A view from above, a quick snapshot and thoughts on MACNA 2010

I’m sitting 39,000 ft. above terra firma flying back to the West Coast from MACNA 2010 in Orlando and wanted to weigh in with a “newbie” perspective after three fun-filled days at the show. MACNA — we all hear about…

SEASMART brings a piece of PNG to MACNA

The SEASMART program is doing great things not only in the marine aquarium industry but is having quite an impact on the people of Papua New Guinea in many positive ways. As part of the exposure SEASMART is bringing to…

The Maggie Muffler, an easy alternative to a Durso or Stockman modification

For the past decade, I have used either a Stockman or Durso standpipe in my overflows to silence the dreaded gurgle. Recently, I found the need to build a new stand pipe. But before heading to my local hardware store…

Rethinking The Local Fish Store

In this postmodern, internet-based hobby world, it seems that the venerable local fish store (“LFS”) is under constant attack. E-tailers, hobbyist’ garage based start-ups, group buys, eBay, Craigslist, and even frag swaps are but a few of the challenges facing…

Will the real Springeri damselfish please swim up?

Chrysiptera springeri is an amazing species of damselfish which we’ve long admired. Over the last couple of years we’ve seen at least two color forms of damselfish being offered up as C. springeri: one all blue form with a clear…

Summer Doldrums at the Local Fish Store

It’s early August; the 4th of July was a month ago and Labor Day is still a month away which means that the aquarium industry is experiencing the full onset of the summer doldrums. Whether you are a brick n’…

John Ciotti’s “Upside Down Reef” nano tank

It has been about six months since we first introduced John Ciotti’s innovative upside down aquascape nano reef tank. When we visited the Southern California MAS a couple of weeks ago, we had the chance to visit this aquarium at…

Corals are cool, mistakes happen, planning for the worst is awesome

In an effort to make Jake’s head explode, I like to write about all the mistakes I make with my home reef system. Even though they may seem embarrassing, everyone makes bone head mistakes, and I think we all learn…

Sympodium encrusting soft coral starting to appear in blue and green colors

Sympodium is an interesting encrusting soft coral which is just beginning to show up in some coral shipments. We personally spied the Sympodium colony above tucked away in a corner of a display tank at Amazing Aquariums and Reefs and…

Joe Lichtenbert and Reef Propagations, Inc. retiring

A quiet Midwestern dynasty spanning two decades is coming to a close.  After 21 years as a commercial ornamental marine fish hatchery operator, Joe Lichtenbert, proprietor of Reef Propagations, Inc., is hanging up the nets. I first became aware of…