A first look at the REAL Cirrhilabrus claire from its type location of the Cook Islands

As I type this, my breath is rapid, and my fingers are bent from random spasmodic twitching. We’ve seen Cirrhilabrus claire before, and a few times now. We’ve even covered it extensively before, but nothing could have prepared us for this.…

Cirrhilabrus squirei finally gets an official description

Cirrhilabrus squirei is a new species of fairy wrasse from the Great Barrier Reef and the Coral Sea which was first discovered and collected by Cairns Marine of Australia. The new fairy wrasse species is named after Lyle Squire and…

Navigobius dewa is the undisputed queen of dart fishes

The pseudo-legendary Navigobius dewa weaved its way into the hearts of rare fish lovers alike back in 2009 when it was described, with its scintillating, almost alien-techno-raver-laser pink and purple coloration. Since then, very few pieces have entered the trade,…

Helcogramma is another poorly known nano fish bursting with reef aquarium potential

If you thought the multitude of unknown Trimma species out there were heartbreakers for the nano fish realm, here’s another very unknown and poorly offered genus that is equally suited for the home style reef tanks. Helcogramma is a genus…

Aberrant Koran angelfish from Cairns Marine shows off a wicked cobalt mask

The Koran angelfish (Pomacanthus semicirculatus) may not be the prettiest Pomacanthid in the reefs, but they are by no means any less ubiquitous in the trade. This species forms many hybrids in nature with related members of its genus, but…

Behind the scenes look at Cortez Tropical Marine’s clarion collection

Tangerine orange coloured clarion angelfishes are one the most well known of Holacanthus, and are becoming a common sight out of Baja imports. Everyone’s familiar with their fiery beauty, and the juveniles that are adorned with metallic blue striations. But…

Liopropoma tonstrinum has a range wider than we previously thought

Liopropoma tonstrinum is a basslet with equal parts beauty and rarity. Looking superficially similar to L. multilineatum, the former is most often found and captured in Palau, where the few specimens that enter the trade are offered from. According to…

The mystery of Bodianus “kimura”- shocking information that will leave you asking for more

Recently, some light has been shed on a new species of Bodianus that has gotten everyone worked up. Some light has been shed, but not nearly enough, and we’re still scratching our heads at this Bodianus conundrum. The new species,…

2013 recap: Top six breakthrough aquarium fish

2013 is ending really soon and as always, we have our yearly recap on what’s hot in the aquarium scene. Before this year, these fish were almost always either unknown of, or simply classified as “book fishes”. Today’s post will feature…

The juvenile Kamohara fang blenny is scribblier and more cryptic than the adults

It has been awhile since we’ve gotten one of the aquarium world’s first Kamohara fang blenny from Koji Wada of Blueharbor, and even recapped our trials and tribulations with the fish, but our love for this blenny is still burning…