Image from Discovery News

Right now a group of four drones are crossing the Pacific to collect scientific data and capture a record while they’re at it. These drones are called Wave Gliders by the company who manufactures them, and the drones in this group have been dubbed Papa Mau, Benjamin, Fontaine Maru and Piccard Maru.

The group will be collecting data on the ocean surface which can be downloaded for free by scientists everywhere.

On top of the science, the drones will also make the Guinness Book of Records for the longest unmanned voyage at sea. The left San Francisco in November and will be traveling together until they near Hawaii. At this point they will split into groups of two for the rest of their journey. One group will be bound for Sydney Australia while the other will head for the Mariana Trench.

The drones are measuring salinity, water temperature, wave motion, weather, dissolved oxygen and fluorescence of the water.

Each glider carries surface instruments and instruments that dangle below in the water. They are powered by solar energy and can be controlled remotely, so they can last for extremely long periods at sea.

A California company called Liquid Robotics is to credit for building these drones which have already been successfully used for missions such as surveying the waters after the Deep Water Horizon oil spill.

Via: Discovery News

These aren’t by any means an uncommon coral in the industry these days, but colonies are definitely rare. Several companies have been working to propogate these beauties, but they only leave in the form of small expensive frags. I haven’t seen pricing for these cherries yet, but this is a rare chance for a couple of hobbyists to get a hold of some nice chunks of this sweet goniopora.

With today’s reef systems holding thousands of dollars worth of rock and corals. Adding an air back up system to your reef may be that peace of mind needed in today’s busy life.

The pictures show an air x air barb bulkhead along with bit and tap needed to install. This is very easy to do with reactors as well with sumps and display tanks. They also show installed on my fluidized Sand Filter key hole top so if power goes out i won’t loose my bio – bacteria.

When and if my power goes out my battery back up air pump will come on and feed oxygen and movement to my tank and all system parts.

A really great place to find all items needed to do this is Jehmco.com they have alot of neat things, good pricing, and great customer service.

Marine Flake-

Unique flake Formula for marine fish made from the finest natural seafood ingredients blended with several varieties of marine algae. Packed full of omega fatty acids and natural colour enhancing carotenoids.

Designed to compliment recirculated filtration systems.

Complete balanced diet for all captive coral reef species.

Available in 15 & 30g tubs and 200g pails

SPS Coral Food-

This Revolutionary food has been manufactured to a nanoplankton particle size of 2-20 microns, this is the perfect size range for feeding to small polyp stony corals. These particles are combined with colour enhanching carotenoids and unique feeding triggers that make the food irresistable to SPS corals.

Avaialble in 5g aluminium can complete with feeding equipment and instructions or 15g refill cans.

Live Phytoplankton-

First Bite Premium Reef Blend is produced using the latest bio-reactor technology by producing phytoplankton in this way we are able to control the concentration and overall quality of the finished product computers are constantly analyzing the product and feeding it the optimum level of nutrients to ensure that you get a finished product that is exactly what it says on the pack. Our live phytoplankton is produced on a weekly basis to ensure that your local stockist is able to buy fresh stocks.

Product must be kept refrigerated at 32 – 39°F (0 – 4°C) for optimum freshness 5 month shelflife from date of production..

Live phytoplankton needs to be vigorously shaken on a weekly basis to prevent packing down of the cells by doing this you will keep the product alive and in top condition.

Stay tuned for the full review as my fish and corals enjoy this new food over the next couple of weeks.

It doesn’t look like OCReef has any of these foods online yet, but we will keep you updated.

JBJ 8 Gallon Nano Cube RL Rimless Biotope Aquarium $169.99

Simple, Elegant and Assertive. The new JBJ rimless aquarium series sets a new standard in nano reefing . The RL-8 is designed for bigger visual impact for desktops, night stands and larger kitchen counters. The home décor friendly RL-8 comes complete with all the necessary Filtration and water flow for a healthy ecosystem. Lean back, relax and escape into this bounderless nano world.

Aquarium Specs:

• 8 Gallon Capacity
• 6 mm Bent Glass
• Tempered Glass Lid & Clips
• Dimensions: 11.8″ x 13.77″ x 13.77″ (30cm x 35cm x 35cm)

Filtration:

• Acrylic Filter Wall w/ Overflow
• Media Basket
• Mechanical Sponge
• Activated Carbon Sponge
• Biological Ceramic Rings
• Single return Nozzle
• Designated Heater Column

JBJ 30 Gallon Nano Cube RL Rimless Biotope Aquarium $309

Bold, Classy and Panoramic. The new JBJ rimless RL-30 offers a panoramic view of your aquarium. This luxurious mid-size tank features crystal clear water filtration and powerful water flow. Lean back, relax and enjoy the new classy addition to your deco.

Aquarium Specs:

• 30 Gallon Capacity
• 8 mm Bent Glass
• Tempered Glass Lid & Clips
• Dimensions: 23.62″ x 23.63″ x 20.47″ (60 cm x 60 cm x 52cm )

Filtration:

• Acrylic Filter Wall w/ Dual Overflows
• 3 stage filter Media basket
• Mechanical Sponges
• Activated Carbon Sponges
• Biological Ceramic rings
• Duo return Nozzle
• Designated Heater Column
• Designated Refugium Column

To test out Reef Tap’s plugs, I did what came natural and grabbed a  chunk of live rock to play with. It seems that they are useful in a fairly limited amount of hole sizes, but I easily found spots all over the rock where a plug could thread in and stay fairly securely. The key to this, as far as I could see, is the soft thread material. As Reef Taps are threaded in to the rock, the threads conform to what ever they meet and continue to grab. Some of these connections were so strong that I could hold the two-pound rock by the plug. Some were not even close to that strong, but they would most likely keep snails from removing them

Reef Tap plugs were not quite what I expected in good ways and bad ways. Their usefulness in limited hole sizes might make it hard to use on some rock, but they make up for this with great connections in the right sized hole. They may not be perfect, but for the reef keeper who doesn’t like using glue in their aquarium, they’re definitely better than any other plug.