Captive Aquatics: An Aquarium and Ecology Blog

X-Aqua Reef Aquarium LED Light Teaser Pics

Here are some pics of X-Aqua's newest/upcoming reef aquarium LED lights, both behind the scenes and a finished product.  Full review when I have the time, but they're looking good!

 

The Truth About Orphek & Aquarium Product Marketing

Editor's note: this post had apparently become corrupted on my webserver, and as I haven't had as much time for the blog lately, I had not realized.  Reposted.

A company now on the brink of closure due to poor decision making - see below

I found out, (somewhat belatedly as my involvement in the hobby is relatively small these days excepting LED tech) that there was a commotion over myself and Orphek; so I thought I'd pen a quick post to set the record straight.

Goodbye Internet?

Click here to prevent internet censorship

The Government Could Block Your Favorite Websites

Such as twitter, facebook, YouTube, and many other sites if the "Internet Blacklist Bill" (so politically correctly called the "Stop Online Piracy" Act) passes, websites like this, or any other site The Man doesn't like could be yanked.  The bill's purpose is supposedly to stop sites like The Pirate Bay which have been a thorn in the RIAA's side for years.  The solution? Pass a law saying any site with objectionable content or hosting objectionable content could be blocked.

What you Need to Know About Photosynthesis

 Photosynthesis is an incredibly complex process, but luckily for most aquarists only a basic understanding is required, but the time should be taken to understand that basic definition.  Photosynthesis is the “synthesizing by organisms of organic chemical compounds (Oxford Dictionary of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology [1997]), mainly carbohydrates, from carbon dioxide using energy obtained by light rather than the oxidation of chemical compounds”. Instead of consuming carbohydrates like we do for energy, photosynthesis can create carbohydrates for invertebrates and plants.  More simply, this means that plant cells can use energy gathered from light to produce cellular chemical energy (ATP) and carbon products (carbohydrates) when combined with carbon dioxide.  

Earthquake in Indonesia!

An earthquake has hit off the Indonesian Island of Bali early Thursday morning causing many injuries and property damage throughout the island.

 

The U.S geological survey said the earthquake was a 6.0-magnitude and hit about 62 miles southwest of Bali.

 

So far 50 people have been taken to local hospitals with only five suffering from major injuries. 

 

Indonesia is located on the "Ring of Fire" which is a arc of fault lines circling the Pacific Basin.  This makes the area prone to earthquakes from the constant motion of the faults moving on each other.  In fact, Indonesia suffered a 9.1-magnitude earthquake that occured underwater and caused a tsunami that killed more than 200,000 people in 2004.

 

For this earthquake the U.S Geological Survey has issued no stunami alert and hopefully those who have suffered will recover soon.

 

Picture from www.worldwidehomestay.com

New X-Aqua LED Light Coming Soon

They say a picture is worth a thousand words: the above is a picture of X-Aqua's foray into LED reef aquarium lighting.  Pictures, specs, and hands-on experience coming soon...

Kessil LED Lights: Getting it Right!

As you probably already know Kessil, of horticulture LED fame offers a 36w LED pendant designed for reef aquarium lighting.  The A150w as it's called is available in three color temperatures, only one of which is of interest to reef aquarists with a penchant for accurate color rendering and high-PUR outputs such as myself (spectrograph on the left). 

 

Ecotech Marine's Radion XR30 LED Light: a Swing and a Miss?

I'm sure you've heard about EcoTech Marine's latest product from all of the "me too" aquarium blogs that are out there these days:  EcoTech is yet another company making a foray into reef aquarium LED lighting, and yet another company to do so with what seems to be barely, if any orginality or any improvement in technology. 

Using off-the-shelf Cree and Osram emitters that are made for household lighting, not photosynthetic invertebrate illumination, the Radion XR30 reef aquarium led light appears to me to be obsolete before launch.  Here's why:

 

Redfish Magazine Launched 2nd Issue

Redfish Magazine, a new free e-publication for the English-speaking (not just America, thankfully) world has launched their second issue, mostly emphasizing freshwater fish, including discus and goldfish. 

In my opinion the only hobby publications worth reading are the free ones, usually offering much better content and more advanced content than traditional magazines.  Go check it out!

Introduction to Saltwater Puffers

 

Due to the popularity of my An Introduction to Freshwater Puffers I decided to do one for saltwater because everyone should be able to experience the joy of having a puffer.  So, lets quit messing around and bring on the puffers!

 

But, before I start introducing these amazing saltwater puffers I want to make a few points that every hobbyist should keep in mind before purchasing a puffer.

Afraid of Sharks?

So it is officially Shark Week on the Discovery Channel where they are highlighting "shark attacks, killer sharks, rouge sharks" and every other negative aspect about sharks that a human can concentrate on.  I feel as though the entire week is garbage and is used to draw audiences through "fear".  The Consortium for Ocean Leadership posted an article regarding the population decrease of sharks in the ocean due to human activities.  I found the article to be very interesting and I would like to highlight specific parts of the article. 

Redfish Magazine Launches

Redfish Magazine is a new, free digital aquarium and pond magazine for the US, EU, AU, and NZ.  Personally, I'm a huge fan of international publications, because I find US aquarium writing too 'fad-ish' and their aquariums unnaturally gaudy (with the exception of my all time favorite, Advanced Aquarist, of course).  I'm very much looking forward to seeing this publication progress (especially the coldwater topics), and who knows, might even pen an article or two when I have time.  In the meantime go check it out, and while you're at it, enter their aquarium photo competition!

Kelvin Temperature and Aquarium Lighting: What is Kelvin?

Beware, kelvin temperature is another mind bender!  Kelvin temperature (abbreviated as K), is the scientific unit for temperature, and is often used to measure the color temperature of light, or more accurately, the measurement of the temperature of an object emitting black body radiation, also known as thermal radiation, or radiant heat as visible light.  All objects at a temperature greater than absolute zero emit some form of thermal radiation, although at room temperature the wavelength of this radiation is too large for the human eye to perceive.  Still confused?

 

Where have all the predators gone?

A study in Science put in perspective the current decline of predators and the affects of their loss on the environment.  The study was conducted by a international team of scientists whom looked at predators in terrestrial, freshwater and saltwater ecosystems.  The study concluded that "the loss of apex consumers is arguably humankind's most pervasive influence on the natural world." and claims that humankind has only seen the beginning changes that are occurring in ecosystems.  See why below!