Spanish Flag and a whole biotope of Curacao deepwater reef fish making a pit stop at AquaTouch

The Spanish Flag, Gonioplectrus hispanus is one of those rare deepwater reef fish that is so uncommonly seen or collected that very few pictures of it even exist. It was very exciting to hear that AquaTouch in Phoenix AZ will…

Some tips and tricks to keep coral munching fish in a reef aquarium

I often hear fellow hobbyists taking about the risk keeping a certain type of fish in their reef tank. Usually, it’s that beloved Angelfish or ultra-cool Butterflyfish that the hobbyist simply cannot resist! I know- I deal with this all…

Professionally quarantined exotic marine fish now available from AquaTouch

A handful of professionally quarantined and conditioned rare and exotic reef fish have just become available in the WYSIWYG section of the AquaTouch website. The page lists some of the harder to get, harder to acclimate and much sought after…

The biggest marine and reef aquarium stories of 2009

2009 was a very big year for reef aquarists around the world and it was our pleasure to bring the news to reefers during the last completion of Earth’s solar orbit. We have hand selected some stories which are shoed-in…

Femininus wrasses abound in the cooler waters of Easter Island

Anampses femininus is one of the most highly coveted wrasses, and reef fish, for the home aquarium. Normally this species is restricted to fairly deep water in tropical locations like Vanuatu and Eastern Australia. While doing some research on the…

One new tank…A million ideas!

I’m deep into the planning on my first new aquarium in 2 years. It’s a great feeling, I’m now in that most exciting phase of the planning process (in my warped opinion, anyways): the “Which idea do I try?” phase!…

AGA aquascaping contest delivers stunning freshwater views

The 2009 Aquatic Gardener’s Association International Aquascaping Competition is up online and has some inspirational eye candy from our freshwater brethren. Aquscaping seems to be one of the things we are constantly striving to master and at times, is probably…

Pseudanthias hawaiiensis and other rare Hawaiian endemics spotted in this deep diving video

Pseudanthias hawaiiensis, Apolemichthys arcuatus and several other rare hawaiian endemic reef fish are featured in this fresh video of deep diving on the west side of Oahu. There is something surreal about looking at a lightly coral-encrusted volcanic reef slope…

Cephalopods are brought to focus in the newest issue of Reef Life Magazine

The fourth issue of ReefLife focus on my favorites, the Cephalopods. In the issue I discuss the striking Flamboyant cuttlefish (Metasepia Sp) and some of the pros and cons of even trying to think of keeping these amazing animals. I…

Brighter colors of male reef fish are now closer to being understood by new research

It’s no secret that male reef fish usually have much brighter colors and in some cases gaudy coloration compared to their female counterparts. This feature of sexual dichromatism is particularly pronounced in wrasses, anthias and to lesser degree in the…