Anyways, if you have an EcoTech Marine VorTech system, this is for you- to control your light and pump from your phone!
http://www.marinedepot.com
2014年4月30日 星期三
2014-04-30 Deal of the Day
So I've seen this gadget on shows like Tanked- EcoTech marine Vortech controller. Ok maybe not exactly the same thing (I think what they had was the LED online control from Aqua Illumination)
Anyways, if you have an EcoTech Marine VorTech system, this is for you- to control your light and pump from your phone!
http://www.marinedepot.com
Anyways, if you have an EcoTech Marine VorTech system, this is for you- to control your light and pump from your phone!
http://www.marinedepot.com
2014-04-30 Seller Spotlight- Livefish.com (AU)
Sometimes I like to compare the fish variety and prices provided by various suppliers and sellers in the trade internationally. I found this website: https://www.livefish.com.au located in Australia. And I must say I am really surprised by their pricing, but please read on...
First of all Australian currency's conversion is roughly $1USD to $.90AUD, so whatever price you see, basically consider it 10% off of the price in USD.
That said, one would still imagine that a country sits right on top of world's largest barrier reef would have much cheaper price- not so much!
And here is the reason: You cannot collect in the GBR!
http://www.gbrmpa.gov.au/visit-the-reef/responsible-reef-practices/collecting
So Australia, like us, also rely heavily on imports of the other APEC nations. This means shipping charge, duty, middlemen, duty, wholesale, duty, ..... well you get the picture!
In conclusion, if you are a Reef aquarium freak and thinking you can move to Brisbane and just gather your own fish, you might need to rethink that.
First of all Australian currency's conversion is roughly $1USD to $.90AUD, so whatever price you see, basically consider it 10% off of the price in USD.
That said, one would still imagine that a country sits right on top of world's largest barrier reef would have much cheaper price- not so much!
And here is the reason: You cannot collect in the GBR!
http://www.gbrmpa.gov.au/visit-the-reef/responsible-reef-practices/collecting
So Australia, like us, also rely heavily on imports of the other APEC nations. This means shipping charge, duty, middlemen, duty, wholesale, duty, ..... well you get the picture!
In conclusion, if you are a Reef aquarium freak and thinking you can move to Brisbane and just gather your own fish, you might need to rethink that.
2014年4月29日 星期二
2014-04-29 Deal of the Day-Acan
Ok, I really don't understand why are Acan frags so freaking expensive! I have kept them and they grow really fast for me!
Anywho, I found this on Pacific East Aquaculture and man is this a gem!
And $89 price tag for a frag of this size- 12 heads, is a steal~
http://www.pacificeastaquaculture.com
If you have never kept Acan, here are some tips:
Water quality- the usual reef parameter- no trace of nitrate.
Water Temperature, I would say that the polyps and tentacles expands the best when it's slightly cooler at around 75-77
Calcium- it is a large polyp stony coral so you need adequate amount of it
Light- T-5 seems to be the universally best light source. If you use LED or Metal Halide, make sure to place them medium to bottom. The color will become very light and eventually bleach out when there is too much light. They can actually do pretty well in dimmer condition because you can also supplement their energy by spot feeding- I've used a turkey baster to feed them grind up shrimp, mysis shrimp, spiraling enhanced brine shrimp, etc.
One word of warning, do not put them on sand, especially if you have something in your tank who likes to stir up the sand, they get irritated by sand quite easily.
Anywho, I found this on Pacific East Aquaculture and man is this a gem!
And $89 price tag for a frag of this size- 12 heads, is a steal~
http://www.pacificeastaquaculture.com
Water quality- the usual reef parameter- no trace of nitrate.
Water Temperature, I would say that the polyps and tentacles expands the best when it's slightly cooler at around 75-77
Calcium- it is a large polyp stony coral so you need adequate amount of it
Light- T-5 seems to be the universally best light source. If you use LED or Metal Halide, make sure to place them medium to bottom. The color will become very light and eventually bleach out when there is too much light. They can actually do pretty well in dimmer condition because you can also supplement their energy by spot feeding- I've used a turkey baster to feed them grind up shrimp, mysis shrimp, spiraling enhanced brine shrimp, etc.
One word of warning, do not put them on sand, especially if you have something in your tank who likes to stir up the sand, they get irritated by sand quite easily.
2014-04-29 Deal of the Day- Snow Onyx Clown
I know many of you probably have heard of "designer clowns"
This guy name Kris, started an ambitious project to breed them in Madison WI.
check out this site:
http://alphaaquaculture.com/store/index.php/
And checkout this Gorgeous fish!
http://alphaaquaculture.com/store/index.php/fish/clown-fish/fea-snowonyx-21.html
I have personally visited his facility. Although the business is at its start-up stage, Kris has years of saltwater fish breeding and coral propagating experience. He began to breed them so much at home that one day it just hit him- why not take his passion to the next level and breed these amazing clowns so everyone else can also have them!
Kris would drive from breeder to breeders in the country and hand-pick the most beautiful babies to be his brood stock. He will then carefully design, pari, and mate them. Currently his facility houses over 30,000 fish and is shipping not only the continental U.S., but also worldwide to HongKong, Japan, etc.
I have personally observed the feed preparation and their food mix so I know they take great care of these fish and they are all grown with the best nutrition possible.
Lastly, almost all of his clownfish were handpicked from different sources and have not been breeding the second generation, you do not need to worry about the genetic defects from in-breeding like you would receive from many other aquaculture fish farms.
They may not be cheap, but his clowns comes with a hint of neon blue, would definitely capture the eyes of any guest you have over.
This guy name Kris, started an ambitious project to breed them in Madison WI.
check out this site:
http://alphaaquaculture.com/store/index.php/
And checkout this Gorgeous fish!
I have personally visited his facility. Although the business is at its start-up stage, Kris has years of saltwater fish breeding and coral propagating experience. He began to breed them so much at home that one day it just hit him- why not take his passion to the next level and breed these amazing clowns so everyone else can also have them!
Kris would drive from breeder to breeders in the country and hand-pick the most beautiful babies to be his brood stock. He will then carefully design, pari, and mate them. Currently his facility houses over 30,000 fish and is shipping not only the continental U.S., but also worldwide to HongKong, Japan, etc.
I have personally observed the feed preparation and their food mix so I know they take great care of these fish and they are all grown with the best nutrition possible.
Lastly, almost all of his clownfish were handpicked from different sources and have not been breeding the second generation, you do not need to worry about the genetic defects from in-breeding like you would receive from many other aquaculture fish farms.
They may not be cheap, but his clowns comes with a hint of neon blue, would definitely capture the eyes of any guest you have over.
2014年4月28日 星期一
2014-04-28 Livestock Spotlight
LiveAquaria generally has decent price with very healthy animals- especially the divers den area.
Checkout this blue face angel. I do think you can probably find another blue face somewhere else to beat this price. But not with the 14 day guarantee!
http://www.liveaquaria.com/diversden
Chances are if you are ready to invest $300 on a blue face, you are a seasoned fish keeper and probably know most of what you need to know. But just in case- Please do NOT purchase this fish unless you have an aquarium well over 200 Gallons.
This fish is also not quite reef safe as it may nip on some corals and will eat sponges.
Oh, and you probably want to put this fish no earlier than any other peaceful species as it is very territorial. Give it a rich, high protein, and high algae, high sponge diet!
Checkout this blue face angel. I do think you can probably find another blue face somewhere else to beat this price. But not with the 14 day guarantee!
http://www.liveaquaria.com/diversden
This fish is also not quite reef safe as it may nip on some corals and will eat sponges.
Oh, and you probably want to put this fish no earlier than any other peaceful species as it is very territorial. Give it a rich, high protein, and high algae, high sponge diet!
2014-04-28 Deal of the Day
Sale at Petsolutions.com
Most online sales are pretty lame- with hard to sell items or things people don't really care to buy.
But it is on sales you can find some needed supply such as food. Check it out! Free Shipping with orders over $49
2014-04-28 Livestock of the Day-Cleaners!
Reef Cleaner Packs!
I have heard a lot of positive feedbacks on this website:
http://www.reefcleaners.org
Find Snails, crabs, hermit crabs, starfish, urchins, macro algae, anything that helps keep your aquarium's waste level down, and glass (relatively) clear of algae.
I think with the prices they have, you can easily spend 3 or 4 times the amount on the same pack of critters! If you have a large enough tank, it's definitely worth the while to order a large package from them. Shipping if free if your order is larger than $175. So a group buy will always be nice to help eliminate this cost!
I have heard a lot of positive feedbacks on this website:
http://www.reefcleaners.org
Find Snails, crabs, hermit crabs, starfish, urchins, macro algae, anything that helps keep your aquarium's waste level down, and glass (relatively) clear of algae.
2014-04-28 Fish Finds!
I have never tried to purchase livestock from Ebay before (I didn't even thought it was possible)!
But I've began to see more and more offers available. The most important thing is to find a reputable seller, make sure the reviews and feedbacks checkout.
Here is a gorgeous Betta fish for sale by Aquaworld68, with 91% positive rating. In my opinion, that is really good. If you sell enough livestock, you will end up with some negative feedbacks no matter how good your livestock and service is- most of it is the delivery's fault, too much air temp shift, too much agitation, too long of a delay, etc can all result in the livestock being distressed and die. And when that happens, it's entirely up to the grace of the seller to save their own reputation by righting the wrong caused by the delivery services.
2014年4月27日 星期日
2014-04-27 Livestock of the Day-2
Check out this cute possum wrasse! http://www.liveaquaria.com/diversden/ItemDisplay.cfm?c=2733+3&ddid=225424
I have great experience ordering from LiveAquaria before so I would definitely recommend anyone to try them out.
Caution- All wrasses jump! They are jumpers! Please make sure you have good protection device in place for your tank before you order this little dude.
Possum wrasse are cute and wonderful to interact with. They can be a bit shy and timid so make sure they are in before you put any more aggressive "reef safe" fish in there such as dwarf angels and tangs.
The one thing you don't have to worry with wrasses is diet. I have never lost a wrasse due to not eating! If kept right, they can be in your tank for years!
I have great experience ordering from LiveAquaria before so I would definitely recommend anyone to try them out.
Possum wrasse are cute and wonderful to interact with. They can be a bit shy and timid so make sure they are in before you put any more aggressive "reef safe" fish in there such as dwarf angels and tangs.
The one thing you don't have to worry with wrasses is diet. I have never lost a wrasse due to not eating! If kept right, they can be in your tank for years!
$10 Deals! Saltwaterfish.com
Checkout the $10 Deals from http://www.saltwaterfish.com
The only catch is you must order $149 to get free shipping.
So this could be a really great win for group purchase~
2014-04-28: Livestock of the Day 1
From Pacific East Aquaculture- This beautiful Gold Wall Hammer Coral is amazing!
I've been seeing more and more Gold Wall Hammer Corals surface the market recently. If you have always had good luck keeping LPS, please take this before someone else does!
For its color and size- actually not a bad deal at $199
Some Facts about Wall Hammer Coral-Euphyllia ancora
Hammer Corals are also known as Anchor Corals (the word ancora in its name), it is a large polyp stony coral in the Euphyllia family that includes frogspawn- http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2012/10/corals
To successfully keep this coral happy- you must have:
Temperature- 75-80F (23-27C)- I've found them to be quite tolerable to temperature swings, but they will not open up happily if it's too hot or too cold
Calcium-350-450ppm- I've found them to generally inflate more when calcium level is lower
Alkalinity-7-10
pH-8.0-8.4- Higher pH can induce faster growing as Calcium require good pH level to infuse with carbonate and magnesium. Be sure to have high oxygen level to maintain ideal pH.
Nitrate-No trace- This is a duh~
Lighting- High to Moderate-I've found them to be quire tolerant of wide variety of light condition as well. But in general the brighter the light, the better the growth. Personally I believe they do the best under high output T-5 or LED. They do OK under power compact but not much growth. With Metal Halide you need to move them lower otherwise they will bleach from overexposure. And please do not keep them in normal florescent light.
Waterflow-High to moderate- Because of the elaborate tissue, it does require stronger current to agitate the water column to ensure constant oxygen supply.
Acclimation- Honestly, unless yours or the supplier's water is severely messed up in parameters, I have never need to "drip" acclimate these things. I've always float them, make sure the water temp matches up, then simply open the bag and toss them in. I must say that take caution in mixing the seller's water into your tank as you don't know what kind of disease it comes with. So I generally take the coral out and toss the seller's water away. I also recommend a quick dip before you introduce the coral into your tank-Careful not to use too much iodine