The Silent Giant was a celebrated air pump made for decades from the 50s to the late 70s and is so cherished that instead of replacing it, aquarists go to great lengths to get theirs repaired. The Hydra Aquatics Silent…
Aerospace Hydnophora is a Wild Color Morph of Horn Coral
Hydnophora or more commonly called ‘Horn Coral’ are a distinctive group with some of the fleshiest tissue of all so-called SPS corals. Most reefers will be most familiar with the thinner branched, neon green species called H. rigida that is…
Pilot Episode of our First Long Format Reef Aquarium Discussion
There is so much to talk about in the reef aquarium hobby these days that we simply can’t manage to get it all out there. Between our countless articles, youtube videos, and social media posts we still feel that there is…
How to use DC Controllable Pumps in a Reef Tank [Video]
For decades all of our fresh and saltwater aquarium worked just fine with dumb, one speed AC water pumps so we still remember setting up our first ever controllable DC pump. We didn’t really understand what we would achieve with…
MACNA 2021 on Sept 3-5 has been canceled – in-person events in 2021 unlikely
While we all endure the pandemic, in-person events like tradeshows and small frag swaps even with the global distribution of vaccines are very risky. Because of this MACNA 2021 has been canceled and will move to a digital-only event to…
White Patch Dottyback is the Newest Aberrantion of Pictichromis
Dottybacks were once one of the most popular groups of marine aquarium fish to be found in every single kind of fish and reef display. However over the years they’ve been overly maligned and it’s now a pleasant surprise to…
Neptune Systems GRO: a Rerelease of the Zetlight E200s Macroalgae Light
The Neptune Systems GRO LED is a ‘new’ light recently announced by the Morgan Hill, California based aquarium company. The GRO is a flat panel of medium output LEDs that was designed specifically to grow macroalgae in a sump environment…
Maxspect Jump L-165 LED Strikes a Balance of Features, Power, and Price
The Maxspect Jump L-165 is a new light fixture that brings together a very rare balance of power, features and performance at a mid-range price point that is often ignored in the aquarium hobby. We’ve seen a lot of new…
Astraeosmilia is a new Genus that Splits up the Candy Corals
Astraeosmilia is a new genus of stony coral that is about to change up our understanding of the candy or trumpet corals, formerly limited to the Caulastraea genus. This new group of stony corals pulls in three species from Caulastraea, one…
Unboxing Some Fun LPS Corals from Cali Kid [Video]
If there’s one thing we wish we could share with you more, it’s the enjoyment and excitement of opening up a box of brand new corals for the Reef Builders Studio. Unfortunately many corals simply aren’t that photogenic in any…
