corals they touch or step on? How much garbage gets blown off of the tour boats and into the water? How much sunscreen gets into these pristine reef ecosystems? When you break it all down, tourism is just another harmful thing the ocean has to put up with. It’s certainly not helping the issue.

Secondly, why no mention of aquacultured livestock, beneficial research, and an enhanced knowledge of the reef that has come directly from the hobby? Aquaculturing and mariculturing have certainly helped declining wild reefs. Transplanted corals have replaced corals that died during bleaching events or algae outbreaks. Had there been no aquarium hobby, there would probably not be much of a mariculture or aquaculture industry either. Also, how many aquariums have inspired you children to follow their passions and become biologists or conservationists? I know it worked for me. Because I was enamored by all living things (fish especially), I decided to pursue a career as a marine biologist. I know my case isn’t very common, but it certainly isn’t rare or far fetched. The aquarium hobby has created a lot of well-known conservation minded individuals who have done so much more for wild reefs than Snorkel Bob could ever dream.

All that being said, I will admit there are a few valid points to Snorkel Bob’s arguments, though they are quite misguided and out of touch. The aquarium industry isn’t perfect, nor does it claim to be. A lot of fish die annually because of the hobby, but a lot are also saved. Instead of lambasting the hobby though, we should be looking for ways to improve it. This occurs every single day, but we as hobbyists do need to be more responsible. Research what you intend to purchase. Buy from responsible retailers and avoid those who are only in it to make a buck. Promote captive breeding and aquaculture and try to better your skills as an aquarist so you can share your own corals with the world.

I guess I’ll put my own rant on hold for now. It may even seem all over the place, but it’s hard to conjure up a concise response to someone who has so much hate for something he doesn’t seem to fully understand. The aquarium industry has something to talk about for a while, so let’s get the ideas out there. What do you guys think? Is this hobby sustainable? How else could we improve it?

Ecoxotic Panorama LED Aquarium Retrofit

Our friends at Ecoxotic have finally made their Panorama LED Aquarium Retrofit light available to hobbyists. This modular retrofit is basically a supersized Panorama Module and features 36 powerful LEDs, consuming only 42 watts of energy.  It also sports a polished aluminum reflector, external LED driver with on/off switch, and a heatsink that keeps the light from requiring a fan, rendering this light dead silent. The light emitted from the fixture is a crisp white, with a hint of blue. Twenty-four of the LEDs are 10,000K white, with 453nm blue making up the other twelve.

Ecoxotic Panorama LED Aquarium Retrofit

Installation with the Panorama LED retrofit is a breeze. Ecoxotic makes using all of their products easy and convenient.  The retrofit comes with all of the necessary hanging hardware, allowing for a straightforward and clean install. The fixture will run you about $350, but is expected to save you quite a bit if it’s replacing a metal halide setup.

A few more images can be seen below…

Here’s a brief update on the PNG Lightning Maroon Clownfish from breeder Matt Perdersen. The eye-popping lightning maroon clown has been tentatively paired with a large female. I say tentative because clownfish are notoriously aggressive, especially the females. So, at any point, the lightning clown’s tankmate might take out her aggressions on him. The above video was taken shortly after the lightning clown was introduced to the tank. It can be seen cozying up next to the larger female, both hiding underneath the live rock. Hopefully these fish will tolerate each other long enough to develop into a breeding pair, or at the very least a bonded pair.

To those considering getting out of the hobby, keep your chin up. I’m sure you will be back in the hobby in no time. Whatever is demanding so much of your attention that you can’t work on your aquarium may, at some point, no longer be a problem. Or the aquarium itch might become so strong that you force yourself to make time for a tank. Children will grow up, careers may calm down, and the aquarium hobby will be right here waiting when you decided to return.

Continue reading below for my own struggles, as well as the best way to get out of the hobby temporarily.

I will admit, I’ve considered getting out of the hobby a time or two. Most of these thoughts came about because of my career, but there were times when aquarium forum drama became too much and the stresses of owning a tank were too many. Even this website has caused me to second guess my passions. Despite these stresses, I persisted, and it has proven to be the right choice. My spouse was fairly supportive, and even re-sparked my passion for the hobby at one point.

If you are absolutely certain you want to get out of the hobby, at least for a short time, I believe the following is a good way to do it. For starters, determine why you want to get out of the hobby, and if you can recover. Jobs and family life can demand most, if not all, of your time. If you are getting out of the hobby for these reasons, you might be out a while. But if the reason is less significant (e.g. you just want to take a break or you are moving, etc.), you may stay on the sidelines for only a brief amount of time.

For those considering a brief hiatus, the best thing to do is sell your livestock and keep the equipment. Aquarium equipment can be very expensive at the initial purpose. But as soon as this item is used, it’s resale price drops significantly. It’s very common for equipment that is less than a year old to lose at least half of its original retail value. Aquarium keepers are notoriously cheap when it comes to used equipment. Keeping this in mind, it would probably be best to hang on to the equipment that you plan on using in the future. If there’s a particular fish or coral you want to reacquire upon your return, you might want to donate it to a friend for safe keeping.

Once you are officially relieved of your tank, the best thing to do is keep the aquarium passion alive. Stay up-to-date on aquarium equipment and hobby trends, keep active on aquarium forums, read the AquaNerd Blog every now and then, and even visit local fish stores. Doing this may reignite the flame or you might find something you just can’t live without.

One last thing to take away from any break from the hobby is the next time around you can do things differently. Oftentimes, people who have aquariums that have been running for several years regret doing things they way the had done them originally. This can be anything from the aquascaping to livestock selection. Take the things you learned from your old tank and make your next tank better. This can also be automating certain things to make maintenance easier, which might make your next stint in the hobby last longer, or permanently.

Regardless of what path you take, do what’s best for you and your family. You can always come back to the hobby at a later time.

Even if you don’t want to write regularly, you can still contribute. If you have a great unpublished article you have written or an idea that you want to share with fellow aquarium keepers, you can submit it to us via email. We will post it as a guest submission, making sure to attach your name to the article so you get credit. If writing is absolutely out of the question, you can also submit photos for us to use in some of our articles. There is a countless number of ways you can contribute to the AquaNerd community

If you are interested in joining our team or contributing in any way, please email me at admin@aquanerd.com.

The AquaNerd Blog receives thousands of visitors each month, and our traffic continues to grow. We are continually expanding and finding ways to expand our fan base, and we want to take your equipment along for the ride. Your product and company logo will be exposed to your target audience, both on the actual review and subsequent contest announcements. If you are interested in having us review your products, please email us at admin@aquanerd.com.

If you would like detailed traffic information, please send us an email to the address listed above.

ORA Acropora Solitaryensis

Just in time for MACNA, ORA has announced that they will be releasing a brand new coral…the ORA Acropora solitaryensis. This coral has apparently taken several years to develop before ORA was ready to take it public. A. solitaryensis is a notoriously slow grower, but it more than makes up for that with its beauty. A personal favorite, this coral grows in table form, often creating several layers. It’s certainly a move away from the typical branching Acros.

The coral above may not appear very striking to some, but keep in mind that the picture was taken under natural sunlight. Under appropriate lighting, this coral will develop a greenish tan base, with purple tipped branches and green polyps.

Here’s the official news release from ORA:

This month ORA is proud to introduce the ORA Solitaryensis. The base color is a greenish tan and branch tips are light purple with striking green polyps. Branches grow horizontally and fuse together forming a solid plate in the center of the colony with new growth remaining separated. As the colony ages, it grows into multiple layers of horizontal plates. This Acropora is extremely slow growing and after many years of working with it we are happy to be releasing this splendid coral to the public. Frags are approximately 1” and well encrusted on plastic plug.