6 Ways to Prevent Photoshock in Aquarium Corals

Many of the corals and other sessile invertebrates we keep in reef aquariums are considered “photosynthetic,” meaning much of their nutrition is produced by photosynthetic algae (zooxanthellae) residing in their tissues. Thus, there is a direct link between the type…

Tank Profile: Paul B’s 40+ Year Old Saltwater Aquarium

When it comes to standing the test of time, few aquariums have more history than Paul Baldassano’s 100-gallon glass box. Ask any aquarist who has spent time on internet forums, and they’ve likely encountered Paul (more commonly known as Paul…

Coral Eye Candy, Vol. 1

For the first installment of Coral Eye Candy, we bring to you some absolutely stunning macro and extreme macro photos. In addition, you’ll find brief care requirements if you’re interested in keeping anything shown below in your reef aquarium. Enjoy!…

The Shroom Room reminds us why we love Corallimorphs so much

We recently discovered an awesome Facebook group simply titled “The Shroom Room“. This is an open venue where reef aquarists can share the love for mushroom corals (corallimorphs) through photos and discussion, and there’s a lot of it. As you…

5 Ways to Counteract Coral Combat in the Marine Aquarium

At a casual glance, corals would appear to be an inoffensive lot, generally espousing a “live-and-let-live” philosophy. After all, when you’re firmly affixed to the substrate, how much trouble can you really cause for your neighbors? Plenty, as it turns…

Crazy Vietnamese Rhodactis come in a rainbow of color

When Dreamcorals announced the availability of ‘very special Rhodactis’ on it’s sponsored part of the Dutch Marine Forums, we were surprised to see a picture of mushroom anemones which we indeed had never seen before. And not only that, they…

A rainbow of Ricordea

Florida ricordea, Ricordea floridea, are one of the staple corals that come from the oceans south of my back yard in the Florida Keys. They are a type of soft coral that occur in shallow waters on Caribbean reefs. Generally they…

An Introduction to Reef Aquarium Lighting

Saltwater aquarists who choose to take the plunge into reef keeping quickly come to an interesting realization: The lighting used in such systems is of paramount importance. Whereas lighting in fish-only systems is primarily an aesthetic concern (for the most…

Cannon LED Floodlight takes the Ecoxotic spotlight to new heights

Our first look at Ecoxotic’s new Cannon LED Floodlights at the Reef Systems Aquarama booth was a really pleasant surprise. Although rated for the same 100 watts of light using a multichip LED package, the Cannon LED Floodlights are a completely different…

Leptoseris kalayaanensis grows into a plate of spines and spikes

It wouldn’t be a proper week of reef aquarium blogging here on Reef Builders if we didn’t bring your attention to a new exotic species of Leptoseris, L. kalayaanensis. Described in 2009 from the Philippines and subsequently also observed growing in…