Having worked in medicine for my entire career I got accustomed to the euphemisms that doctors often employed. One of my favorites was the cardiologists who were sometimes referred to as plumbers in that from other physicians’ perspectives all they…
News
Alpheus octocellatus is a New Species of Pistol Shrimp from the Maldives
A new species of snapping shrimp has been described based on two specimens collected in the Maldives. Alpheus octocellatus appears to be morphologically most similar to Alpheus edwardsii, pareuchirus and leptochirus so the paper’s authors have placed it in the…
Old and New Reef Tank Pests
It seems that when we take two steps forward we often have to take one step back. Such is the case with the success we have had in the hobby. In the early days of the hobby, we were preoccupied…
Mass Urchin Die-off Threatens Reefs in the Red Sea
A species of Sea urchin has undergone a devastating wipeout on reefs off the city of Eilat in Israel. The entire population of Black Sea urchins, Diadema setosum, has died off in just weeks from a suspected pathogen, with their…
Weak Connection? Why fish tanks can slow down your Wi-Fi
Reefkeepers may be dismayed to learn that one of the things weakening their home Wi-Fi signal is actually their tank, and just when they need a good signal to control many smart aquarium devices. Wi-Fi is affected by many things…
Ctenophore Comb Jellies declared First Animals on Earth, 700m years ago
A team of researchers has determined that comb jellies, Ctenophores, were the first animals on earth, existing 700 million years ago, and pre-dating sponges by 100 million years. They are also the most recent common ancestor of all animals, (including…
How to Aquascape with Reef Cement
Every day is reef tank day for me, but on Sundays, I take the day off from writing and have the opportunity to execute some of my bigger plans. The 200-liter shallow soft coral lagoon is doing great. So great…
Mechanical and Chemical Filtration
Back when I started keeping fish, filtration consisted of angel hair or glass wool as the mechanical filtration and charcoal as the chemical filtration. Now there are a multitude of ways to perform these types of filtration, but rarely are…
Rainbow Sea Slug found in British Rock Pool
A pretty little nudibranch has been found by a rock-pooling guide in Falmouth in Cornwall, UK. The temperate waters around the Cornish coast are naturally rich in invertebrates but this rare find, Babakina anadoni, is normally native to the warmer…
Low Tide Exposes 40yr old Giant Clam Project on Great Barrier Reef
Sea Women Great Barrier Reef has posted some breathtaking pictures of over 100 Giant Clams, Tridacna gigas, that were recently exposed in a low tide caused by the New Moon. The clams are situated at Goolboddi on Orpheus Island, Queensland,…