In the Seychelles, scientists are getting help from nature’s cleanup crew

An innovative new technique for cleaning farmed corals is giving researchers more time on the reefs and less time scrubbing. Inspired by nature, researchers in the Seychelles have found that by sending corals to the ‘cleaners’ before transplanting them to…

SeaWorld to phase out orca shows

For animal rights activists, it is a huge win and probably the right move, as SeaWorld San Diego has announced the end of its hallmark orca whale shows in favor of a more informative experience. There has been a lot…

Spiny Sea Dragon successfully captive bred in New Zealand

The Spiny Sea Dragon is an exquisite marine fish which often takes a back seat to the much better known and more ostentatious leafy and weedy sea dragons. The only time we’ve ever come across this species in our ongoing research…

ReefBrite XHO Hybrid fixture with T5 & LED light

The ReefBrite XHO hybrid T5 & LED fixture is a new reef aquarium light with neat features going for it, but housed in an unfortunate looking package. What makes ReefBrite’s new T5 xho hybrid fixture noteworthy is a large, dual parabolic reflector design…

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,…

Top 5 big reef fish discoveries from the Philippines this year

It’s been a busy year for the reef aquarium hobby and especially for reef fish discoveries in the Philippines. The Philippines is the largest single exporter of ornamental fish for the aquarium trade. With a population of nearly 100 milion people,…

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…

Super DaVinci Clownfish release will be pushed back to next year

The most exciting new strain of domesticated Amphiprion this year was easily the Super DaVinci clownfish revealed by Sea & Reef Aquaculture. For those of you hoping to get your fins on this striking new clownfish strain, you’ll have to wait…