As hobbyists, we’ve used to the perception that importing live coral specimens from the wild has a negative impact on coral reef ecosystems in the wild, but new research is actually showing the hobby is actually having a positive impact on the preserving coral reef ecosystems. The research was a joint effort and titled “Long-term Read More

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  Fritz-Zyme #9 was always a trusted go-to product for biological remediation in new and overstocked saltwater tanks to get them back in balance due to toxic ammonia and nitrite levels. With the plethora of enzymes and nitrifying bacteria additives on the market, it can be dizzying to wonder if any of these do in fact work. Read More

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AEFW — the dreaded acropora-eating flatworm has been a nuisance for hobbyists for years and has just gotten a new name thanks to a research team led by Dr. Kate Rawlinson from University College London. Amakusaplana acroporae is the official name of the newly described and named polyclad flatworm with the species description and information on it’s Read More

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We can leave all the jokes aside but an interesting study has found some fish to score just as well as college students on some basic number tests. Using the highly social, freshwater mosquitofish the researchers conducted a lab test showing the fish could in fact count — differentiating between numerical quantities in a lab Read More

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New research shows how sea urchins are able to keep their teeth always sharp despite gnawing away at rock and other hard surfaces in their never-ending search for food. The new discovery could help researchers and inventors create self-honing knives that always have a sharp edge.By studying the teeth of the California purple sea urchin, Read More

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The Coral Aquarist Research Network (CARN) is a young program launched in the UK to combine the efforts and knowledge of three unique groups of stakeholders, all in the name of coral. Hobbyists, industry representatives and researchers each share a common interest but seldom have the opportunity to share their knowledge outside their respective peer Read More

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We have seen studies on warmer ocean temperatures and the effects it has on coral disease and bleaching events but a new study shows the link between mild water temperatures during the preceding winter period with outbreaks of coral diseases. The research was conducted on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef by studying satellite measurements of unusual Read More

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The 2010 Pew Fellows in Marine Conservation were recently announced and not only do the researchers get much-needed money to continue their research but we get a Google Earth Marine Tour of the researchers and their work. This is a pretty cool 3D tour of the ocean and the research the Pew Fellows will be Read More

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In a scene more reminiscent of a Gilligan’s Island, octopuses are caught on film digging up discarded coconut shells from the ocean floor and scampering away with their booty to build shelters that would have made “The Professor” proud. The veined octopuses (Amphioctopus marginatus) were being studied off the coast of Northern Sulawesi and Bali Read More

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The mantis shrimp is definitely one of the most intriguing reef creatures and recent news is showing their sensitive eyes are leading researchers to uncover new ways to revolutionize communications. It seems stomatopods, who haven’t evolved too much in the last 500 million years, possess extremely complex eyes that can detect 100,000 colors. To put Read More

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