Black Friday and Cyber Monday are great times to be a reefer

The annual holiday shopping season officially kicks off this week with the traditional Black Friday shopping day and we’ve got our annual list of Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals to share. We have done our best to cobble together…

New Tridacna species, one of these Maxima clams is not like the others

There’s a new species of Tridacna giant clam that scientists have just “discovered” but guess what? Us reefers saw and noticed a unique clam species many years ago. The new Tridacna sp. has not been formally described but was discovered in…

The Golden Hamlet is one of the crown jewels of Caribbean reef fish

As close as we Americans live to the Caribbean Sea, we are woefully under-informed as to the wealth of beautiful corals and reef fish that live there. Case in point is the jaw-dropping gorgeous golden hamlet, Hypoplectrus gumigutta which Japanese and…

Toledo Zoo Aquarium Renovation – Update 11: Interactive Touchpools

With the Toledo Zoo’s Aquarium currently undergoing a $25.5 million renovation and the new Aquarium slated to open in 2015, curious Zoo visitors frequently ask what exhibits the new Aquarium will feature. In this installment, let’s continue our exploration of…

Friday Smorgasbord: Mixed media, Orcas, Old Clams and more

After taking a few Friday’s off, we’re getting back on pace with another edition of the Friday Smorgasbord. Leading off this week’s version with a pirouette is a unique and fascinating mashup. Looking at our aquariums, we are mesmerized with the…

CAD Lights Updates their AIO line with the 34-gallon Mini II

CAD Lights is no stranger to All-In-One aquariums, and they continue roll out great looking tanks. The new Mini-II looks like a winner, as it expands the mini line of aquariums with a larger volume system and some enhancements as…

How to Beat Those Pacific Blue Tang Blues

Its common names include the Pacific blue tang, regal tang, hippo tang, palette surgeonfish, yellow-tail blue tang, and probably several others that presently elude me. Kids know it as the addle-brained Dory from Finding Nemo. Whatever common name you apply…

Zoanthids vs Palythoa Identification

Over the years, we’ve seen hundreds of different Palys and Zoas. In that same time, there were varieties we confidently called Palythoa and others Zoanthids. For example, I can easily point to a Palythoa grandis and say for sure that…

Yellowheaded Sleeper Goby: A Fascinating but Challenging Sand-Sifter

Though not the most chromatically gifted species, the yellowheaded sleeper goby (Valenciennea strigata), is interesting to observe and can serve a utilitarian purpose in marine aquaria—regularly overturning and oxygenating the top layer of the substrate with its sand-sifting feeding behavior.…

Pick your algae color, Build My LED launches genius refugium LED fixtures

We usually stick with a simple 6,500K or lower light for our refugiums but Build My LED is challenging this point of view with its new line of custom LED fixtures designed with your color of refugium macroalgae in mind.…