Sight is a vital sensory system for most living things that enables them to process and visualise information from their surroundings. What to eat, and where to find it? Who to flee from, and who to mate with? Survival and procreation…
Awesome Fish Spotlight: The clandestine life of Centropyge colini
Fabled angelfish of the deep, with a mysterious ectoplasmic glow. Centropyge colini is a dwarf angel riddled with mystique and inexplicable beauty. Of the various deepwater dwarf angelfish known to science, only a few species fall readily into the hands…
Monotypic no more – Two possible new Navigobius species
Navigobius dewa is a beautiful and sensational species of Ptereleotrine dart fish that was first discovered and described in 2009, with specimens coming from Kagoshima Bay, in the south of Japan. The distinct features of Ptereleotrine fish is seen in its slender body…
Reef Nuggets 3: Fairies and Flashers, with notes from the wild
Today’s Reef Nuggets deal with a topic very close to my heart. Cirrhilabrus and Paracheilinus, or more commonly known as the fairy and flasher wrasses. Instead of my usual banter on “this ultra rare flasher wrasse” or that “extremely deepwater…
Do you ever get that feeling? The High. Are you a fish geek too?
Obsessed. To be obsessed about something. It’s such a beautiful word. Loud. Expressive. Used to convey an insufferable expression of fixation about something. Isn’t it wonderful? To be filled with that mind controlling thought. The poison that drips from the very cosmos of…
Will you stop hiding from me! Lonesome Liopropoma
Today’s post is c0-contributed by Mr. Tay, a friend of ReefBuilders and one of my best fish buddies in Singapore. Mr. Tay is known online by his alias “Digiman”, and has an extensive collection of deepwater and unusual fish, many…
Metallic green mask Cryptocentrus pavoninoides is a rare aberration on a common fish
Aberrations in fish are rare, but extreme aberrations are seldom seen and almost unheard of. Over the years we’ve covered a heck load of aberrant and hybrid fish, but this one today is quite something. RVS Fish World just bagged a…
Reef Nuggets 2: Aquatic Lepidopterans for your reef (Revised edition)
In our previous episode of Reef Nuggets, we explored our options for peaceful and lesser known damselfish to add a little spark of colour and life to our aquariums. Having vanquished the hateful stereotype that not all damsels are malevolent and…
Awesome Fish Spotlight: Genicanthus watanabei and notes on the genus
Today’s Awesome Fish Spotlight features a member from the angelfish family Genicanthus, which features medium to large plankton feeding species that sport unusually long tail filaments. Like the colloquial name “swallowtail angels” suggests, Genicanthus are noted for their markedly long…
Photos of Cirrhilabrus cenderawasih and Paracheilinus walton give us a glimpse into the endemic life of West Papua
In a world abundant with coral reefs and geographical landscapes, no place captivates me quite like the amazing and wonderful West Papua. Isolated and disjunct from just about everywhere, the local flora and fauna both terrestrial and aquatic have evolved in…