So by now you probably already read my review of the Elos magnesium test kit . I know, I know, most of you out there are Salifert test kit die-hards like I was. Well, I decided I was going to break out of my norm and try out the Elos Primaline Calcium test kit. Why would I want to switch kits if everything seems so great with Salifert? Well, as I stated in the previous article, my slight colorblindness makes it hard for me to sometimes see the color shift on the Salifert tests.

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I have been reading some posts here and there about different test kits and I heard some good things being said about the Elos “Pro” test kits. Some of the positives were the accuracy and consistency of the kits. I have been a Salifert person since entering the hobby a few years back but I decided to pick up the Elos Primaline Magnesium (Mg) test kit and give it a try. Read the rest of this entry »

Have you ever wondered if you could breed saltwater fish like you did as a kid with your guppies?

Do your clown fish lay eggs but you have no idea how to get the little guys to survive?

Do you want to own more demanding species that require live foods like baby brine, pods, and rotifers but don’t want to pay for the food and would like to “grow your own”?

Well, now you can answer all those questions because this month Suzy’s Reef is coming to the UTMAS meeting to talk to us about breeding fish, and growing live food for the larvae.

Suzy Applegarth is an accomplished aquarist who has had many aquariums through out her time in the saltwater hobby. She has successfully raised sea horses in her home, and is involved with The Living Planet Aquarium.

Suzy has also raised many live foods for the fish she has breed and raised, and is coming to share the knowledge with us at the next meeting.

So come on down and join us for this awesome and informative meeting with one of our local gurus! This meeting will also have a raffle that includes products from Brine Shrimp Direct (BSD) in Ogden, and we always have a great raffle with tons of corals (Marine Aquatics, aka HighEndCorals).

In addition to this great talk we have boutique coral vendors (Like ReefKingdom) on site with lots of unique corals for sale.

So, some of you may already know that for the last 8 months I have been running a DIY LED fixture over the center of my 210g tank. And, you may have been wondering, is that it? Is he really going to leave it like that? Well, no of course not! And in this article I will go into detail of how I took my tank lighting to the next level with the build of two additional LED fixtures.  When finished, the plan is to be running three 108W LED pendants on the tank.

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So, if you had to name one person who has seen more LED designs over the last few years, who would it be?

Well I know who first came to my mind…The senior editor of ReefBuilders.com, Jake Adams!

Well, guess what? UTMAS is bringing Jake to SLC so you can see and hear his brand new presentation on LED aquarium lighting based on all his years of examining and testing various LED systems. Jake says this is not going to be any lightweight fluffy presentation and that you should come with beverage in hand and find a comfortable seat…it is going to be one of the best presentations of the year for sure!

So, where and when can you come hear this great presentation? Well at the next UTMAS meeting of course! It’s being held February 17th at the Living Planet Aquarium in Sandy at 7PM. I suggest you come a little early as this will be a crowded meeting for sure!

And if that is not enough, this presentation is open and free to everyone, young or old, member and non-member alike.

So, mark your calendar, and come down for a great presentation!

Jake Adams is a professional, practicing aquarist who has been an active participant in the national marine aquarium community for about 15 years. Jake has a Bachelor’s Degree in Marine Science and he is the senior editor of ReefBuilders.com.

So, the guys over at Wired Science just published an article telling why Seahorses are “S”-shaped. You see, evidently it is all about their ability to stretch out to capture prey which gives them a 30% advantage over their cousins the pipefish. Basically, this ability to stretch out further than it seems is an advantage in surprising their prey who don’t expect them to be able to reach out that far. You can read more about it on the Wired Science page.

Well, we told you that 2011 was going to be an awesome new year for UTMAS with more fun, learning, and opportunities to grow in the hobby…and here is the first example.

This photo was taken while I was doing research on living echinoids and crinoids in Palau (Jan 2010). The animal in my hand is the crinoid (feather star) Oxycomanthus bennetti

At our meeting on January 20, 2011 we will be featuring an awesome talk from none other than the starfish and urchin expert himself, Forest Gahn.

Forest is an invertebrate paleontologist that specializes in the evolutionary ecology of marine life, especially echinoderms. After completing his PhD at the University of Michigan and a post-doc in the Smithsonian’s Department of Paleobiology, he joined the geology faculty at Brigham Young University—Idaho (2006). While at BYUI, he was asked to oversee the installation of a 125-gallon reef aquarium, which provided his introduction to the “hobby.” Forest has integrated his newfound passion for reef aquaria with his research interests, and has successfully kept all five classes of living echinoderms. Moreover, he has an active research program involving captive echinoids and crinoids (sea urchins and feather stars). His work has been published in Integrative and Comparative Biology, Paleobiology, PNAS, Science, and featured in National Geographic, MSNBC, Science News, and Smithsonian magazine.

Forest will be addressing the general biology of echinoderms and his experience with the captive care of all five echinoderm classes, including feather stars, sea stars, cucumbers, and urchins. In addition to general physiology, he will discuss feeding, reproduction, and the pros and cons of keeping various echinoderms in aquaria.

So, make sure not to miss this meeting, it is going to be awesome!

(click here for more meeting details)

So, some of you may know that I was lucky enough to be sent to Lisbon, Portugal on business last month. While I was there, I was able to squeeze in a few hours at the Oceanário Lisbon before my flight left that Saturday afternoon. While there I filmed some of this incredible public aquarium on my iPhone4 and then edited it together to share with all of you. Enjoy!

Oceanario Lisbon

So, if you are at all like me, you like to tinker, but you hate the idea of having to build something completely from scratch.

For me I like to equate it to my fun in RC Airplanes. I have built about four kits in my lifetime, from pre-cut punch-out parts of a trainer to the near finished ARF foam electric flyer. What I have always avoided, however, is a scratch built kit. Thats because it just seems like you have no idea where to start and you fear you will never complete it.

This is exactly how my reef-hobby-projects go. I love putting together parts, but to scratch build a tank or a skimmer is not something I want to take on. Well, today I found the coolest site for guys like us…www.AvastMarine.com!

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I just wanted to send thanks and well-wishes to all my fish friends here at UTMAS and everywhere else. I am also very thankful that my wife Nancy and son Diego share in my joy of reefkeeping and tolerate my obsession with it. Their love for the hobby makes it so much more fun and rewarding for me.

Have a great day with your family…and your fish!