The discovery of a baby Goblin shark on a beach in Greece has left one scientific journal with egg on its face after it published it in a peer-reviewed paper. The Goblin shark, Mitsukurina owstoni, is a rare species of…
Join Reef Blitz 2023 this week on the Great Barrier Reef
Reef Blitz 2023 is an annual event that brings together divers, fishers, scientists, students, conservationists and multiple citizen science programs to help Queensland communities collect a snapshot of information relevant to reef health. Starting in 2014, ReefBlitz is an iNaturalist…
The Need for Sustainably Aquacultured Cleanup Crew
Cleanup crew, whether they be gastropods, crustaceans, fish, echinoderms, or polychaete worms, are an integral part of the contemporary reef aquarium. Just like in wild ecosystems, various species of snails or sea urchins provide keystone ecological services by regulating the…
MBARI Periodic Table of Elements in the Ocean is a Super Useful Website
Ever wonder what the “right” concentration of a particular element in your aquarium is? With ICP tests becoming more and more popular you may be wondering exactly what a “normal” concentration of some trace element should be, like manganese or zinc,…
Aquarium Favorites – Lipstick Tangs and Orangespine Unicornfish
List your top ten favorite tangs and the Lipstick tang will probably feature high on that list. Also known as the Orangespine unicornfish, or simply the Naso tang, Naso lituratus is a reef aquarium favorite known for its yellow face…
We just can’t get enough of the TSA Fruity Splice Acropora
We’ve known about this spliced acro for a while now, but after Remy went to see it in person we just can’t stop thinking about it. We reached out to Top Shelf’s Kevin Burda for more info on his discovery. …
Reef Aquarium Plumbing and Pipework
Having worked in medicine for my entire career I got accustomed to the euphemisms that doctors often employed. One of my favorites was the cardiologists who were sometimes referred to as plumbers in that from other physicians’ perspectives all they…
How to Drill Glass Fish Tanks
Glass drilling and aquarium cutting are invaluable skills for reef keepers who want to build their own custom tanks and systems. While drilling and cutting acrylic are simpler processes, acrylic tanks are usually much more expensive. A fish-holding or coral…
Alpheus octocellatus is a New Species of Pistol Shrimp from the Maldives
A new species of snapping shrimp has been described based on two specimens collected in the Maldives. Alpheus octocellatus appears to be morphologically most similar to Alpheus edwardsii, pareuchirus and leptochirus so the paper’s authors have placed it in the…
Top 10 Grafted Corals at Top Shelf Aquatics
You can’t mention the best coral vendors in the world without mentioning Top Shelf Aquatics. A major destination for reefers and reefing tourists, Top Shelf is a Mecca for everything coral, and Reef Builders’ YouTube Channel and Reef Therapy host…
