Latest Aquarium News

Please find here short sections of the latest news in the Aquarium hobby and trade.

Worlds most expensive aquarium

6 December 2010 Do your think your aquarium was costly? Then you need to see this incredible tank! T-Rex Aquarium

Behind the scenes at the Monterey Bay Aquarium

25 January 2009
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Ocean Animals Class live from Monterey

Zebra danios are found to have rhythm

14 December 2008
PFK Article

Japanese scientists trace the evolution of the fancy goldfish

12 December 2008
Practical Fishkeeping informs us of a DNA study by Scientists in Japan. Which tells us how their fancy goldfish came to be bred into the form we see today.

The paper "An evolutionary origin and selection process of goldfish". Published in the Gene Journal shows the origins of fancy goldfish.

See PFK - Study shows origins of fancy goldfish for the interesting details.

THE INTERNATIONAL AQUATIC PLANTS LAYOUT CONTEST 2008

9 November 2008
The world famous aquatic planted tank contest results are now online. Each year over 1000 aquarists submit their gorgeous tanks for ranking and judges have the hard job of deciding who is the best in the world.

To see the top 27 world best tanks, go to aqua forest aquarium.

• The PDF file of the list of the top ranking aquarists are here (1-584) and here (585-1170).

DNA Multiscan revolution in aquarium disease detection

14 October 2008
The trade has been quietly developing a DNA test that can detect over 60 different organisms (from bacteria, through viruses, to fungi and parasites) in only 1.5 days. So whilst not yet available for individuals, it will currently bring huge rewards to importers of aquarium livestock and can only benefit the end customers - us!

See Aquarama Magazine article on this amazing and important development.

• Maybe one day it'll be available from your local fish shop?

Tetra launch new test kit

29 August 2008
Tetra this week have launched a new water test strip kit which expands on their 5in1 kit by adding the ability to test for Chlorine.
See our review - Tetra Test 6in1.

And you thought you had an Algae problem!

3 July 2008
Young recruits from the Chinese People's Liberation Army threw off their shoes and stood knee-deep in the thick green algae that has overwhelmed the Qingdao coastline. The pictures themselves are overwhelming, see the BBC news site here.

Cycle changes its bacteria formula

18 April 2008
No doubt due to increasing competition from the likes of Tetra Safestart and One and Only, Hagen's Nutrafin Cycle product has reformulated it's product. This product has been around for 25 years and whilst it never made any claims about its performance, it remained a popular item with the average aquarium shop if not with serious aquarists.

• See PFK for a video and more detail.

Largest Goldfish in Britain?

18 April 2008

Goldie is a 15 year old comet goldfish. He's 1 ft 3" long, 5" tall and weighs around 2 lbs. He could be a contender for the Guinness Book of World Records, but do you know of larger fish? Personally, I think Goldie has earned himself a tank upgrade! More info here

Shark Attack in Minnesota!

12 February 2008
In the Mall of America, a nine foot tiger shark attempted to eat a smaller 4.5 foot shark. Both sharks survived the ordeal. More info here.

Cure for Chytrid Fungus announced

30 October 2007

The BBC News article tells of a chemical compound that appears to cure amphibians of this serious fungus which is decimating amphibians to the point of extinction in the wild and in domestic aquariums worldwide.

Clown loach bred

26 October 2007

Scot fishkeeper Colin Dunlop, has provided photographic evidence for one of the first documented captive spawnings of the Clown loach, Chromobotia macracanthus. See PFK article.

Tropica release new plants

2 March 2007

Tropica add two new plants to their already large range of aquatic plants. This time it's a beautiful foreground or carpet plant with curled leaves called Pogostemon helferi from Thailand and an attractive background Echinodorus hybrid they call Echinodorus 'Red diamond'.

(c) Tropica.com

'Amphibian Ark' planned to save frogs

16th Feburary 2007

Scientists from around the world are meeting Thursday and Friday in Atlanta, USA to organize a worldwide effort to stem the deaths caused by the deadly Chytrid fungus by asking zoos, aquariums and botanical gardens to take in threatened frogs until the fungus can be stopped.

The aim of the group called Amphibian Ark is to prevent the world's more than 6,000 species of frogs, salamanders and sicilians from disappearing. Scientists estimate up to 170 species of frogs have become extinct in the past decade from the fungus and other causes, and an additional 1,900 species are seriously threatened.

See Yahoo News and the Times for more details.

[It is believed that the common frog pet, the African Clawed Frog, has helped spread this fungus across the world as it is a known carrier of the fungus and so doesn't die from it. Pet shops selling this frog untreated for the fungus are probably infecting the other aquatic pet frog, the Dwarf African Frog. Owners then perform water changes and may unwittingly infect their local gardens and water systems with the fungus. Which kills their local amphibian population.]

Tropica release new carpet plants

6 December 2006

Tropica have released news of some of their exciting plans for their company and of new plants for adding to your aquarium, including what must be a first - a carnivorous one!

It's nice to see more carpet plants being offered for sale to the keen planted Aquarium owner and I'm sure these plants will be a great success.

• Recommended read.

Tropica - Newsletter PDF

--Quatermass 05:02, 6 December 2006 (CST)