Snorkel Bob’s Attack on the Aquarium Hobby
Very recently, Robert Wintner (aka Snorkel Bob) unleashed his furry on the aquarium industry, or as he refers to it, the “Dark Hobby”. In a long-winded editorial piece published on the SeaShepherd.org website, Wintner slams the aquarium hobby, claiming it is not sustainable and has a devastating impact on wild reefs. He even makes the [...]
Photoshopping Coral Pictures
I have noticed on a few occasions, several hobbyists using Photoshop and other photo editing/enhancing software to make their corals and fish appear more beautiful or more attractive. Some of these enhancements were meaningless, as the hobbyist was merely showing off pictures of their tanks and the image wasn’t significantly enhanced. However, some of the [...]
AccliMate by Reef Gently, Info and Video
Acclimating fish, corals, and invertebrates is something that should be done every single time you add livestock to an aquarium (or preferably a quarantine tank). Acclimation is a simple process that a lot of people fail to do, or do incorrectly. To make acclimation as trouble-free as possible, Reef Gently has created the AccliMate. Simply [...]
Biologist in Florida Saving Species Noah’s Ark Style
Some people don’t think too much about the massive oil spill the Gulf of Mexico has recently had to endure. And there are others who take it to the other extreme and do what Florida biologist/naturalist Jack Rudloe is planning. Rudloe is fearful of the effects the oil spill will have on the animal life [...]
Huge Eunicid Worm Eats Fish Whole
We’ve all seen the freakishly large Eunicid worms that show up as hitch hikers and wreak havoc in someone’s aquarium. Most people discover the worm after something has died or gone missing, but rarely do we see people feeding these worms or treating them as pets. In the video above, a very large Eunicid worm [...]
Oceanic Plankton in Big Decline
According to a recent Nature article, plankton levels have declined significantly over the past century. The decline over the past 50 years alone is over 40%. Phytoplankton, though extremely tiny and seemingly insignificant, play a crucial role in the ocean’s food webs. Juvenile fish, whales, filter feeding invertebrates, corals, and a whole slew of other [...]
New Octopus Species and Venom Discovered
I am a huge fan of cephalopods. In fact, a lot of my school research was based on them. So it should come as no surprise that I would find the following story interesting. According to an article from Discovery News, scientists in Antarctica have recently found four new species of Octopus and two types [...]
Picture of the Week – 7/26 – 8/1
Pictured in this week’s Picture of the Week is a Tube Anemone glowing under the actinic lighting of the Ecoxotic Photon Cannon. The Photon Cannon is a very popular light. It is supposed to perform as well as a metal halide light, if not better, but at a fraction of the energy input.
Interview with JellyfishArt
I get the chance to meet a lot of interesting people in this hobby. Most of the time these occurrences happen at random and with varying outcomes. But every once in a while you meet someone who really takes you in a direction you have either never been, or never thought you would go. I [...]
Gorgeous Blue and Tan Jellyfish on LiveAquaria
© 2010 Foster & Smith, Inc. Reprinted as a courtesy and with permission from http://www.LiveAquaria.com LiveAquaria has listed another gorgeous oddball in their Diver’s Den. The stunning blue and tan Mastigias papua jellyfish can thrive long-term given the proper environment. This environment would include proper feeding and lighting, as well as equipment preparation. Pump intakes [...]
