The isolated islands of Cocos-Keeling and Christmas in the Eastern Indian Ocean are a very special place for reef fish. The islands are home to the endemic joculator angelfish and they have become recognized as containing the highest diversity of…
Red Sea Max 250 in the wild Part 3: The filtration
We are still flabergasted as to how Red Sea was able to cram so may features and innovations into the RSM250 while keeping the overall assembly and operation simple and idiot-proof. The first things that struck is is that there…
Red Sea Max 250 in the wild, Part 2: The stand
If an aquarium is only as good as the stand that supports it then the Red Sea Max 250 has nothing to worry about. With it’s matte finish, simple styling and robust appearance the RS250 stand is definitely a piece…
Red Sea Max 250 in the wild Part 1: The unboxing
It was less than two years ago that any Red Sea Product would hardly have been noticed by any serious reef aquarist. But since that time, with their innovative new skimmer, red sea max 130 and now the 250, Red…
January Issue of Advanced Aquarist now online
The number of articles in this month’s issue of Advanced Aquarist may be lean but the heavy hitting write-ups by Dana Riddle and Ken Feldsman are each comparable to an entire chapter on the topics. Once again Dana blows our…
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service increases the inspection fees for wildlife shipments
When someone mentions “wildlife”, you may think of large and exotic animals but to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), corals, fish and larger animals are all the same. As of January 8, 2009, the USFWS has raised the…
The AIMS CoralSearch is back with actual working search functions
After several months of inoperation, the valuabel AIMS CoralSearch is back in action with an actual working search function. In addition to all the species pages that we’ve come to know and love, your coral search can now be modified…
Marine Depot shutters Livestock business
There was once a time when everyone and their grandma was setting up online or mail order livestock vending like boomtowns of the old West. You just couldn’t keep track of all the livestock newcomers. In a seeming fit of…
Who knew that so much DIY could go into an algae magnet cleaner
Capable craftsman FrankD over at German aquarium forum Matuta gives a rundown on the MOAM (Mother of all Algae Magnets). Designed to be ultra safe for acrylic and capable of scraping algae on curved surfaces, the MOAM is loosely based…
Moray eel’s second jaws take a note from Aliens
If you thought that eels were just elongated slimy predators with a big toothy mouth, you are mostly right. Mostly except for that second set of jaws that many members of anguilliformes have developed from modified gill arches. The adaptation…