The yellow carpet anemone recently discovered by Outback Aquatics might be the last shade of the rainbow to be seen in this beautiful reef animal. We’ve seen and enjoyed some amazing specimens of Stichodactyla carpet anemones in blue, red, green,…
Algae Scrubbers, How We Grow Massive Amounts of Chaetomorpha
Managing nutrients is one of the most important aspects to keeping a healthy, balanced reef aquarium free from unwanted algae. Curiously, one of the best ways to do this is to actually encourage algae to grow in a separate part…
Auriga Butterflyfish Successfully Cultured by Frank Baensch
The threadfin butterflyfish might be plain among the Chaetodon and not frequently celebrated by saltwater fish keepers, but it’s still an iconic species on tropical coral reefs. Also known as the Auriga butterflyfish, Chaetodon auriga is incredibly hardy, adapts very well…
Newa Maxi Powerhead is the True Heir to the Legacy of the Maxijet Pump
The Newa Maxi Powerhead is a small submersible aquarium water pump that should be familiar to both fresh and saltwater aquarists alike. For over decade now the ‘Maxijet’ has suffered from a sort of identity crisis due to a disconnect…
Longfin Damselfish have Domesticated Mysis Shrimp
One behavior that separates humans from other creatures is our propensity to domesticate different animals for our own benefit, but it turns out we’re not alone. It’s well known that some insects such as ants and termites ‘farm’ fungus and…
Aquarium LED Light Colors Explained [Video]
It’s quite impressive how many colors can be found in modern reef aquarium LED lights, and the numerous lighting control channels and the colors that ride on them can be quite overwhelming for the uninitiated. In the good old days…
Rainbow Master Cynarina Raises the Bar for these Unique LPS Corals
Cynarina lacrymalis is one of the more unique corals out on the reef, often endowed with a unique combination of polyp shape and vibrant coloration. A ‘typical’ colorful Cynarina is frequently a bright pinkish red overall with large inflated bubbly…
Lysmata napoleoni, a New Species of Cleaner Shrimp from the Middle of the Atlantic
Lysmata napoleoni is a new species of Caridean shrimp from St. Helena named after one of its most notorious residents, Napoleon Bonaparte. This distinctively colored species is recognizable in the field at depths of 15 meters at St. Helena and…
12 of the Rarest Corals We’ve Found on Wild Reefs
The definition of a ‘rare coral’ means very different things depending on who you ask. A rare aquarium coral is not usually a rare species, but a very unique or unusual color or strain that everybody wants, and is often associated…
Eulogy for the Mother of all Lightning Clownfish
The Lightning Maroon Clownfish is a wild strain of Premnas biaculeatus that took the world by storm when it was first discovered. Only two specimens were ever collected from Fisherman Island a short distance from Papua New Guinea’s capital of Port…