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New Research Reveals What Many Aquarists Already Knew

Some of the things that the scientific community is “discovering” are things that have been known for years by reef hobbyists.  I’ve been reading through some articles about recently published studies. A couple of them really got my attention as things that many hobbyist already know, just from keeping aquariums in their homes.

Distressing Damsels

Threespot DamselAsk a long time reef aquarist about keeping damselfish in a reef aquarium…they will probably tell you that damsels are aggressive, and sometimes destructive to a reef aquarium community.  A study recently published on PLoSONE.org found that Threespot Damselfish are damaging coral reefs in their efforts to find new habitat.  Read More »

Oil on the Move – A Bleak Outlook for Florida Reefs and Beyond

Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill May 24, 2010Last week I received a disturbing call from one of our suppliers of Florida Cultured live rock. The companies dealing in the aquaculture business in Florida are being advised to move as much of their stock out of the water as possible as a precaution in the event oil spreading into the coastal waters where the rock is placed to culture.  It was a call I’ve been dreading…though the area has not yet been impacted by the massive spill, the impending possibility of the muck reaching the pristine waters makes me sick.

The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, off the coast of Louisiana, has now been determined to be the largest oil spill in US history, topping the disaster in Alaska in 1989 by Exxon. As BP continues to try and plug the hole, nearly a mile below the surface, the questions continue to flow with no real answers. No one knows exactly how much oil has spilled out or how much more will in the coming weeks. BP gives us numbers, but no specific amounts can be agreed upon. Read More »

D’oh! Why did I do that! – Aquarium Mishaps

How many times have we been working on our aquariums and done something that made us utter that phrase (or something more colorful, perhaps)? Maintaining aquariums can sometimes be a chore, and sometimes it can be downright dangerous, whether for us or for or fish. Bad things don’t just happen to newbies! I thought it might be interesting to find some examples of “oh, crap” moments, mostly from people who work at That Fish Place, just to show that even experts have bad days when it comes to keeping fish and corals. Read More »

Proper Handling of Aquarium Catfish – Avoiding Painful Pricks and Punctures

PimelodusHello everyone, Craig here again. If you have read some of my previous blogs, you know that I am a catfish fan. If it is weird and ugly, has whiskers and swims, I probably think it is one of the coolest things ever! Last night I was watching River Monsters. One of the trivia questions posed during a commercial break asked the show’s host what fish had given him his most painful injury. Though answer choices ranged included piranhas, catfish and others, and it was indeed the catfish that host Jeremy Wade said had given him his most painful injury. Apparently, one of the 8 inch barbs from an African species of catfish had run through the length of his finger. Having been stuck by my fair share of catfish (though much smaller species), I can say that a catfish spine can be an extremely painful injury with long-lasting effects. Read More »

Another Environmental Catastrophe Averted on the Great Barrier Reef

Blue Starfish (Linckia laevigata) resting on hard Acropora coral. Lighthouse, Ribbon Reefs, Great Barrier ReefThe Great Barrier Reef is the largest and most diverse coral reef in the world. The aquarium industry over the past few years has seen a growing list of fish and corals that have been made available from the Barrier Reef, and they’ve been some amazing specimens. The last thing anyone wants is anything damaging the pristine natural wonder, especially something so devastating as to restrict collection of fish and corals from selected areas again. Read More »