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

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.

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.

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.

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!

2014-04-28 Deal of the Day

Sale at Petsolutions.com

http://www.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!