Reef Builders - The Source for Reef Keeping Information

About 3 1/4 miles off the coast of Miami there lies a cemetery. It has enough for over 125,000 remains when all is said and done. Located about 45 feet down below the water’s surface. How does one end up down there? “The ashes are mixed with cement designed for underwater use and fitted into a mold, which a diver then places and secures into the reef. A copper and bronze plaque is installed with the person’s name, date of birth and death. There is also a line for a message.” The cost of placement starts at $995 (which isn’t bad) and can go as high as $6495 for those who want to be placed inside the base of a lion statue for all eternity.

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The Australian Marine Conservation Society is astonished by this proposal, in which Queensland’s fisheries department (DPI&F) plans to legitimise one of the most unsustainable forms of fishing on the planet - shark fin fishing. With over 90% of the world’s sharks and other big fish gone from our oceans, this project is unsustainable, unethical and will be flatly rejected by the Australian public.

Not only is the Queensland Government proposing to hand out specific fishing licenses for shark fin fishing, which will entrench the practice for years, they are planning to legitimise shark finning in the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area and in the Marine Parks of Moreton Bay and the Great Sandy Straits with this new license proposal.

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“Sometime in the next few months, work crews are expected to begin spelling ”SAVE THE REEFS” in block letters up to eight feet tall in water 30 feet deep.

The letters will be formed by 13,000 circular modules of concrete and limestone — each weighing about 700 pounds — anchored eight feet below the ocean floor to withstand major storms. The entire message is expected to take up an area the size of 40 football fields.

When completed people flying out of Miami International Airport will be able to see `SAVE OUR REEFS’ on the bottom of the ocean on a good, clear day.”

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We didn’t notice this until today, but Neptune Systems has quietly dropped the price of the Aqua Controller 3 pro’s retail price to $499, from $799 previously. This is most likely because of the impending release of the new Reef Keeper elite or a new pro model in the works? We for one, welcome competition.

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“One and Only Nitrifying Bacteria for saltwater aquaria is the result of the latest scientific knowledge on nitrifying bacteria
Through experience, and confirmed by research, establishing the biological filter in a newly set-up saltwater aquarium can take a long time, longer than a freshwater aquarium, especially in the case of nitrite.

Even aquaria without fish, such as coral-only tanks, can experience high ammonia and nitrite concentrations. Why? Because these tanks typically contain liverock and if the liverock is not ‘cured’ well there will still be a lot of organic material on it which decays into ammonia…”

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Nutramar Ogo promises not to compromise water quality, we are wondering if that means leaking phosphates into your aquarium water like most green and purple nori does. Said to be packed with amino acids, Vitamin C, zinc, unsaturated fatty acids, and a variety of other essential vitamins and minerals. Bagged in the United States and re-hydrates to about 10 times its dry weight. Available at select LFS, retail is about $15 a bag.

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Say hello to the new wet-dry system from Berliner. This baby can handle systems for both fresh and saltwater. Choose 100% Berlin, 100% bio-ball or 50/50 combination. Features a noise reducing chamber, protein skimmer return port, super-flow capacity weir rated to over 2,000 gph, and an 18 gallon capacity sump. Measures just 11-1/4″ wide x 30″ long x 18″ high. Retail is $499. Available now.

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Tired of cleaning your round aquarium glass? Bummed because there isn’t a mag-float for the job? Worry no more. The Mag-Float 20 is sure to cure your round glass needs. Just like the normal mag-float, this sweet tool is made for round aquariums. Retail is about $10 and available now at most LFS and online. For all round/fishbowl tank sizes having a maximum surface thickness of 3/8″. Safe on glass or acrylic. Measures 2″ diameter x 1-1/2″.

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Marineland finally enters the reef world with the release of the Marineland Marine Series Advanced In-Sump Skimmers. With two models to choose from ranging from 100 gallon capacity to 300 gallon capacity these skimmers use the tried and tested needlewheel design, they claim that these are easy to adjust. Retail is $199, and $299 respectively. Can marineland compete with the likes of Euro Reef, Deltec or others? We don’t think so, Spectrum Brands (the mother company that owns Marineland) would do better to launch a new premium reef brand.

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Reef Ramblings: Clamming Around
Part II: Spawning Tridacnids
Adam Blundell M.S.

Introduction
In the previous article I covered the many reasons why hobbyists would be interested in keeping Tridacnid clams.To sum up that article, Tridacnids are a perfect animal for captive care. For the more advanced hobbyists, or at least the more adventurous hobbyists, Tridacnid clams are potentially wonderful animals to aquaculture, experiment, and study.

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