Frag'd It » Coral

MACNA XXI, HERE WE COME

vlad — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 21:46:51 +0000

Its already upon us folks. MACNA XXI in Orlando Florida! A perfect way to kick off the reefing season. Need to know what is hot and what is, well… blacklisted? Then you need to tune in to this channel for all the latest in fish, gadgetry, and conservation! We will have buckets full of pictures to fill your soul! So do not miss out.The crazyness starts September 3rd and fizzles on the 5th. Hope to see you all here!

Vlad and Jeff

Torch Me, Aussie

vlad — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 23:47:20 +0000

Don’t need to adjust your browsers, everything is normal. We are back in operation after a massive upgrade to our server. I guess it couldn’t take the heat or the traffic. Wimp!

So lets get back to business. First up, some great LPS for your liking. We have all seen the common Indonesian Euphyllia species (such as the Hammer and Octobubble), and its multiple color combinations. But have you had a chance to see its brilliant cousins from down under? Here is one of their bloodlines, the orange/gold E. glabrascens pictured by stoneyj33on ReefCentral:

photo by stoneyj33 on Reef Central

The best part about these corals is that they are super easy to take care of. Just give them enough flow and medium amount of light, and they will flourish.

Grafted Acropora Madness

vlad — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 22:10:14 +0000

While this is not a novel concept, to see a true grafted/fused coral is truly a treat. So when we found a picture of this dual colored Acropora on Reef Central, we had to show you all what we were excited about.

When you fuse two corals together properly, you can obtain a slew of new coral combinations. Sometimes you end up with two toned polyps. Other times, the coral ends up with a dual colored coenosteum. It is still unknown how the coral will adapt to the fusion, but it is always quite interesting.

This is why the coral in picture is really interesting to look at. It has a two toned coenosteum that resembles a painter’s brush stroke. The magic of nature at hand.

photo by werdlone on Reef Central

Yum. Pink Donuts!

vlad — Wed, 26 May 2010 19:36:07 +0000

We have all seen them at some point in the Local Fish Stores. No, Dunkin Donuts didn’t rent out a 4′x4′ space in your reef store. I am talking about the big fleshy corals that we call Cynarinas., most commonly the Cynarina deshayesiana. We tend to call them ‘doughnut’ or ‘button’ corals.

Over the years, we have seen amazing patterns and color combinations on these corals. Some too good to be true. That brings us to this pink beauty. brandleyj on Reef Central displayed his gem in full force:

photo by bradleyj on Reef Central

These corals tend to double in size during the daylight hours. So give them plenty of space, unless you want them to sting and kill your neighbouring corals. And sick fish, please be mindful of their mouths at night. They are prone to midnight snacking.

Until next time reefnecks!

This week’s frag-off

jeff — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 01:33:55 +0000

Green birdsnest! $5/LARGE frag, or FREE with a purchase of any colony!

I like to unwind on Friday by staring at some Euphyllia. Hope it relaxes you too!

More coral pics

jeff — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 01:31:39 +0000

Coral goes on sale Saturday. See something you like? Drop us a line.

Do You Really Need Carbon?

vlad — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 20:55:51 +0000

Do I turn it off at night? Can I change it after one month of use? Which brand is the best? Do I really need it for my reef?

Do those questions seem too familiar? I think most of you will find them to be frequently asked on reef forums. Sometimes at ad nauseum. So then what are the answers to those familiar questions?

While blog hunting not too long ago, I found a site that not only covers these types of topics, but is detailed in presenting its point across. The site? Joe Jaworski’s Weblog. Fortunately for our topic today, he doesn’t hold any detail to himself.

Here is one excerpt:

When it comes to organics, the world’s oceans maintain a perfect balance of metabolic waste removal through a series of natural recycling systems. Both the volume of water and the immense surface area provides a home for tens of thousands of species of macro and micro organisms that process these wastes. In the home aquarium, just a small fraction of these organisms can survive. Coupled with an extremely high specimen to water ratio, organics tend to accumulate in closed systems, and can reach concentrations orders of magnitude beyond natural ocean levels. Even with aggressive water changes, these organics can never be diluted enough to mimic the natural levels where our livestock has lived for thousands of years.

Joe’s post continued to explain how, why, and for how long we need to use carbon. You seriously need to give his highly enlightening and informative blog post on carbon a read. It will definitely want to make you change your carbon canister today.

Reefy News: Sunscreen And Its Negative Effects On Corals

vlad — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 21:26:27 +0000

Yes, we have been a bit too quiet here at the Fragd.it blog. We confess, we have been very busy with our online store. But rest assured that we will still bring you amazing stories and exciting reefkeeping ideas on your screen.

As well, we thank our loyal readers for bringing up cool and informative stories to our attention. (Such as this one, thank you Dennis).

A National Geographic article suggests that a study has been completed on how sunscreen can trigger a virus that can ultimately kill a coral. Apparently, the chemicals in your sunscreen can cause a virus to replicate at a rapid level, and thus quickly killing the coral. Please check your sunscreen bottles, and be mindful of these ingredients:

Several brands of popular sunscreens were tested and all had four ingredients in common: paraben, cinnamate, benzophenone, and a camphor derivative.

As well, this article explained that in terms of the amount of sunscreen being diluted into the oceans:

The researchers estimate that 4,000 to 6,000 metric tons of sunscreen wash off swimmers annually in oceans worldwide, and that up to 10 percent of coral reefs are threatened by sunscreen-induced bleaching.

For the rest of the article, please click on here.

What can you do? Look for biodegradable sunscreenat your local health food store. Don’t cheap out on the health of our oceans and corals. You can make a simple change, and help not spead this virus.

Elusive corals!

vlad — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 00:31:06 +0000

Recenty, I have been chatting with my fellow reefers about certain types of elusive, hard to find corals. Like the Purple Monsters, red acroporas, assie chalices. Why? Because we were lucky enough to get a hold of a larger colony of the Strawberry Shortcake acropora, and a big bertha of a Miami Hurricane chalice. Quite the haul!

So what have you been looking to find? What is your elusive, hard to find coral? Please do share!

Reefy News: New Research Results On Coral and Climate Change

vlad — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 20:26:51 +0000

As written in Science Dailyon Jan 10 2010, there is new research that suggests that corals around the world have the ability to rebound from global climate changes. A study by the University of Exeter published on Jan. 11, 2010 in the journal ‘PLoS ONE’, showed that protected reefs were much more resilient to climate changes than those in non-protected reefs. The article explains:

The researchers conducted surveys of ten sites inside and outside marine reserves of the Bahamas over 2.5 years. These reefs have been severely damaged by bleaching and then by hurricane Frances in the summer of 2004. At the beginning of the study, the reefs had an average of 7% coral cover. By the end of the project, coral cover in marine protected areas had increased by an average of 19%, while reefs in non-reserve sites showed no recovery.