Hobbyists with sizeable tanks who are looking for a truly pet-like fish won’t be disappointed in the aptly named dogface puffer (Arothron nigropunctatus). Looking rather like a pudgy beagle with fins instead of paws, A. nigropunctatus is loaded with piscine…
Marine/Saltwater Fish
How Long Can Marine Fish Go Without Food?
This question usually arises when a marine aquarium hobbyist is either preparing to depart for vacation or trying to coax a hunger-striking new fish to eat. While it would be extremely helpful if there were a simple formula to help…
Come Out, Come Out, Wherever You Are! 5 Reasons Marine Fish Go Into Hiding
You’ve spent the long dollar on a gorgeous marine fish with the hopes that it will bring new life and interest to your tank, but then it refuses to reveal itself for more than a passing glimpse. What could be…
The Great Cleaner Wrasse and Cleaner Goby Throwdown!
Imagine you have your heart set on getting a cleaner fish for your marine aquarium so you can observe this iconic form of symbiosis right in your own home. Now imagine you’re in your local fish store looking at two…
How to Handle a Hunger-Striking Saltwater Fish
Having a fish that refuses to eat anything offered—or having a specimen that had been eating suddenly lose all interest in food—is a problem virtually every marine aquarium hobbyist can expect to encounter at one time or another. While such…
Keeping the Aptly Named Coral Beauty Angelfish
If you have a real yen for marine angelfishes but lack the tank space to accommodate one of the large iconic species, such as the queen angel (Holacanthus ciliaris) or French angel (Pomacanthus paru), you’ll be pleased to know that…
Cool-Water Marine Species Sometimes Sold as Tropicals
As we often discuss here at Saltwater Smarts, one of the frustrating aspects of the marine aquarium hobby is the fact that some of the species commonly or occasionally available in the trade have no business in the average hobbyist’s…
Chrysiptera parasema: a Gem of a Damsel
Ask the average marine aquarium hobbyist to identify the most aggressive coral-reef fishes, and the damselfishes of the family Pomacentridae are likely to be placed somewhere very close to the top of the list. For many damsel species, the reputation…
How to Beat Those Pacific Blue Tang Blues
Its common names include the Pacific blue tang, regal tang, hippo tang, palette surgeonfish, yellow-tail blue tang, and probably several others that presently elude me. Kids know it as the addle-brained Dory from Finding Nemo. Whatever common name you apply…
Yellowheaded Sleeper Goby: A Fascinating but Challenging Sand-Sifter
Though not the most chromatically gifted species, the yellowheaded sleeper goby (Valenciennea strigata), is interesting to observe and can serve a utilitarian purpose in marine aquaria—regularly overturning and oxygenating the top layer of the substrate with its sand-sifting feeding behavior.…