Marquee-lite

Giesemann’s new Vervve LED fixture will be released next week

The Giesemann Vervve LED is a brand new light fixture from the venerable German light designer. The Vervve LED appears to be the evolution of six generation of lights from Giesemann which included light emitting diodes at their core, and…

Palytoxin from Palythoa zoanthids is really, REALLY dangerous

If we could have your attention please, this is an important public service announcement from your neighborhood Reef Builders to let you know to be very careful when handling your Palythoa zoanthids. Zoanthids are hardy, neigh indestructible flower animals of…

Clownfish will NOT be listed as a threatened or endangered species

Good news for the hobby as the potential threat of the clownfish being listed as a threatened or endangered has been averted. According to the National Marine Fisheries Service, the species does not warrant the listing under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The NMFS…

Top 5 invasive corals that border on being aquarium pests

We’re so used to thinking of corals as precious and delicate, it’s hard to imagine some of them are invasive species in our aquariums. Invasive corals in the wild are a real problem, with sun coral Tubastrea having two established species…

Brian Greene, Richard Pyle and Sonia Rowley teases with a surfeit of undescribed species from Pohnpei

To the uninitiated, the mesophotic coral reefs would seem like an unlikely place to find vibrant fish life. Antonymous to the ebullient habitat of shallow water coral gardens, the mesophotic zone is a gloomy contrast of seemingly endless dread and forlorn landscapes. Except not…

What does the future hold for EcoSmart Live?

The announcement that EcoTech Marine is releasing an EcoSmart Live compatible return pump in the form of the Vectra L1 & M1 caused quite a stir in the aquarium community. It wasn’t just the device itself that drew a lot…

Aquascaping visionary Takashi Amano dies at age 61

Takashi Amano, founder of Aqua Design Amano, creator of the Nature Aquarium concept and visual aquatics master passed away earlier this week at the age of 61. The news of Takashi Amano’s passing is causing quite a shake up of…

Calling all MACNA attendees. We want you to clip all the fins!

This is a public service announcement for all Fairy Wrasse aficionados. As you may have known, we are embarking on a cursory phylogenetic review of the genus Cirrhilabrus in all its intimate and baroque detail. As fun as it is…

Kessil AP700 coming in September, 185 watts & wireless control for $949

The Kessil AP700 has been a long time coming but as of today, fans of Kessil’s unique approach to aquarium lighting can look forward to the concrete release date for the company’s first fully fledged aquarium fixture. Kessil made a…

Answers to the top 10 questions about the MindStream aquarium monitor

We are writing on location in beautiful Vermont and yesterday we spent a whole day in the offices of Step Ahead Innovations trying to wrap our head around their exciting new MindStream Aquarium Monitoring System. It really took a whole…