The discovery of a baby Goblin shark on a beach in Greece has left one scientific journal with egg on its face after it published it in a peer-reviewed paper. The Goblin shark, Mitsukurina owstoni, is a rare species of…
Join Reef Blitz 2023 this week on the Great Barrier Reef
Reef Blitz 2023 is an annual event that brings together divers, fishers, scientists, students, conservationists and multiple citizen science programs to help Queensland communities collect a snapshot of information relevant to reef health. Starting in 2014, ReefBlitz is an iNaturalist…
Aquarium Favorites – Lipstick Tangs and Orangespine Unicornfish
List your top ten favorite tangs and the Lipstick tang will probably feature high on that list. Also known as the Orangespine unicornfish, or simply the Naso tang, Naso lituratus is a reef aquarium favorite known for its yellow face…
Alpheus octocellatus is a New Species of Pistol Shrimp from the Maldives
A new species of snapping shrimp has been described based on two specimens collected in the Maldives. Alpheus octocellatus appears to be morphologically most similar to Alpheus edwardsii, pareuchirus and leptochirus so the paper’s authors have placed it in the…
Mass Urchin Die-off Threatens Reefs in the Red Sea
A species of Sea urchin has undergone a devastating wipeout on reefs off the city of Eilat in Israel. The entire population of Black Sea urchins, Diadema setosum, has died off in just weeks from a suspected pathogen, with their…
Weak Connection? Why fish tanks can slow down your Wi-Fi
Reefkeepers may be dismayed to learn that one of the things weakening their home Wi-Fi signal is actually their tank, and just when they need a good signal to control many smart aquarium devices. Wi-Fi is affected by many things…
Reefkeeping in the Victorian Era
As the saltwater aquarium hobby celebrates over half a century of maturation, we often talk about the many reefkeeping pioneers. In his 1972 book “Tropical Fish, Freshwater, and Marine Aquaria,” Reginald Dutta talked about equipment such as an Ozonizer, an…
Ctenophore Comb Jellies declared First Animals on Earth, 700m years ago
A team of researchers has determined that comb jellies, Ctenophores, were the first animals on earth, existing 700 million years ago, and pre-dating sponges by 100 million years. They are also the most recent common ancestor of all animals, (including…
How to Aquascape with Reef Cement
Every day is reef tank day for me, but on Sundays, I take the day off from writing and have the opportunity to execute some of my bigger plans. The 200-liter shallow soft coral lagoon is doing great. So great…
Watch Reef Therapy Episode #66
Remy, Mark, and Raj have assembled once again for the latest episode of the Reef Therapy podcast. They are equipped with beer, industry news, anecdote, advice, and many recollections of the old days of reefkeeping, as well as an update…