KaiTheFishGuy
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Kai is a systematic ichthyologist at The Australian Museum, Sydney. His research interests combine the use of cutting-edge next generation sequencing techniques with traditional methods of morphology to better understand the evolutionary history of coral reef fishes. He is a legacy ReefBuilders contributor, having previously written close to give hundred articles under his pseudonym LemonTYK.

Peter Martis’ FOWLR tank is a healthy example of a butterflyfish paradise

We don’t often feature full blown FOWLR tanks but when we do, you know it’s going to be awesome. Peter Martis’ butterflyfish dominated FOWLR tank features a myriad of butterflyfish species in the absolute pink of health. Butterflyfish are almost…

BlueHarbor acquires a new pair of the super rare Cirrhilabrus squirei

BlueHarbor, whose shop is now flooded with rare fish from the Southern Pacific, is also home to two rare fairy wrasses from the Coral Sea. This is the newest member of the highly perplexing “lunatus” species complex that is also…

Juvenile Chaetodon wiebeli spotted cruising in a Bangkok LFS

Butterflyfish are ubiquitous in the hobby, but there are some species that hardly see the light of collection. These are either because they are really deep living species such as those in the genus Roa and Prognathodes, or are far…

BlueHarbor teases another red and white striped fish: Liopropoma tonstrinum

Peppermints aren’t the only candy colored fish residing at BlueHarbor currently. In a brand new but smaller scale Southern Pacific shipment, Koji teases with another super rare and beautiful fish dressed in a similar striped garb. Liopropoma tonstrinum is one…

BlueSpace and Crazy Aquarium in Bangkok is a mecca for Anthias and well groomed reef fish

In the second part of our Thailand escapade, we navigate through the labyrinth that is Jatujak. Jatujak, or JJ market, is a humongous fair that happens every weekend. The market contains over 15,000 stalls spanning 35 acres, and sells everything…

Tales from Thailand: Chingchai’s incredible DSPS tank

Having just returned from an amazing trip in Bangkok, it would almost be considered criminal if we weren’t going to spill and share on the reefing goodies this amazing city has to offer. Like our previous recount of BlueHarbor in…

The real Odontanthias chrysostictus from Indonesia is only the second specimen we’ve seen so far

Having recently untangled the confusing web spun by the three highly similar Odontanthias species, we are now able to look at things with a fresh slate and a brand new perspective. Here’s a looker worth a few minutes of your…

BlueHarbor’s current inventory is brimming with the rarest reef fish

From the Southern Pacific to Curacao to Hawaii and homeland Japan, BlueHarbor never looked so amazing this week with what could be the most intense collection of fish ever at any one time. Just when we think the man in…

Cool crustaceans for your reefs part 2: The hovering Urocaridella shrimps

In the continuation of the previous article on cool marine crustaceans for your reefs, we’re sticking with the shrimp theme with Urocaridella. There are many species in this poorly described genus, and a few are available with relative ease for…

Differentiating the befuddling trio: Odontanthias chrysostictus, O. katayamai and O. tapui

For a long time, the confusion between Odontanthias chrysostictus, O. katayamai as well as O. tapui has afflicted many. We’ve made the mistake of wrongly identifying these fishes in the past as well. We hope to straighten out the mistakes…