Prized for its striking patterning, modest adult size, exceptional hardiness, and overall adaptability, the harlequin bass (Serranus tigrinus), denizen of the tropical western Atlantic and Caribbean, makes an excellent choice for the novice marine aquarist and experienced hobbyist alike. (In…
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Awesome Fish Spotlight: Roa excelsa
Roa excelsa is a unique deepwater butterflyfish that is part of a very interesting genus of reef fish. The Excelsa butterflyfish has three sibling species including Roa modesta, Roa jayakari and the fairly new Roa australis. We’ve featured the modest butterflyfish,…
Top 10 things you can do while visiting Reefapalooza
Reef-a-Palooza is meant to be a celebration of the hobby. This event is organized by the Southern California Marine Aquarium Society (SCMAS) which is a group of passionate hobbyists who want to share their love for reef animals. The goal of…
What Gives with that Marine Fish that Never Eats?
I’ve had this fish in my aquarium for months now and it’s as fat and happy as can be, yet I’ve never actually seen it consume any of the food’s I’ve offered. How on earth is it getting enough to…
Euroquatics Angel 1 and Angel 1 Pro LED review
The Angel 1 LED and Angel Pro LED are the first aquarium lights from the nascent Euroquatics aquarium lighting brand. Being backed by Gavita, a large horticulture company based out of Holland, certainly helped Euroquatics leapfrog the entry-level competition to…
Nature likes to design wild clownfish too!
Nearly all Picasso and designer breeds of clownfish in captivity today are influenced by genes from just a handful of exceptional wild clownfish. The Joker clownfish pictured here is one such example of a “natural” Picasso clownfish that was collected…
How to properly care for mangrove trees in ‘aquaria’
The red mangrove tree, Rhizophora mangle, is a common sight around saltwater aquariums, reef tanks and local fish stores where fresh seed pods are sold and kept. What is not a common sight is for a mangrove tree to be doing…
Damselfish can recognize UV markings of a face
Several years ago it was revealed that damselfish could see specially colored markings on the faces of other fish that only show up under ultraviolet light. Now a new study has demonstrated that the fish can not only see these…
Plectranthias winniensis & P. helenae captive raised by RCT Hawaii
Plectranthias winniensis and P. helenae are two species of this adorable group of basslets that grace the pages of Reef Builders today for very good reason. Reef Culture Technologies Hawaii has been trailblazing the captive rearing of various marine fish…
Reef Tank Aesthetics: A forgotten Aspect of the Viewing Experience
Over the years I have been spoiled in that I have had the good fortune of viewing hundreds of tanks all over the country and the world. I cannot thank the people in this hobby enough in that they bring…
