Captive Aquatics: An Aquarium and Ecology Blog

Indonesia Limiting Coral Export

Indonesia, currently the largest exporter of coral and other reef invertebrates for the hobby in the US is apparently initiating quotas that determine what coral species and how many can be exported from the country.  From the Embassy of Indonesia:

New 'Exotic' LED Lighting

This promo video of EcoXotic's new LED light fixture left me drooling.  Let's hope it delivers as well as their video production does:

If at all possible, we'll be bringing you a review as soon as (or before) the light ships.  Meanwhile, this is a video you don't want to miss!

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Turning the Tides: Monterrey Bay Aquarium turns 25

The Monterrey Bay Aquarium turns 25 years old this month, and to celebrate, they've done us all a favor and put together a report on seafood!  Our consumption of both farmed and wild-caught seafood has caused a lot of harm to wild populations (for example, tuna are threatened from overfishing).  In order to choose low impact seafood for responsible and ethical dining so that you can make a difference, take a look at the Monterrey Aquarium's seafood report page or download it directly here in PDF format.  Oh, and don't eat tuna! 

Fluval U-Series Filter Video

Gotta love the cheesy 'movie guy' voice acting, but the filters look useful for vivariums and reptile aquariums.  I'll talk to my Fluval rep tomorrow to see about a review, and meanwhile, video below:

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Why You Shouldn't Release Your Aquarium Fish

Since I have been working in the aquatics/pet industry I have been exposed to a regrettable habit that many hobbyists, take part in: releasing pet fish (and other animals) into the wild.  I have heard from many hobbyist who have released their aquarium fish into the wild seem to think this behavior is fine and that they are letting their fish free.

Critically Threatened Bluefin Tuna to be Protected?

Bluefin and other tuna stocks have dropped drastically over the last decade due to overfishing for the sushi industry.  Whereas scientists have previously (and ruefully) stated "it's a toss up whether tuna goes extinct before gas prices go up too much to fly them around the world for the sushi markets", tuna may have caught a break (pun intended)!

Earthquake in Indonesia, Flooding in the Philippines

For those of you that don't know, Padang, Indonesia was hit with an earthquake measuring at 7.6 on the Richter Scale on the 14th.  The earthquake caused widespread damage to a country that supplies our hobby with a large percentage of our fish & coral. 

As a firefighter in Galveston who volunteered during the aftermath of Hurricane Ike and other disasters, I feel for the people of Indonesia, and for the people working tirelessly to provide relief.  As I've had first hand experience with disaster relief charities (and scams), I recommend not donating to the Red Cross, and instead donating to SurfAid for those interested in helping via donation.  Below is a video provided by SurfAid regarding the disaster area:

As if that weren't enough, recent heavy flooding in the Philippines (our largest supplier of animals for the saltwater trade) was heavily flooded four days ago, putting most of the capital, Manila, under water.  More information is in the video below, or via BBC News. 

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The Fluval G in Action

Well, we're stuck with this (cheesy) demo video of Fluval's new "revolutionary" canister filter, the Fluval G, in action. Unfortunately, our rep at Hagen said that the marketing dept. was locking down, and only shipping units to "preferred vendors" (retails stores) in mid-November, and that the filter isn't even going to be available online, at least initially. Well, we all know my opinion of local fish stores...so I won't be seeing this display in person.

Overall, although the electronics seem nice, the filter itself doesn't seem to have the capacity or capabilities that the Fluval FX5 does, in terms of filtering messy freshwater aquariums.  Since canister filters are really only useful on freshwater aquariums, this does seem to be a possible waste of innovation on Fluval's part, as does the G's built-in salinity measuring  Well, without further ado:

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Captive Aquatics Gets New Logo!

Captive Aquatics™, an aquarium design, installation, and worldwide ornamental aquatics consulting company (and the parent company of this blog!) gets a new look:

Captive Aquatics & staff have been quite busy designing and installing upscale aquariums for several large companies, and have provided consulting services as far away as India.  We needed an eye catching way to distinguish ourselves, and this was the result!  Stay tuned for a behind-the-scenes look at a few of our latest creations!

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Marine Depot Coupon Codes

Marine Depot has just posted several coupon codes, valid until the 31st:

- 10% off AquaticLife PC Light Fixtures - Coupon Code AKS91633
- 20% off ALL Giesemann T5 Bulbs - Coupon Code GLS91134
- 20% off Vertex Protein Skimmers & Reactors - Coupon Code VXS91135
- $10 off Phoenix DE HQI 150W or 250W 14000K Bulbs - Coupon Code MBS91136
- $20 off Phoenix Mogul Base 175W or 250W 14000K Bulbs - Coupon Code MBS9123

Enjoy!

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