President Barack Obama has just announced the expansion of the Papah?naumoku?kea Marine National Monument in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. This action creates the largest protected area in the world and expands the original monument by more than 442,760 square miles (1.15 million square kilometers).…
The Deep Dive on Reef Aquarium Lighting, Part 2: Lighting Technologies
I get asked fairly often what light is the best light. Unfortunately, there is no right answer. First off, there is the difference in aesthetics. That is a purely subjective decision that only hobbyists can make for themselves. Most of…
Caribbean Coral Spawn Underway
Caribbean Coral Spawn Reports have been rolling in this week from around the Caribbean, as the annual coral spawn is in full swing. From Florida to Curaçao corals are coming to life after dark to spawn and repopulate the reef.…
The Deep Dive on Reef Aquarium Lighting, Part 1: Zooxanthellae, Color Temperature, and Light Intensity
Lighting is important because it directly affects how we visually enjoy the hobby and, more importantly, the vast majority of the corals in our tanks are photosynthetic. In this two-part article, we will first cover some of the basics of…
Mola ramsayi: the Short Sunfish from Nusa Penida, Indonesia
The Sunfish or “mola mola”, is one of those holy grail sightings which is sure to leave any diver in awe. Sunfish are notoriously elusive and are typically found living in open water, where they hunt for food in several…
The Developing Story of the Bounce Blastomussa
This story starts with Joe Caparatta, years before he joined Unique Corals. At the time Joe was running a company called New York Aquarium Services in midtown Manhattan. A company I owned became one of his clients and about ten years…
Scubapro Introduces The Hydros Pro BCD
Hydro Pro BCD Scubapro has just released their newest BCD called the Hydros Pro. This new design is a complete game-changer in the world of scuba BC’s and you can tell years of product knowledge have gone into the creation…
First Video Of Coral Bleaching Behavior
For the first time coral researchers in Brisbane, Australia have recorded a time-lapse video of coral bleaching behavior. To capture the video researchers took a photograph every 3 seconds using a combination of digital camera, smart tablet and microscopes to record…
Reef Lighting and Coral Aesthetics
I always say that you only really need three things to be successful in this hobby: good water quality, good water flow, and good light. All of those things are pretty involved, but lighting in particular gets a lot of…
Searching For Manta Rays With The Queen Of Mantas: Dr. Andrea Marshall
Like many of you, I had a dream of swimming with manta rays. I traveled the world and logged hundreds of dives, yet I never caught sight of a single manta. I had come across different species of Mobula rays which…