A novice hobbyist once asked me whether there’s a particular “rule of thumb” with respect to the size of fish that can be kept in the same tank with a predatory fish, such as a lionfish or grouper. He’d heard…
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Don’t forget to clean your protein skimmer’s air silencer
As long as we’ve been reefing, it has always been well known and widely shared that is important to keep protein skimmer intakes clean. Whether you had a venturi or a needle wheel design protein skimmer, salt creep will accumulate…
Self-sustaining ecosystems in a box, how close can we actually get?
Something that I’m continually fascinated with and ponder about; the idea of creating aquarium setups that require minimal human intervention. Growing up in the 90’s, the biosphere experiment held my imagination quite a bit. And then there were those ecospheres…
A Fishy Biology Lesson From Paul
Though fish are our distant cousins, there are more differences than similarities between us. In today’s post, I’d like to explore the various characteristics that make a fish a fish—or not. Skeletal distinctions Of course, not all fish are the…
Don’t miss the historic first ever East Coast Reefapalooza in Orlando Florida
If you live on the West Coast and anywhere near the southwest, you likely have attended the now-iconic Reefapalooza marine aquarium conference which happens every fall at the Orange County Fairgrounds. Reefapalooza is the largest gathering of marine and reef aquarists…
Two-face masterpiece Scolymia looks both ways
It’s been a little bit since we reported on a Scolymia australis nice enough to be post-worthy but after a long absence, Frag Junky gets the honorable mention for their two-faced masterpiece scolymia. A “Masterpiece Scoly” is among the best of…
From the Archives: Think outside the box with 115 gallon reef bowls
Dave Lackland’s write up on his unique 100 gallon reef bowls four years ago has been one of our most popular stories since it was first shared more than four years ago. We have recently learned that Dave is relocating…
Don’t Let the Water Flow Slow in Your Marine Aquarium
We’ve mentioned several times here at Saltwater Smarts how the output of reef aquarium lighting gradually and imperceptibly shifts away from the desired level over time. But did you know a very similar phenomenon can occur with the rate of…
Is global warming creating zombie fish?
It almost sounds like a premise for the next SyFy movie, as timid fish go from prey to predators. A recent report has found ocean acidification is changing the behavior of some fish on a remote South Pacific reef as some fish…
Pseudanthias calloura makes an unexpected resurgence after a long hiatus
Pseudanthias calloura is widely known for its rarity as well as its beauty. It’s scarcity in the trade has promoted this species to the top of many wish lists, only to bring disappointment to said list makers. Commonly known as…
