Meiacanthus fangblennies are a frequently encountered group of Indo-Pacific reef fishes, several of which are regularly available within the aquarium trade, occasionally via captive breeding. The genus is home to 30 recognized species, the vast majority of which having been…
Bicolored Euplexaura is a Nonphotosynthetic Gem!
Among the soft corals we keep in our tanks, we rarely see ones that exhibit multicolored polyps. Typically, aquarium specimens are mostly monochromatic, coming in varying shades of brown, green, and pink. It’s not every day that we see an…
What You Need to Know about Aquariums and Electrical Safety
Electricity! We all know it’s dangerous and even more so when combined with water, yet often aquarists practice relaxed and sometimes downright dangerous approaches when combining the two. I was among the worst, having a few minor shocks and the…
Are Air fresheners Good or Bad for the Home Aquarium?
Let me tell you a story. A dentist’s office had a beautiful reef full of hammers and torches, which was healthy for years until a new employee placed a vanilla-scented candle in the office. The aquarium technician did not see…
The Chinese Way of NPS Coral Reefing
Wouldn’t it be nice to have a magic potion? A concoction that is easy to produce and you could just dose into your reef tank to make all your NPS thrive? While we have not found the solution for all…
The Staghorns of Bauhinia: A Short Tour Of Acropora Species In Wild Hong Kong
When someone talks about Hong Kong, we would most likely associate it with the breathtaking skyscrapers, night scenery, the bustling city life as well as its diverse people and culture. But this tiny city tucked away on the coast of…
Heliopora are Not-So-Soft, Soft Corals
Given their common name of soft corals, one would likely assume that octocorals are well… soft. However, as is common in biology, there are always exceptions to rules. Within the Octocorallia, there are a few species that form aragonite-based skeletons,…
Five Sand Sifters for a Reef Aquarium
Here are five of the best fish and invertebrates to sift the sand in your reef aquarium and keep the substrate clean Chalk Goby, Valenciennea sexguttata Chalk gobies are attractive, very peaceful bottom-dwelling fish that sift the substrate to find…
A Reefkeeper’s Guide to NPS Corals
NPS coral specialist Florian Gaudig gives us the lowdown on how to select NPS corals, which ones we should try, which ones we should avoid, and what to feed them. Many new and seasoned reefing hobbyists find themselves struggling when…
Your Corals aren’t special (and That’s a Good Thing)
“Collectible coral, for the purposes of reef keeping, are corals worth talking about and observing.” This helpful and profoundly simple definition isn’t from Jake Adams, but from you, the reader. Many have tried to follow it, and have certainly found…