Thursday, December 20, 2012

Episode 36: Angelic Mysteries: Unlocking the Secrets of Angelfish Species and Varieties

This podcast episode delves into some of the "mysteries" of angelfish species and genetics. There are so many established and new varieties of angelfish, all beautiful in their own right, it can be difficult to keep track of them all! And beyond appearance, for you "CSI" types, what makes an angelfish "blushing" or "veiled" at the genetic level? Matt Pedersen, Senior Editor of AMAZONAS and CORAL Magazine, and Associate Publisher with their parent company, Reef To Rainforest Media, LLC, discusses these "mysteries" with us. His article in the most recent issue of AMAZONAS goes into more detail, but this podcast is a great primer! Here are some angelfish pics courtesy of Matt Pedersen, to whet your appetite:
Koi Angelfish (c) Matt Pedersen
Pair of Silver Angelfish (c) Matt Pedersen Who hasn't ever watched a pair of angelfish and/or had one or two in their own tank?

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Aquariumania Musings--Dec 18, 2012

Friends, 

Thanks for all your interest, and hopefully you are enjoying the most recent podcasts of Aquariumania at http://www.petliferadio.com/aquariumania.html . Our next podcast will focus on freshwater angelfish--so keep an eye out for it, and follow us!

I wanted to update you on some interesting goings-on here at the University of Florida's Tropical Aquaculture Laboratory and beyond. . . . .

1. Some of you may have listened to "Episode 34: Banggai Cardinalfish Adventures with Journalist Ret Talbot" and learned about the work being done with the Banggai cardinalfish.  Well, the troops involved are getting closer to finalizing our information and we hope to have the "Banggai Rescue" book available sometime within the next few months next year, so stay tuned.  The Banggai Rescue project has been a fascinating adventure, and hopefully our findings will help spark renewed interest in this remarkable species.  Go to: https://www.facebook.com/BanggaiRescue for the latest information.

2. The "Rising Tide Conservation Initiative" spearheaded by SeaWorld-Busch Gardens Foundation (http://www.seaworld.org/rising-tide/index.htm) is still going strong, with the help of our numerous academic, industry, AZA, and other partners. As research into breeding these more challenging marine aquarium species--to help increase sustainable options for the hobby and industry--continues, we will have our first graduate student joining the team to begin work on butterflyfish.  Stay tuned to Dr. Matt Wittenrich's blog at: http://risingtideconservation.blogspot.com/ and become a follower!

3. Although I am an aquatic veterinarian, I did start my journey in veterinary school with a great group of colleagues who shared a common love for helping maintain the health of animals, people, and our environment. Three friends and I recently published a novel inspired by our time in veterinary school--where we had to learn everything about all animals--dogs, cats, horses, cows, pigs, sheep, goats, chickens, and for many of us with "wilder" interests, many exotic terrestrial and aquatic animals as well!  
An Animal Life: The Beginning is a scientific medical mystery (animals and people are dying) and a quest for True Love (with a real cowboy) that unfolds as newbie first-year students struggle to survive the academic gauntlet of veterinary school.  If you love animals and ever wondered about going to vet school, here’s your chance to experience the joys and challenges without being kicked, scratched or bitten and at 0.00001% the cost of tuition. Go to: AnAnimalLife.com to find out more about our book and our lives as students!  The book is also available as an ePub.  Enjoy!

More to come. . . . .
Dr. Roy Yanong, VMD