CAS finding success with hyperbaric chamber to decompress fish

The California Academy of Sciences is finding success in decompressing reef fish from depths around 300 ft. thanks to a unique hyperbaric decompression chamber that provides a safer alternative to piercing the swim bladder. The CAS’s Matt Wandell used a…

Get ready for lots of exciting stories from the Fluval Sea Flores Expedition

We’re back from the Flores Sea with loads of exciting observations and documentation on the reefs of this part of Indonesia. With support from Fluval Sea and no less than nine months of planning, we succeeded in diving and surveying and…

Coconut octopus making itself at home at the Monterey Bay Aquarium

For all you people heading out in the camper or RV for the summertime this creative cephalopod might just appeal to you. The veined octopus is also known as the coconut octopus as it tends to be a bit creative when it…

These pygmy seahorses officially the cutest things ever

We don’t throw words like ‘cute’ around often here at Reef Builders, but when we do you better believe we mean it. When you look at these images of Bargibant’s pygmy sea horses (Hippocampus bargibanti) you are instantly captivated but when…

The new Grammatonotus from Philippines has a stunningly unique tail

The recent expedition to the Philippines have yielded many bonuses for the California Academy of Sciences. A few days ago we saw the collection of Sacura speciosa, and just when we thought nothing could top that, boom. A new Grammatonotus…

New stunning Grammatonotus species discovered in Philippines

We are constantly awestruck with the amount of new species of reef fish being discovered recently and yesterday a new Grammatonotus sp. was uncovered by the California Academy of Sciences dive team exploring the reefs surrounding the Philippines. After already collecting some…

Dr. Luiz Rocha will be the Keynote speaker for MACNA 2014

MACNA 2014 has revealed their choice of Keynote speaker this year and what a doozy it will be. Dr. Luiz Rocha will be giving the Keynote presentation at the MACNA 2014 banquet in which we expect him to reveal lots…

Synchiropus circularis is the first gem of a reef fish pulled up by CAS in the Philippines

Synchiropus circularis is one of those “book fish” that we have admired in pictures and from a distance, never really expecting any fresh specimens to be documented by our colleagues. The circled dragonet is so rare, it doesn’t really have…

This is one serious closed loop system

To close loop or not to close loop is one question serious reef geeks try and consider. If you have the luxury, a closed loop system is a fantastic way to handle flow in the aquarium without having to have…

Belonoperca pylei in US, right under our noses

Shortly after posting the Belonoperca pylei on video in Japan, we were able to chat with our friend Rich Ross who is also a marine biologist at the California Academy of Sciences. It seems that he is the proud owner of…