Aussie Reef Tank Build Pt.1: Installing the Equipment

If there’s one thing we’re about and Reef Builders is known for in the aquarium world it’s reef aquarium gear. Therefore it is with great excitement that we kick off our latest reef aquarium build and get to install a…

The quest for improved pH levels: Heat/Energy Recovery Ventilators

PH is one of the most important parameters governing the growth and calcification of corals in the wild and in our reef tanks. However keeping aquarium pH water within a desirable range can be difficult with elevated indoor carbon dioxide…

Ukraine’s A&C Protein Skimmer is Packed With Innovation

The reef aquarium hobby is truly a global community and every major region has its own specialties in how they build reefs, and how they design reef aquarium gear. Eastern Europe is an insular hotspot with influence from both Europe…

Hydro Logic FlowMaster Meter is a Must-Have for Water Purification

Using pure water with zero to minimal impurities or contaminants is the foundation for mixing clean, life-giving seawater in a reef aquarium. For most reef builders the first step to having freshwater we can trust usually begins with a reverse…

Acanthoplesiops jessicae, an Attractive New Species of Spiny Basslet from PNG

Acanthoplesiops jessicae is a new species of spiny basslet from Papua New Guinea that is a far cry from the typical appearance of fish in this genus. The newly described basslet was discovered in the hotspot of endemism and biodiversity…

The Best Salt For Saltwater Aquariums – Reef Builder Gear Guide

Are you guilty of just using whatever salt you can find, or have you ever really given much thought to the salt you are using and why? Salt formulas DO MATTER, and using the wrong salt could be doing more…

Pseudojuloides pluto and proserpina are two new pencil wrasses from Micronesia and the Marquesan islands

Prolific Ph.D. candidate Yi Kai Tea (Lemon Tyk) has published papers on not just two but four new species of Pencil wrasse this week. Pseudojuloides crux and P.paradiseus are now being joined by P.pluto and P.proserpina, taking the total number of Pencil Wrasse species to 18.

AI Nero 3 Pump Review – The Sweet Spot for Nano Reef Water Flow

The AI Nero 3 pump is the new, smaller successor to one of the best water moving powerheads on the market today, the AI Nero 5. Priced at only $149 the new AI Nero 3 propeller pump from AquaIllumination is a…

The Best Auto Top Off Devices For Saltwater Aquariums – Reef Builders Gear Guide

Salinity is one of the most important parameters to maintain in a saltwater aquarium. Throughout the day water evaporates from your tank, but it’s only the freshwater that evaporates, and the salt is left behind. To maintain proper salinity you…

Parazoanthus atlanticus is a new species of Yellow Polyp from the Dutch Caribbean

The biodiversity of the Dutch Caribbean has been studied for 250 years, but most records of Zoantharians don’t go much beyond the genus level or are grouped into generic catch-all species despite being common. A group of zoantharian specialists from Japan and the Netherlands has sought to change that by collecting and DNA testing new specimens as well as reexamining huge numbers of historic records and data of species collected and described from the area.