In several posts here at Saltwater Smarts, I’ve mentioned that certain marine organisms routinely offered in the aquarium trade should come with a warning label—especially for novice hobbyists. In these cases, I’m usually referring to animals that are really gorgeous…
Search Results For: ORA
Waikiki Aquarium management has head in the sand about recent animal deaths
The Waikiki Aquarium has been a bleeding edge aquarium institution in the world for the better part of a decade. We aquarists have revered and longed to see this world-famous display of marine life in Hawaii ever since it was…
Destination De Jong
There are a handful of fish and coral powerhouses spread around the world in isolation, each with their special niche and prowess responsible for procuring some of the hobby’s most sought after. Most recently on our little tour of Europe,…
The Flowave is a real life wavemaker
If you wanted to build the ultimate water flow creating aquarium, it would look something like the Flowave, a huge circular flow generating pool that is in a league of its own. The Flowave is 5 meters deep, 25 meters in…
0.0 Fairy Wrasses: A review of the genus Cirrhilabrus
Fairy wrasses are some of the most ubiquitous fishes in the marine aquarium trade, which is why it may come as a surprise to learn that the group has never received a serious taxonomic review. The scientific literature is filled…
New splitfin anthias species, Luzonichthys seaver described from Pohnpei Micronesia
Luzonichthys seaver is a new species of splitfin anthias that has just been described from two specimens collected in Pohnpei Micronesia. The splitfin anthias are an uncommon group of fishes in the marine aquarium hobby whose number of recognized species…
Don’t Be Bothered by Bristleworms!
In my early days of writing for the marine aquarium hobby, I frequently cautioned fellow hobbyists to be on the lookout for “unwelcome” live rock stowaways, and high on my list of undesirables were the bristleworms. As I saw it…
Unique Siamese UFO Scolymia at House of Fins
This cool image was sent to us by Luke Wilson of House of Fins showing their Siamese UFO Scolymia’s striking appearance. While there isn’t much of a story here, we still love sharing with you the unique and one-off specimens…
At the source of black dogface puffers in the Solomon Islands
Dogface puffers are some of the most popular fish for fish tanks, with their lovable faces, pointed doglike snouts, and their cute and human-like eyes. On a scale of 1-10, pufferfish rate at about a 0 on the rarity scale…
When life gives you lemons
Life sucks. Let’s not pretend to be one of those sickeningly sweet and optimistic people who say otherwise. We all have our bad days be it from a break up, a Judas level betrayal or just simply trying to eat an ice…
