Pax Bellum ARID Filter review: the most ‘intense’ way to grow Chaetomorpha

They say that everything that is old will be new again, and this statement couldn’t ring any more true for the Pax Bellum ARID Chaetomorpha filters. In the early days of successful reef keeping, algae scrubbers and phyto-remediation was the state…

4 Good Reasons to Be a Marine Aquarium Mentor

Though in many ways keeping a marine aquarium is easier today than it’s ever been, entry into our hobby is still fraught with confusion. To a large extent, this can be attributed to the incredible variety of choices available nowadays…

Bounce mushrooms are being found in a rainbow of colors

Bounce mushrooms are taking the marine aquarium hobby by storm, and catapulting mushroom anemones to the top of elite coral reefers most-wanted list. About a month ago we reported on one especially endowed specimen of the original Bounce Mushroom selling…

Old Tank Syndrome Revisited

Continuing with my theme from last week, I thought it might be a good time to revisit what has come to be known as “Old tank Syndrome” – or as Joe Yaiullo dubbed it “lazy old hobbyist syndrome”. Actually there…

Symphyllia: So Stunning, Yet Success Eludes Me!

Symphyllia are some of the most colorful large-polyp stony corals out there. Their bodies resemble Lobophyllia in many ways, but unlike lobos, they have a much more diverse color arrangement. I’ve seen them come in just about every color imaginable,…

Leptoseris papyracea, the other branching Lepto coral

Leptoseris is a genus of coral that has absolutely blown up in the marine aquarium hobby in the last few years. Notable efforts to collect rare and unusual strains of Leptos, especially by Fox and Worldwide, have led to more…

Coral Catfish: Cute-Juvenile Syndrome with a Venomous Twist

A school of juvenile coral catfish (Plotosus lineatus) rolling and wriggling en masse along the ocean floor is among the more endearing sights one can behold in the marine realm. Not surprisingly, after seeing this phenomenon in nature or on…

Zetlight Carona LED touches down in China

The China International Pet Show is well underway and already we have the first new notable aquarium product to come to our attention. The Zetlight Carona is a flying saucer shaped LED fixture with a look that is out of…

Proco Noise Reducer for heavy duty pumps

A couple months ago while visiting the Birch Aquarium at Scripps Institute of Oceanography we had the chance to tour the facility with Fernando Nosratpour. While perusing behind the scenes we spotted an interesting plumbing part that we’d never heard…

The Pros and Cons of Aquascaping Marine Aquariums with Dry Rock

When aquascaping their tanks, marine aquarium hobbyists have the option of using live rock or dry rock (or some combination thereof) to create the foundational reef structure. Each of these options is completely workable but, as with every aspect of…