Planet II’s will now be available in 2 different 250w fixtures, the 1×250w with 2-24w t5’s and the 2×250w 2×39w t5’s. Currently the 2×250’s are sold out. Also there are rumors about different color options which haven’t been confirmed, yet we are eagerly awaiting any new color options, black would be nice.
Take a gander at Euro Reef’s new CS300E protein skimmer. Hear anything? Yeah, we thought it was pretty quiet too. No word on when we will expect to see this go retail, but we have our fingers crossed.
Marine scientists surveying a large undersea mountain chain were amazed to find millions of tiny starfish swirling their arms to capture food in the undersea current. About 19 scientists studied the biology and geology of eight Macquarie Ridge sea mounts. These sea mounts are part of a string of underwater volcanoes that stretch 875 miles from New Zealand toward Antarctica. Marine biologist Ashely Rowden said: “It was unique in that it hasn’t been found on the tops of sea mounts before … (and) it was over a relatively large area” of about 60 square miles. The starfish are about 0.4 inch across, with arms about 2 inches long. Fewer than 200 of the world’s estimated 100,000 sea mounts that rise more than a half a mile above the sea floor have been studied in any detail.
Here is a short clip of our new CS/RC Series silencer running on the (1) one SPE5 (EHEIM 1262) pump powering our new CS300E
Did you know that there are over 3,000 species of nudibranchs in the wild? “Found from sandy shallows and reefs to the murky seabed nearly a mile down, nudibranchs thrive in waters both warm and cold and even around billowing deep-sea vents.” So why aren’t they picked up by varius animal life? Nudibranchs produce toxic secretions and stinging cells within their bodies, leaving most aquatic animal life to leave them alone. After all, their bright colors attest to this fact.
Via [Glassbox-Design]
Wait, who is this company? Surely not the same octopus that produced poor quality images and questionable products from years past? Seems they have learned from their mistakes with the release of their newest line of skimmers called “Core”. Designed with the aquarists in mind, these core pumps will come with Pentair Quietone Pumps. If that wasn’t enough to win you over, how about a 5 year warranty and a 12 month warranty on moving parts?
The Pentair Quietone pumps are said to only produce 45 decibels. Upgrade cell cast ancrylic is included on the models as well featuring among other things: SCH-80 dark grey PVC, JG fittings and silicon O-rings. These materials will not color fade, are crack resistant, inert and non-corrosive.
Now, we need to just find out pricing. Are these products still for the budget conscious? Or has the price increased with the quality of materials jumping?
About 3 1/4 miles off the coast of Miami there lies a cemetery. It has enough for over 125,000 remains when all is said and done. Located about 45 feet down below the water’s surface. How does one end up down there? “The ashes are mixed with cement designed for underwater use and fitted into a mold, which a diver then places and secures into the reef. A copper and bronze plaque is installed with the person’s name, date of birth and death. There is also a line for a message.” The cost of placement starts at $995 (which isn’t bad) and can go as high as $6495 for those who want to be placed inside the base of a lion statue for all eternity.
The Australian Marine Conservation Society is astonished by this proposal, in which Queensland’s fisheries department (DPI&F) plans to legitimise one of the most unsustainable forms of fishing on the planet - shark fin fishing. With over 90% of the world’s sharks and other big fish gone from our oceans, this project is unsustainable, unethical and will be flatly rejected by the Australian public.
Not only is the Queensland Government proposing to hand out specific fishing licenses for shark fin fishing, which will entrench the practice for years, they are planning to legitimise shark finning in the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area and in the Marine Parks of Moreton Bay and the Great Sandy Straits with this new license proposal.
“Sometime in the next few months, work crews are expected to begin spelling ”SAVE THE REEFS” in block letters up to eight feet tall in water 30 feet deep.
The letters will be formed by 13,000 circular modules of concrete and limestone — each weighing about 700 pounds — anchored eight feet below the ocean floor to withstand major storms. The entire message is expected to take up an area the size of 40 football fields.
When completed people flying out of Miami International Airport will be able to see `SAVE OUR REEFS’ on the bottom of the ocean on a good, clear day.”
We didn’t notice this until today, but Neptune Systems has quietly dropped the price of the Aqua Controller 3 pro’s retail price to $499, from $799 previously. This is most likely because of the impending release of the new Reef Keeper elite or a new pro model in the works? We for one, welcome competition.
