Green Blue Chromis Falls Victim to The AquaClear 70
By Brandon - 04/13/08

Well dang it! My last green chromis got sucked up into my powerhead during my monthly routine maintenance. I took the filter off the powerhead and forgot to put it back on, leaving the suction hole open. My chromis got a little to nosey, and fell victim to the hole.

I'll have to use this as an excuse for getting more fish. I'm thinking of getting a six line wrasse. They're pretty colorfull and the price seems right. Anyone have one?

Update: New site progress
By Brandon - 04/04/08

Since I started back at work, I havent had a lot of time to post updates to the site. Nor, Have I had much time to work on the new site. I have a lot of stories I'd like to share with everyone about my tank, and I will as soon as possible.

Tomarrow after I do my waterchanges I'll take some pictures of my corals to show you how my tank has progressed in the last couple months. My Candy Canes are BOOMING right now!

AAAHH! Attack Of The Giant StarFish. We're All Doomed
By Brandon - 03/31/08

These starfish are Huge!

Giant sea stars or starfish that measure 24 inches (60 centimeters) across are held by Sadie Mills, left, and Niki Davey of New Zealand's National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research on February 15, 2008.

They and other researchers collected 30,000 sea creatures—many new to science—during a 35-day census in Antarctic waters in February and March, according to a March 26 announcement.

The large-scale survey was part of the International Polar Year and Census of Antarctic Marine Life programs, which study the diversity of Antarctic marine life.

Giant Sea Spider



Collected from the Ross Sea shelf in southern Antarctica, this 9.8-inch-long (25-centimeter-long) giant sea spider was one of 30,000 animals found during a 35-day census in early 2008.

The marine arachnids, which prey on hydroids and bryzoans—branching, coral-like animals—are larger and more common in Antarctic waters than anywhere else on Earth.

Cold temperatures, few predators, and high levels of oxygen in seawater could explain their gargantuan size, Don Robertson of New Zealand's National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research told the Associated Press.

LINK

Water QualityTank update - Changing My Water Change Schedule
By Brandon - 03/23/08

So everybody knows that a good water change schedule is very important when keeping a saltwater reef tank. You want to give your live stock and corals a good, "breath of fresh air", so to speak by refreshing the trace minerals, calcium, etc.. by performing water changes. Keeps your inhabitats happy.

I have been doing 5 gallon water changes (10% of 50gallons) every week in my tank. But recently I have started working again making time somewhat of an issue. So to try and save time and to make it more convenient for me I decided to change my schedule to 10 gallons every two weeks.

I have noticed a change in the way my corals have been responding to the new WC schedule. They seem to be liking the water better in terms of blooming longer and reproducing. Call me crazy but it sure does seem that the corals like the water a little dirtier than normal.

Rabbit Fish To The Rescue Of The Reef
By Brandon - 03/22/08

I've been really trying to keep up on our natural coral reefs and thier decline. I found this to be somewhat iteresting.

“When a coral reef is weakened or damaged through human activity such as climate change or pollution or by a natural disaster like a cyclone, the coral will usually recover provided it is not choked by fast-growing marine algae,” explains Professor David Bellwood of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies and James Cook University.

Link