Fish

A key lime colored crinoid by Frederique Jaffeux, South Ari Atoll in the MaldivesThis week, some brightly, eye-jarring crinoids in mind-blowing COLOR! What are crinoids aka feather stars? They are Echinoderms that hold their feathery arms up in the water and pick food out of the current as it flows through/past them! Want to learn MORE about crinoids? Visit this awesome site by Dr. Chuck Messing!Purple and white feeding fan of a feather star from the Maldives!Image by Bil StohlerHere-some brightly colored blue feeding structures called pinnules are seen on the arm...Image by mimimoyerA gorgeous crinoid from Okinawa withdrawn into itselfBy Okinawa Nature PhotographyA stunning green crinoid from Okinawa.By Okinawa Nature Photography (Shawn Miller)Stunning orange..Image by Henry and Tersia. Borneo.Black and White on a red sea fan.Image by RandapexMacro of Blue Oxycomanthus arms. fr. Bali.Image by Arne KuilmanBlue crinoid in repose fr. Indonesia.Image by Courtney PlattBlack & White Crinoid from the PhilippinesImage by Mona Dienhart & Chris LebasThere is a fish in this picture! Can you spot it?Image by Arne KuilmanA crinoid in a lovecraftian pose!Image by Eddy Wong

Click through to see the images. Unagi, the sea-going Japanese freshwater eel, harbors a fluorescent protein that could serve as the basis for a revolutionary new clinical test for bilirubin, a critical indicator of human liver function, hemolysis, and jaundice, according to researchers from the RIKEN Brain Science Institute. The discovery also sheds light on the mysterious and endangered Unagi that could contribute to its conservation. Science from kitchen to lab to clinic Best known as a culinary delicacy in Japan, the freshwater eel Unagi (Anguilla japonica) and related species have seen a worldwide decrease in population, probably due to the effects of global warming, and Unagi is on the brink of extinction in Japan. Yet almost nothing is know about the biology of the eel. Drs. Atsushi Miyawaki, Akiko Kumagai and their team cloned a gene from Unagi for an unusual fluorescent protein they named UnaG, for Unagi Green protein, that allows eels to glow in the dark. UnaG is the first fluorescent protein found in vertebrates; previously they were thought to exist only in simple animals like jellyfish. But what makes UnaG truly unique in nature is that it needs a natural chemical to activate its powerful green light emission. In a surprise twist, the compound was identified by the authors to be bilirubin, a slippery molecule universally used in clinical labs around the world as a human blood marker for liver function. New clinical test for bilirubin Bilirubin is the breakdown product of blood hemoglobin and is toxic if present in excess in the body like in the characteristic yellow skin and eye color conditions seen in newborn babies, jaundice and kernicterus. It is also a common marker in blood tests where bilirubin is used by doctors to assess liver function and for the assessment of health, including hemolysis, the loss of red blood cells in anemia. By analyzing the structure of UnaG, the team discovered a novel mechanism of fluorescence enabling bilirubin to bind to UnaG and activate its light emission. With this property, they developed a superior new assay for bilirubin with high sensitivity, accuracy and speed that may become the global clinical standard, and can be used in developing countries where child liver health is a major issue. Role of UnaG in eel conservation Japanese freshwater eels have a long-distance migration life cycle, growing in inland rivers and swimming far into the sea to spawn. The authors identified UnaG and bilirubin in the muscle cells of Japanese, American, and European eels where they may aid in endurance swimming during migration. The unexpected discovery of UnaG may initiate legislation to conserve endangered eel species. “We believe that UnaG provides an unexpected foothold into several important but currently obscure areas of human health including bilirubin metabolism and muscle physiology during endurance exercise,” Miyawaki concludes. “Before the discovery of UnaG, I couldn’t imagine that basic science could have such a direct impact on human health. From a simple eel, we found a new path to the clinic.” (Via Riken)

The Verus 850 is Pentair Aquatic Eco-Systems’ latest addition of large pumps aimed at aquaculture facilities and commercial aquaria. With a non-corrosive all plastic design and stainless steel internals the pumps are saltwater rated, and the pumps feature “breakthrough” impellers for increased longevity and higher more efficient performance. The pumps are available in one phase models for those that wish to run the pumps at 230 volt or three phase models for those wishing to run the pumps at higher voltages. As can be seen in the flow chart the Pentair Verus 850 pumps come in a quite large variety of flow rates with the smallest pumps of the series, the VREK5-12, pushing around 350 gallons per minute, and the largest pumps models, the VREK-60, and REC-60 pushing around 850 gallons per minute. The VREK5-12 and VREK-60 and REC-60 retail for $2995.00 and $3950.00 respectively, although the latter are currently on sale for $3555.00. [via Pentair Aquatic Eco-Systems] Readers also viewed: No Related

Reef Builders is clearly a specialist in the marine and reef aquarium side of the hobby but we still have lots of appreciation for incredible freshwater fish. This year’s Aquarama fish competition featured so many unbelievable fish specimens that we just have to share with some of the Bettas, discus and Asian arowanas which caught our eye in Singapore. First up is this unreal looking shortfin Plakat betta which won first place in its category at the siamese fighting fish competition. This unique red betta has an unremarkable wine-red body color but with unbelievable bright blue scales that are so defined they appear as if they were “inserted” into the fish after the basic red color was set. Pictures hardly do justice to this sapphire-studded Betta splendens and the video only comes close to revealing how eye-catching this championship fish was in real life. Alas, there is an unfortunate shortage of Bettas like these and the many stunning varieties in the Americas which is such a pity for such a beautiful and undemanding aquarium fish. Hopefully in time show-quality bettas will catch on like planted tanks have but in the meantime, we’ll just have to enjoy these stunners from a distance and through the web. Be sure and set the video to HD and watch through the end for the extreme closeups of this unique fish. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGugAVbdD_0 Readers also viewed: Aquarama 2013 in Singapore, the largest aquarium event of the year ProVolitans & EasyLED make a truly professional grade LED light Sicce Shark ADV Filter uses magnetic coupling to make maintenance a breeze Wine red Dragonets still hot on the wish list despite appearing again in bigger numbers Cannon LED Floodlight takes the Ecoxotic spotlight to new heights H&H Kraken dosing pump will turn heads with its looks and low price AquasunLED is ZooMed’s first foray into solid state lighting Syncra Minu & Voyager Minu are two card-sized water pumps from Sicce

The first retail offerings of Lightning Maroon Clownfish are only days or weeks away! One of the two mystery destinations for today’s Lightning Maroon shipments is indeed Blue Zoo Aquatics.  If you’ve been paying attention to their newsletters, or to Reef Builders, this should come as no surprise.  Way back when starting this project, I made the unilateral offer that I would provide Blue Zoo Aquatics with the right of first refusal on these fish, and of course, they’ve accepted my offers.  I’m excited about the introduction of these fish to the masses. Initially, the plan is to offer these F1 PNG Maroons in public, WYSIWYG auctions via eBay. Everyone will have a fair shot at them. This way the market truly sets the price..no one will be able to accuse us of “gouging”. We’re playing no favorites either; initially I we had discussed holding back the lesser quality fish (some of which normally would be culled) to provide them to commercial breeders in private auctions.  I suspect some fish will go surprisingly inexpensively, while others may fetch a handsome some.  We have no set time limit as to when these auctions will occur, but with the F1 fish now close to a year old and getting quite large, as we start pulling from the group tank, we may have to move quickly to prevent murders etc. We had also planned to drop ship the fish directly from Duluth, MN, but that plan has changed too. Like all good plans, the simple logistics of running what is probably the 2nd largest online retailer of marine livestock, combined with delays this winter, followed by the arrival of my new daughter, caused Mark Martin and I to reexamine some of our more detailed plans, ultimately streamlining things a bit for me and giving Blue Zoo a little more hands on control in fulfillment of winner’s purchases.  These first 5 will be our test scenario, and if it goes well, you can probably expect most or all of the Lightnings I sell to be offered through Blue Zoo Aquatics. In the process of shooting photos and bagging today, I photographed all of the F1 PNG offspring individually to create an “inventory” of sorts; each fish will be posted individually going forward, which will allow for individual reference.  Some of the general white stripe offspring might be difficult to differentiate, but the Lightnings by and large should be easy enough to follow as they leave here and go through the sales process. The main reason for shooting ALL fish that I currently am considering for sale is this – I don’t want anyone thinking that we held out and sold the “worst fish” first.  Nor do I want folks thinking there is an endless supply – there isn’t.  The one spawn that produced babies this spring gave me TWO FISH that are smaller than my pinky fingernail…I still have my work cut out for me with the wild pair.  Now, not every fish that I post up will necessarily be sold, and there may be some surprises if I opt to release other fish I’ve currently earmarked to hold onto personally for for other special projects.  Bottom line, it’s not 100%…but it’s going to be a pretty good idea of what’s likely to come. How to get your Lightning Maroon Clownfish Bid bid bid!  Until further notice, assume that you’ll be going through the Blue Zoo eBay auctions to get your fish. There are not going to be any other sources.  If someone approaches you with an offer to purchase a “Lightning Maroon” or a “Sibling” of the Lightning Maroon, feel free to ask me directly; chances are the offer is fraudulent.  I am not selling direct at this time for a number of reasons (one of the main ones being logistics and being a man of my word).  Here’s some tips on how you get your Lightning Maroon or siblings from Blue Zoo Aquatics. 1.  Register with eBay if you haven’t already. 2.  Add Blue Zoo Aquatics on eBay to your list of fa

At first glance the ProVolitans LED light appears to be woefully plain, simple and with an alarming lack of apparent heatsinking but we’re glad we gave them some closer inspection at Aquarama 2013. What seems to be a simple LED light for a consumer or recreational marine aquarium hobbyist is in fact a very durable, pragmatic LED fixture which is aimed squarely at professional applications like public aquariums, very large tanks and commercial lighting applications. ProVolitans spent 18 months working with EasyLED to produce an LED light fixture which is highly customizable (before purchase) with the highest performance imaginable for the package. The first big question we needed to have answered for ourselves is that even though the fixture is obviously made of thermally conducting material, why the lack of any active cooling or ridges for heat dissipation? The first answer comes from the collaboration between EasyLED and ProVolitans to develop a finely tuned driver housed within the fixture which produces very little heat while driving the unique power profile of their LED boards. How unique you say? Well when you drive “3 watt” LEDs at one watt  you get a whole lot less heat generated and better yet, when you drive those same LEDs at roughly two thirds of a watt, you get even more light, and less heat. By driving all their LEDs at less than a watt you can be sure that the light output and lifetime of the LEDs will be greatly maximized which helps to ensure that ProVolitans will make good on their 5 year warranty of their fixture. Some additional professional grade features include will IP66 ratings so the light can basically be hosed down, thanks to waterproof connectors as well as waterproof ports for daisy-chaining multiple fixtures together. The ProVolitan LED fixture is assembled in Finland with most public institutions and commercial entities selecting their desired color and beam angle of optics before the light is made. You actually need a password to check out ProVolitans’ light configurator, and to access pricing but if you’re in the market for some battle-ready LED lights, send them an email and see what heavy-duty and underdriven LED lights can do for your jumbo aquarium. [ProVolitans] Readers also viewed: Incredible freshwater fish like this jeweled betta are impossible to ignore Sicce Shark ADV Filter uses magnetic coupling to make maintenance a breeze Cannon LED Floodlight takes the Ecoxotic spotlight to new heights H&H Kraken dosing pump will turn heads with its looks and low price AquasunLED is ZooMed’s first foray into solid state lighting Syncra Minu & Voyager Minu are two card-sized water pumps from Sicce Deltec MCE400 is the newest improvement in efficient hang-on protein skimming AquaSweep rotating filter attachment getting closer to release

When you rush in this hobby, things go wrong — really wrong. This is evident in the news that one shark is dead and another wounded in a fiasco for the Animal Planet‘s Tanked team at a Coney Island, New York, Applebee’s. The ATM team was hired the team to do a themed installation for the restaurant and in typical fashion, they unveiled a fully stocked tank and shortly after, mayhem ensued. A blacktip shark was removed from the 20-foot, 5,000-gallon aquarium installed by the Tanked team that contained replicas of iconic Coney Island boardwalk rides for devouring three Lookdown fish in front of employees and the Tanked film crew. Later that day a Whitetip died after colliding with a three-foot replica of the Wonder Wheel. The restaurant owner was even quoted in the article in the New York Daily News saying the sharks “were in shock. We moved them in too quickly. They went from being in an ocean to being in a tank. They were all disoriented.” This quote speaks volumes. The quick stocking of the tank to be able to meet a deadline for a restaurant opening or an on-screen reveal is a recipe for disaster. Even with an expert on hand 24/7, there are bound to be issues and struggles that come up that could easily be circumvented with a slow and steady stocking approach. This disturbing story has so many lessons on what not to do, reiterating the need for more responsibility from experts in the hobby. The main lesson is the speed factor in installing and stocking tanks like this goes against everything we tell new hobbyists. In order to get the biggest impact to make compelling TV, the tank was most likely filled and fully stocked in a short period of time. This is the trouble when you have a client without the background and training with demands and a copious amount of money dictating the what and when of the system instead of the experts. Going for a tank full of sharks for the “Ahhhhh!” factor over responsible tank stocking is deplorable — especially when doing a tank to attract customers. There are many other awesome fish that will capture customers’ attention without bringing in fish that grow up to 1.5 meters in the wild. We need to do our best to educate clients on responsible and practical fish to keep in systems, regardless of the size of the tank. We appreciate more exposure for the hobby from shows like this along with some pretty interesting tanks. However, shows like this need to do their part to show some responsibility. You want drama for your show? How about standing up to your client and telling them what they are NOT going to get and why. Then with a big grin and telling them “trust me, we’ll blow you away” surprise them with a tank that is responsible and stunning. You, Mr. Aquarium Expert, know more about the beauty in the ocean than these people. Bring your knowledge to the table to deliver beyond expectations. A slower and responsible stocking strategy will help establish long-term success for the installation and allow your client to become more involved with the process. Honestly, we are surprised this hasn’t been publicised before and hope this serves as a wake-up call for these types of shows to be more responsible. [via New York Daily News] Readers also viewed: Aquarium TV Shows reprazent at MACNA: Competition is good exposure for the hobby First preview of Animal Planet’s Tanked aquarium TV series Tanked gets new life, Season 4 will start March 22nd HGTV adding new aquarium show “Ultimate Aquariums,” taps Infinity Aquarium Design to host Fish Tank Kings releases first preview clips of the new TV show FishTales is a new Australian TV show with a focus on education “Tanked” – Animal Planet soon rolling out new aquarium reality show Friday Smorgasbord: Algae apartments, ocean currents and more

The aquarium conference season, like this summer weather, is starting to heat up for 2013. MACNA is just around the corner, and with it comes the vote for the Aquarist of the Year presented by the Marine Aquarium Societies of North America. The peer nominated candidates are each considered write-ins on the ballot, and after all the votes have been tallied, the winner will be selected and later announced at MACNA 2013. Only MASNA members get the opportunity to vote, and the voting process will be open until July 6th. A complete list of past Aquarist of the Year winners can be found in the MASNA site as well.

If you think Soldierfishes are something unattractive and common, you’ll be sure to change your mind after one look at this exquisite fish that was on display at Aquarama 2013. The subadult Blacktip or Finspot Soldierfish became an instant hit during Aquarama as it was being displayed in a gorgeous acrylic vertical tank by ReefSystems Singapore. Unlike most Solder fishes, this particular individual was a dare devil outright attention seeker by any standards. It constantly swam to the front of the tank, and ate pelleted fish feed with gusto. It’s bold personality and striking coloration made for a show stopping centrepiece. At 7-8 inches long now, this fish would only get more beautiful as it grows into its full size of 12 inches, although it is unlikely to get that big in an aquarium. The pearly white body contrasts beautifully with the carmine fins and face, and makes this species quite unlike most solder fishes. The blacktip soldierfish’s most prominent feature is the brilliant white flanks The range of this species is very wide; from East Africa to the East coast of Australia. However, it is rarely seen in the trade and even so, almost always arrive in a sub-adult to adult size. Perhaps it is due to its deeper water nature, or coming from an unorthodox family of fish that has made it an unfamiliar sight in the trade. However we hope to see it around in the near future, and we won’t be surprised if it does, considering the amount of excitement it garnered during Aquarama! Readers also viewed: Tour de BlueHarbor – Part 1. Beyond the shopfront. B-Box Aquarium teases with a short clip of Belonoperca pylei The illusionary Chaetodontoplus niger photographed again in waters of Japan Friday Smorgasbord: Algae apartments, ocean currents and more Friday Smorgasbord: Coralbots, shark-stalking robots and a tongue-eating louse Friday Smorgasbord: “You might be a redneck…” edition Friday Smorgasbord: Saving reefs with antacids, fish molars and more Friday Smorgasbord: Fish radar, falling fish, fish on drugs and more

Aquarium hobbyists have long known the benefits of activated carbon and granular ferric oxide (GFO) as major parts of the filtration system, and for the most part, the two have been used conjunction with with each other. While one took up dissolved organic material, the other absorbed photphate and silcates, both polishing and cleaning the water in the process. The immense benefit of both of these filter media products of course prompted aquarists to use multiple reactors, oftentimes with multiple pumps. Thankfully, the aquarium industry responded to the demand with dual stage reactors from the likes of Bulk Reef Supply, and now the other water filtration specialists at SpectraPure have their own version as well. While the SpectraPure Dual Chamber Media Reactor may appear remarkably similar to the BRS model, it differs in one very distinctive way. Where the BRS model has two chambers plumbed inline, the SpectraPure version has them plumbed up separately. Instead of flowing from one chamber to the next, the water line feeding the reactor splits off to independently feed both chambers simultaneously. While keeping the two separate in this manner may or may not be important isn’t even the point. What’s important here are the valves that can be used to regulate the flow rates through each chamber. GFO requires low flow speeds, as it is not desirable to tumble this media. If the grains do tumble, they could break apart and find their way back into the aquarium. Carbon, on the other hand, can have high or low flow rates, it really doesn’t matter much. Lower flow rates improve contact time, while higher rates move more water through the media. Getting back on track, another benefit to this layout is the fact that you could take one of the canisters offline, with the other still filtering water. This is ideal if say the GFO is exhausted before the carbon, or if there is some other issue. The retail price for the SpectraPure Dual Chamber Media reactor is set at $74.99, though it is currently on sale for $69.99. This is about $10 more than the BRS version, but given the fact that you can independently control the flow of each chamber, it’s well worth the extra green.