Ask any group of marine fishkeepers to name their most sought-after species—the fishes they’d really love to own if money and availability were no object—and most of them will likely place the candy basslet (Liopropoma carmabi) somewhere close to the…
Marine/Saltwater Fish
The Two-Stripe Damsel: Hardiness and Hostility in Equal Measure
Among the pomacentrids (damsels and clownfishes) are many species that rank exceptionally high when it comes to hardiness in aquaria (thus their once common use as tank cyclers) but also tend to mature into little hellions that can turn a…
Is It Okay to Quarantine Multiple Marine Fish at Once?
As regular Saltwater Smarts visitors are well aware, “Caribbean Chris” and I are strong proponents of quarantining all newly acquired fish for at least four weeks before introducing them to a display tank. But what about keeping two or more…
Avoid These 5 Live Rock Aquascaping Pitfalls
Your long-anticipated live rock shipment has finally arrived at your doorstep, and you can’t wait to get it in your tank and start watching as life emerges from those gnarly chunks. Though you’re understandably eager to forge ahead putting the…
Inappropriate Feeding—Not Just Overfeeding—Kills Marine Fish
“We lose a lot more fish to overfeeding than we do to underfeeding.” I’ve read or written that sentence—or some variation upon it—more times than I can recollect. While I still consider this statement to be true on balance, I…
How Can You Prevent Marine Fish from Jumping Out of Tanks?
Take away their trampolines, of course! Okay, being serious now, far too many marine fish are lost unnecessarily when they leap from their tank and become “carpet jerky.” While jumping is among the most common (if not the most common)…
Beware Marine Aquarium Complacency!
A funny thing sometimes happens to marine aquarium hobbyists who have a few years’ experience under their briny belts—they have a tendency to become complacent in their methods and attitudes. Once they’ve mastered the basics of aquarium keeping, it can…
Some Subtle Signs that a Fish is Sick
Most marine aquarium hobbyists learn quickly to identify common warning signs of ill health in fish—white spots, excessive mucus production, bulging eyes, frayed fins, etc. But sometimes ailing fish exhibit much more subtle symptoms that are evident only to someone…
Don’t Be Bothered by Bristleworms!
In my early days of writing for the marine aquarium hobby, I frequently cautioned fellow hobbyists to be on the lookout for “unwelcome” live rock stowaways, and high on my list of undesirables were the bristleworms. As I saw it…
Gymnomuraena zebra: Another Moray You Just Might Love!
On various occasions, I’ve written about my fondness for the snowflake moray eel (Echidna nebulosa), in one post even going so far as to claim there may be no better eel for the marine aquarium. My biases notwithstanding, I can’t…