If you don’t know Odyssey’s videos, you’re missing out. His youtube channel is an amazing resource full of some of my favorite Stiphodon and Rhinogobius shot in the wild. It’s amazing to see the Percnopterygionus and Atropurpureus I keep at home, in their native habitat. Here’s a couple more of his recent videos:

I love this new macro lense for my iPhone.

Unfortunately, the Red Devils do show a bit of a cannibalistic streak. There were fruit flies in the tank, as well as the worms and isopods that live in the soil, but this adult chose to grab a younger crab instead. The crab actually tried to fight off my tongs when I went in to separate them, and only relinquished his prey after a forceful push and pull. It’s possible they instinctually need larger prey than fruit flies, or that they respond to over crowded territory this way. I’m not really sure what to make of it, but have seen it several times before.

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I’ve been keeping Geosesarma crabs now for many months, and they’ve been steadily reproducing in the paludarium. But except for one rare occasion, I haven’t actually seen them complete the mating ritual. This weekend, I was lucky enough to catch them on film.

The eggs have been in a 2.5 gallon tank with an air driven sponge and powerhead for the past week, with water pouring over them. They generally take around 10-12 days to hatch. Today, the first of the bunch started hatching out.

In the photo above you can see the tail of the first one to hatch, as it is struggling to escape it’s shell. Below, a video of the same scene, in which you can see several individuals twitching.

Interestingly enough, the hatch is starting today on a full moon, and started late in the afternoon. Being a thorough fishkeeper, Ricky has tracked his last few hatchings, all which have fallen within 24 hours of a full moon. Makes you wonder…

Msjinkzd.com

ARS Technica has an article about Jumping spiders, and a study that investigates how they see their prey. A very interesting read, check it out.

Jumping spiders pounce using blurry green images of prey

I was just checking out this great video showing the benefits of starting planted tanks from marginally grown wabi-kusa. Who’s got a link to the substrate mix?

ADA View 46

It already seems so long ago that the massive earthquakes struck Japan last March, and it’s impossible to imagine the condition that the most affected regions must still be in. What you might not realize about the event, was that it kept going, and going. The area continued to quake all year long, at what would seem like an elevated rate after the March event. The video above is an excellent visualization of the activity over the year and really illustrates how much pounding the Japanese coast has taken in the past 12 months.

And as a bonus, here’s a video I found on Youtube of the crabs in the wild in Java.

Find out more about this marginal stem plant from Cuba over at AquariaCentral.com.

The fourth and final installment of Adventures in Aquascaping hit the shelves this month, with the release of the August issue of Tropical Fish Hobbyist. Available now online, and in stores in the first week of July. I’ve just finished a 45 gallon paludarium for my new Geosesarma Crabs. This month, check out the finishing touches, planting, and the introduction of crabs and shrimp.

If you are a TFH Digital subscriber, the digital magazine page is http://www.tfhdigital.com/tfh/201108#pg39 but for anyone without a subscription, you can also find it at Barnes & Noble, and on select news stands nationwide. For all you iPhone fans out there, you can also read the article via TFH’s new iPhone app, which is free and comes with 3 free issues!

Don’t forget to check out the TFH AIA Blog for a full tank shot and a quick plants list. And if you missed last months article, check out how I used cork to build up the hardscape.

Keep an eye out for continued coverage, including more photos, video, and a review of the Reef Brite LED fixtures that I’ve been testing. And if you like plants, take a peak of the list of plants I posted, along with links and photos.

There are many things to consider when building a paludarium, but I think one of the most important aspects to any habitat is the choice of plants. The 45 gallon tank I’ve been building for my Red Devil crabs contains over 30 species of tropical plants, including ferns, mosses, orchids and many creeping vines. I’ve compiled a partial list here, with a few links to information and pictures around the web that are a good starting point, to get to know some of these fantastic plants. I’ll be adding links as I find interesting information, let me know if you’ve got anything good for me to read or add. Thanks to all of the growers who, in one way or another, contributed plants to this project. They come from magical, distant places, like Hawaii, New Jersey, Ohio, and Times Square.

See a list of the plants, and a gallery of photos, after the jump…

Terrestrial Plants

Aquatic Plants

The third installment of Adventures in Aquascaping hit the shelves this month, with the release of the July issue of Tropical Fish Hobbyist. Available now online, and in stores in the first week of June. I’m building a 45 gallon paludarium to house a gang of Geosesarma Crabs. This month, see how I cover the plumbed insert with cork bark and prepare it for final planting. If you missed last months article, check out a few photos of the plumbing.

If you are a TFH Digital subscriber, the digital magazine page is http://www.tfhdigital.com/tfh/201107#pg35 but for anyone without a subscription, you can also find it at Barnes & Noble, and on select news stands nationwide. Don’t forget to check out the TFH AIA Blog for a few other details this month, including the problem I had with my float away island. The remedy: Gorilla Glue!

Keep an eye out for continued coverage, including my upcoming plant list with links and photos galore and a review of the Reef Brite LED fixtures that I’ve been testing.

An interesting article about the Asian demand for live reef fish and the aquaculture market that is rising to try and meet the needs of Restauranteurs throughout the region.

The demand for live coral grouper completely exceeds supply. If demand keeps up, you won’t see this species in the wild in three to five years.
- Lloyd Moskalik, OceanEthix

My Buddy Ricky has some amazing fish, and has really turned me on to a few of my now favorite species. His Sicyopterus have started showing their breeding colors, after 2 years of waiting. This video is not to be missed!
http://youtu.be/trADVwjIpK4

And check out more of Ricky’s amazing 90 gallon Goby tank over at his thread on Aquaria Central.