Blue Tang, Acanthurus coeruleus
Good morning all, what a week!! So much diving in freezing cold water, it really wears you out! Aimee and I have been packing like crazy to get ready for our Washington trip which is now only days...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Briareum cylindrum, a new species of star polyp
Modified from Samini-Lamin & van Ofwegen, 2016 Green Star Polyps are about as common an aquarium coral as there is, but, if you stare at enough of them, you might notice something...
View ArticleClik here to view.
For Once – a Good ‘Turtle News’ Story
Marine conservationists have quite a difficult time of it. Things are not going well for our oceans. Ocean acidification, huge amounts of plastic pollution, and overfishing add up to one heck of a...
View ArticleAn Ultra-Low-Nutrient System for Acropora and other SPS
Top down shot of Acropora microladosWelcome to the next level of coral care. By now I am assuming you have at least understood all the key general practices to maintain some of the hardier corals, from...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Reef Kids: Heart Animals
Valentine’s Day is great, but, as any parent of a preschooler will tell you, it can come with a frighteningly large number of hearts – paper hearts, painted hearts, sticker hearts… Get crafty this...
View ArticleClik here to view.
DIY Automated Alkalinity Controller
At one point or another all reef keepers have dreamt of this device. A constant alkalinity controller that keeps carbonate hardness (KH) rock solid. David Cheng made this dream a reality by building...
View ArticleFeatured Coral: Fat Head Dendrophyllia
This Featured Coral of the Week comes to us from Joey Nichols at Joe Knows Reefs. Common name: Fat Head Dendro Scientific name: Dendrophyllia fistulata Dendrophyllia fistulata is a non-photosynthetic...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Pomacanthid relics: Colin’s, Narcosis and Bandit Angelfishes
These three angelfishes form an unexpected clade within the phylogeny of Pomacanthidae. Note the placement of narcosis’ spot versus arcuatus’ stripe and colini’s back. Photo credit: Lemon TYK. In...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Live Rock vs. Dry Rock
There’s a plethora of choices that comes with setting up a new marine aquarium; these days the seemingly simple task of adding rock provides no break in the daunting decision making process. Boat,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Twilight Zone exhibit at C.A.S. opens June 10th
A recently announced new exhibit at California Academy of Sciences is slated to open June 10th, 2016, “Twilight Zone:Deep Reefs Revealed“. For this mesophotic reef nerd nothing in a zoological setting...
View ArticleSalty Q&A: Should You Scrub New Live Rock?
Indiscriminately scrubbing live rock can destroy much of the life you paid for, and thus the benefit of doing soQuestionI’ll be receiving a shipment of live rocks in a few days, and I could use some...
View ArticleThousands of Blacktip Sharks Seen Migrating off the Coast of Florida
[embedded content] PALM BEACH COUNTY — Incredible new video shows tens of thousands of sharks just off the Palm Beach County coastline. FAU biological sciences professor Dr. Stephen Kajiura who has...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Red & Green Halichoeres Wrasses – A Photographic Guide
A female “Hemiulis” cf chlorocephalus, illustrating the striped appearance common to so many of these fishes. Credit: ベラ職人 The many colorful wrasses of the genus Halichoeres represent some of the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Indonesian coral collection rules, and those who abuse them
Many marine aquarists may not be aware, but Indonesia is the supplier of a large percentage of aquarium corals and fish. This southeast Asian country has a population of over 250 million people, and...
View ArticleThe Iconic Raccoon Butterflyfish
Raccoon Butterflyfish (Chaetodon lunula)Some of the marine fish we like to keep are surprisingly recognizable to both hobbyists and non-hobbyists alike—probably because they’re frequently depicted in...
View ArticleClik here to view.
A Marine Ménage à Trois – the Goby, Shrimp & Crab Love Affair
The unusual three-way symbiosis of shrimpgoby, pistol shrimp and porcelain crab. Modified from Werding et al 2016 Coral reefs are full of intimate interspecies relationships—from the well-known...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Epithet etymology: Amphiprion chrysogaster, the gold bellied, double saw wielder
Amphiprion chrysogaster is so named for its yellow belly, although this is a poor diagnostic, as many members of the clarkii group complex sport the same coloration. Photo credit: Lemon TYK. Today’s...
View ArticleAcropora for Beginners
Your coral source can play an important role in successWith the introduction of more aquaculture and mariculture facilities, there has been a boom in specimens available at the local fish stores these...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The flasher wrasse genus Paracheilinus gets a formal revision, along with the...
A group of Paracheilinus filamentosus in situ. Photo credit: Gerry Allen. The flasher wrasse genus Paracheilinus has never had a formal taxonomic revision, that is until now. In the latest paper...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Epithet etymology: The many-eyed feces eater and the sworded swordfish.
The Spotted Scat, Scatophagus argus. Photo credit: Fokko Teolstede, Wikipedia. Because today’s instalment of epithet etymology feature two slightly unorthodox fishes, we’ll go ahead and make up for...
View Article