Current Issue Comments

STOPPING THE VOLITANS PLAGUE
I knew that Volitans Lionfish were loose in the Bahamas, but Matt Wittenrich’s stunning article and photography made it all too shockingly real (Lionfish in the Atlantic, September/October).
Whether or not amateur marine aquarium keepers are to blame for releasing this species, it now seems clear that this is an invasive that could turn into a true biological horror story with repercussions reaching into our own lives.
All of us who value our rights to buy and keep marine livestock must understand the backlash that could come from this, including calls to ban the importation and sale of “possibly invasive” fish and corals. By the most extreme definition, all non-native species are “possibly invasive” unless proven otherwise.
CORAL readers should be supportive of any and all attempts to stop this plague of lion­fish. If it calls for posting millions of dollars in bounties in the Bahamas, Florida, and the many Caribbean islands where the invasion is reaching, it may be money very well spent.
To keep track of the latest lionfish spottings, the USGS (U.S. Geological Survey) has a terrific online map that is regularly updated from reports furnished by NOAA and REEF: http://nas.er.usgs.gov/taxgroup/fish/lionfishdistribution.asp.
Pete Sawtelle
Baltimore, Maryland

OFFENSIVE ADVERTISING?
I am a recent subscriber to CORAL, one of the most well laid out, sophisticated, and best publications I have ever seen. Keep up such incredibly high standards, it is simply awesome.
However, due to the fact that I am so impressed with the magazine and felt an immediate attachment to it, I take the time to write and suggest that advertisements that read, “Do You Have Trouble Getting it Up” and other sexually oriented comments are offensive, not cute, and detract tremendously from a serious, high-grade publication such as yours.
I understand the need for advertising dollars but I imagine that most, if not all, of your readers are sophisticated people, not the uneducated masses, and very well could be bothered by this type of advertising strategy.
I am aware that the company in question is owned by Julian Sprung, who has a fine reputation and extensive knowledge and involvement in the growth of the reef aquarium hobby. Without a doubt, Mr. Sprung has been invaluable to a hobby that I feel insatiably passionate about and which, hopefully, will contribute to restoring and preserving natural systems, and not destroying them. For that I am indebted to him. However, I fear his sense of humor in creating advertising could do more harm than good.
In any case, I will be ordering all the back issues that I missed. I can’t get enough of CORAL.
Robert Beverley
San Juan, Puerto Rico

Editor: Readers are invited to take a survey and lodge their own opinions at http://www.coralmagazine-us.com/forum.

MORAY MEMORY
As I read your article on moray eels, I was reminded of the time my two-year-old daughter came toddling into the room manically waving a gnarly stick, while her brother, unable to contain his five-year-old glee, bounced in after her. The ruckus was due partly to the fact that the gnarly stick was one of our dwarf moray eels—all dried up—and partly to the fact that my daughter was fearlessly holding it and waving it around.
We had salvaged that eel (a Needletooth Moray, Uropterygius macrocephalus) from a wholesaler’s live rock holding tank seven years prior and were sad to learn of its escape and demise.
This eel left behind his less adventurous brother who, to this day, delights our children when he searches for food, weaving in and out through the rock in our small aquarium. When asked about pets, our kids proudly include our Needletooth Moray Eel!
Thanks to Dr. Marco Lichtenberger, Prof. Ellen Thaler, Denise Tackett, and the whole CORAL team for great coverage and wonderful photographs of the awesome moray family.
Beth McCracken
Osceola, Wisconsin

Readers are invited to write the Editor:
James.Lawrence@CoralMagazine-US.com

LOVED the latest issue. I enjoyed the truly in-depth articles on Triggers and Mandarins. Articles like these I have never seen in any other magazine. I liked the wealth of scientific info on the Triggers that preceded the aquarium care info. The photos were stunning also. A first class job. I read to learn and I learned a lot from this. This is the most incredible reefkeeping magazine I have found yet. I immediately subscribed. Keep up the good work.

love everything about it. was getting burned out flipping through freshwater articals in all the others to get to salt articals and very rarely coral articals. love the photos and great articles and will always look forward to the next issue

Wanted to let you know that I received my first of many CORAL this week, and am very impressed with the well written articles and amazing photography.

It blows all others out of the water; you have no competition as far as I‘m concerned, keep up the good work.

I’ve had a reef tank for 20 years, remember getting all excited years back reading George Schmidt articles in FAMA on trickle filters and the possibility of keeping a small part of the ocean in your home. I’ve had a reef from that day along with the most expensive trickle filter ever made (lol).

I’m not sure how I missed out on this mag in the past, guess I wasn’t paying attention.

Keep up the Good Work!

Wayne Rogers,
Calgary, Alberta

PS: If one wanted to order back issues, where would he get the info from to do so?

Editor: Look in the next issue of CORAL for an announcement. As soon as we have them available, they will also be announced here.

I like the latest edition of Coral Magazine very much. A quality piece of work, James, keep up the good work!