Reef Builders | The Reef and Marine Aquarium Blog

Digiman is back with a breathtaking new Liopropoma latifasciatum as well as a charismatic Sailfin Jawfish

Tea Yi Kai — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 21:03:52 +0000

Familiarity has made us jaded with the beautiful and charismatic genus - Liopropoma. L. carmabi and L. rubre were once the creme de la creme species that everyone were dying to own, but in recent years they have become more widely available and the hype has died down quite a bit. However, for every known species available readily in the trade, lies a dozen more tantalising and unknown species that seldom, or never show up. Such is the beauty of this enigmatic group of fish, and L. latifasciatum is one such species.

This medium sized bass is colored a a light coral, with a jet black equatorial belt running from the eye to its caudal peduncle. The fins and cheeks are accented in chrome yellow which lends an overall subtle hue to the otherwise striking fish. This lesser known basslet imported by Iwarna Aquafarm, measures in at 2.5 inches and showed zero signs of decompression problems (which is quite common with deepwater basslets), and is eating dried food since day 1. It is residing in Singaporean Reefer Digiman’s tank.

Better known by his alias Digiman, he is well featured here at ReefBuilders, and has an amazing fish collection which we have shared in the past. His new additions resides in a smaller 3ft tank, which feature peaceful tank mates. In the video above, it can be seen sharing its home with his juvenile Bodianus sp aka the Banana Hogfish, as well as captive bred Mccullochi clowns.

Another cool dude residing in his tank is the beautiful and elegant Sailfin Jawfish, Opistognathus lonchurus, from the Caribbean. This pearly white fish with a sailfin to match its beauty is rarely seen and boy is it a charmer! Check out the video above as it plays an endearing act of peek-a-boo in its finely crafted tunnel.

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Aqua Medic Cubicus is the latest all-in-one system with Aqua Medic goodies

Joost de Vries — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 18:40:09 +0000

The latest from Aqua Medic is their all-in-one Cubicus which comes with some very nice equipment you don’t have to worry about upgrading, unless you have some power hungry or high maintenance corals. The Aqua Medic Cubicus measures 50 by 60 by 50 cm (~19.5 by 23.5 by 19.5 inches) and features OptiWhite low iron glass (think starphire). The system volume of the Aqua Medic Cubicus comes down to approximately 37 gallons (140 liters), including a rear filtration section separated by a glass instead of plastic panel. The Turboflotor Blue 500 skimmer serves as the systems main filtration powerhouse, and there is additionally room for chemical filtration. The Aqua Medic Cubicus is available with a 50 by 60 by 100 cm gloss white stand (~19.5 by 23.5 by 39 inches)

Also included is the adjustable NanoProp 5000 powerhead, which can be adjusted for flow rates between 500 – 1,250 gph using 3 and 7 watt respectively. Lighting on the Aqua Medic Cubicus is provided by the included aquareefLED which features 18 high performance 3 watt Cree LEDs with seven blue LEDs and 11 12.000 K white LEDs both adjustable independently. The total wattage of the aquareefLED comes down to around 50 watts.

No word yet on pricing, but with low iron glass, and the included equipment expect it to come at a premium.

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Sneak peek at first Lightning Maroon Clownfishing up for sale

Brian Blank — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 17:20:41 +0000

We shared the news that Lightening Maroon Clownfish are heading to Blue Zoo Aquatics last week and we’ve got a sneak peek at the fish headed to BZA as well as details on how to get your hands on these. Our own Matt Pedersen shared more details on the Lightning Maroon Clownfish blog. Make sure you head over there for more details.

The fish are on the way to Blue Zoo and the plan is to sell these via eBay to allow the market to dictate the price. Remember, these are first generation fish (F1) bred with a normal Papua New Guinea maroon clownfish and the PNG lightening maroon. The first five are a test run and include some of the more promising offspring with unique marking and others are rather plain looking.

The F1 fish shipped are now close to a year old and on the larger size. Each fish has been individually photographed and documented by Pedersen to give you a complete history on the fish moving forward. While these fish could be housed by any aquarist with the experience and system to house these, we do expect many of these to go to breeders looking to work with this intriguing fish. The first run of fish is a test run and if all goes well, you can expect more to be released.

One thing you’ll most likely see with this batch is lesser-grade fish that would normally see culled along the way. This was done intentionally, not as a way to maximize profits but instead as a way to preserve the important F1 generation as much as possible for successful future generations. As Pedersen states, “the more F1 fish we have creating the F2 generation, the better it is for heading off inbreeding problems.”

If you are interested in these fish, make sure you are signed up for eBay and follow the BZA seller account, then sign up for the Blue Zoo Aquatics newsletters and finally, make sure you are ready for these fish. Good luck!

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Marine Aquarium Society of Colorado hosting ‘Reef Ed’ this weekend

Brian Blank — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 16:29:57 +0000

The Marine Aquarium Society of Colorado is hosting a Reef Ed event with two speakers and plenty of vendors to get your reefing fix this weekend. On Saturday, June 22, join the MASC team welcome both Scott Fellman and our fearless Jake Adams to share their insights into the hobby. As usual for events like these, there are plenty of raffle prizes and 14 vendors on hand with the latest products and some juicy corals.

You don’t have to be a MASC member to attend, however you do get preferential pricing if you are a paid or active member (see website for more details). Price is $5 for paid or active members and $10 for everyone else. Make sure you bring your kids because children 14 and under get in free.

[via MASC]

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MAME tank saver can protect an aquarium from earthquakes!

Jake Adams — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 14:59:24 +0000

The Mame tank-saver platform is an incredible new device from the company which has brought us a host of other inventive aquarium devices. The MAME Nano Skimmer, all-glass Mame Overflow and Mame LED are all groundbreaking products but a platform for small to medium sized aquariums truly takes the cake.

Made up of what appears to be two platforms, an array of ball bearings allows the two platforms to slide past each other in the X and Y dimensions. The effect of the Mame tank-saver platform is clear to see in this earthquake simulation where nearly all the vibration is dampened to the point where the entire tank and the cabinet barely slosh a bit.

According to MAME the seismic isolation of the Mame Tank Saver can handle up to 250 Kilograms or 550 pounds which is enough capacity for 65 gallons of water. However, the Mame Tank Saver is suitable for tanks up to 50cm (20in) square in the base, which means that with a cabinet, water and rock you’re looking at some earthquake insurance for up to a 30 gallon fully loaded reef tank.

Since the disastrous Fukushima earthquake which struck Japan over two years ago there’s been some innovation in earthquake proofing aquarium gear. The first we saw was the Ecosmart controller cover by LSS Laboratory but Mame’s Tank Saver platform is a truly innovative product which could see some real world use in Japan and California where earthquakes are common.

We don’t know how much the Mame Tank Saver will sell for but it is expected to become available in July of this summer. [MAME]

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Ixa cylindrus is a spooky purple crab for your peaceful refugium

Tea Yi Kai — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 14:15:48 +0000

Ixa is a small genus of crabs with very unique characteristics that separate this group from most other. The grooves that meander around the carapace are characteristic for this genus, and gives the crabs a jig-saw like appearance. The species above is Ixa cylindrus, and it is a very seldom seen, lesser known invertebrate in the aquarium world. Besides the unusual cracked shell appearance, the crab also sports two long cylindrical knobs that flank both sides of the animal.

The unique grooves that meander around the carapace are characteristic of Ixa crabs, and gives this species an eerie skull like pattern.

Ixa cylindrus is a peaceful, slow moving crab suitable for any refugium or lagoon type reef. Not much is known about their behaviour, but from what we observe in the tanks as well as pictures from the wild, is that these crabs prefer very soft sandy substrate to partially bury or scuttle around in. They, like most crabs, readily take aquarium fare or food scraps that lie around the tank. Their dainty straw like claws and legs are more suited for scavenging rather than actively hunting food stuff.

The lavender colored crustacean has such a unique appearance that we can’t help but take a closer look. The carapace is fissured around what looks superficially at first glance, like an eerie human skull complete with darker purple hues for the orbital fossa. The crab is flanked, at both ends, with a thick cylindrical knob that adds to its crazy appearance. Such an interesting character would probably make a cool addition to any slow moving peaceful refugium or muck-reef style tanks.

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Pentair Aquatic Eco-Systems Verus 850 is aimed at large aquaculture facilities

Joost de Vries — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 20:00:53 +0000

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]

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Incredible freshwater fish like this jeweled betta are impossible to ignore

Jake Adams — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 18:28:22 +0000

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

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ProVolitans & EasyLED make a truly professional grade LED light

Jake Adams — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 17:22:47 +0000

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]

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Tanked learns a hard lesson from hasty fish stocking

Brian Blank — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:24:20 +0000

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]

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