Tank Profile: Marco Pardun’s 104-gallon Room Divider Triton Reef

When I first came across this aquarium, it caught my eyes for a variety of reasons. First and foremost was the variety of color in its inhabitants. Next is the fact that it is a room divider (something I’ve always…

Tank Profile: Alex Stamb’s Greek NSW-fueled Nano

We recently published an article about the challenges of collecting natural sea water (NSW) for your marine aquarium. In that week’s Saltwater Smarts newsletter, we asked any readers who used NSW in their aquarium to tell us about their experience.…

Coral Eye Candy, Vol. 1

For the first installment of Coral Eye Candy, we bring to you some absolutely stunning macro and extreme macro photos. In addition, you’ll find brief care requirements if you’re interested in keeping anything shown below in your reef aquarium. Enjoy!…

Corals Gone Wild: Don’t Let Encrusting Polyps Take Over Your Tank!

I have a confession to make. When I mention my 75-gallon “reef tank” in my posts here at Saltwater Smarts, I’m not being entirely truthful in my terminology. When I first set up the tank almost 14 years ago and…

Hawaiian Zoanthids are totally hot right now

During the last of couple years, some amazing colored zoanthids have been coming to the aquarium hobby from Hawaii. These zoanthids belong to the same family as the PPE type zoanthids that are collected on Caribbean reefs, except the ones…

5 Good Reasons to Wear Gloves When Working in a Marine Aquarium

Marine-aquarium hobbyists are often urged to wear protective gloves when working in their tanks. Depending on the level of protection desired, these can range anywhere from disposable (powder-free) latex surgical gloves to heavy-duty, full-arm gloves that keep your entire arm…

Zoanthids: Tough as Nails but Powerfully Potent

They belong to genera with names like Zoanthus, Parazoanthus, and Palythoa. They’re sometimes called sea mats, button polyps, or colonial anemones. Reef hobbyists commonly refer to them as “zoas.” Whatever name you apply to them, the zoanthids (family Zoanthidae) enjoy…

Cherry Corals’ latest crop of extreme zoanthid closeups will melt your face

There are coral macros and then there are coral extreme closeups! Long known for their fancy photography, Cherry Corals has a track record of producing wild, popping images of some of the hottest corals. The use of flattering photo settings…

Reef Nutrition Beta Brine and R.O.E. debuting at MACNA

Reef Nutrition is planning on releasing a pair of new products at MACNA next weekend — Reef Nutrition R.O.E. and Beta Brine. We’ve reported on the Reef Nutrition R.O.E or real oceanic eggs earlier and they are finally ready to…

Most popular stories last week

March 6– March 12th 6 gallon SPS pico reef pushes the boundaries for nano tank enthusiasts The trials and tribulations of Apolemichthys kingi: From capture to grave Steamed Palythoas send well-informed aquarist to the emergency room, nearly to the grave…