Anyone who has been scuba diving or snorkelling will tell you that despite its calm appearance, the water near a reef is constantly in motion. This is especially true in the fore reef, where a lot of SPS corals come…
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Reef Builders Guide: How to setup a Reef Tank
The best words I have to describe a coral reef is a “lush wasteland.” By this I mean many extremely different types of life inhabit a coral reef, yet it is incredibly nutrient poor. Reefs rely on powerful…
What should you test for in your saltwater aquarium, and how often?
To ensure that the water in your aquarium is up-to-par and meets the generally recommended standards for reef aquariums, regular testing is strongly recommended, not to say required. By: Albert J. Thiel
“Super Suckers” Slurp Invasive Algae Off Reefs
In the battle against an exotic seaweed, biologists are employing a rather unusual solution: underwater vacuum cleaners. The cleaners—called Super Suckers—suck up tons of gorilla ogo, invasive algae that are killing coral reefs, smothering sea grass beds, and fouling beaches…
An Abridged How-to on Algae Control in your saltwater aquarium
Algae— these simple, unicellular or colonial, photosynthetic eukaryotic plant cells, are remarkable. From planktonic blooms to giant kelp beds to algal films micrometers thin, algae of all types form the base of a global ecosystem, cycling carbon, oxygen and…
The island paradise built on a garbage dump
Garbage dumps are generally not associated with thriving coral reefs, vast mangrove plantations and rare bird species. Yet on Pulau Semakau off Singapore, this is exactly what you will find: just beside a secluded ecological zone that harbors dozens of…
Pacific Islands Paradise Protected
A small Pacific Islands nation has distinguished itself on the global conservation map with the declaration today that it is creating the third largest marine protected area in the world, conserving an archipelago of some of the planet’s most pristine…
Black market aquarium supplier gets jail time
A Miami man will forfeit his boat and spend 10 months in jail for illegally harvesting brilliantly colorful corallimorphs, prized for saltwater aquariums, from the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Alexandre Alvarenga, 40, was sentenced Wednesday by U.S. District Judge…
Floating, Underwater Hotel, where you sleep in an Underwater Aquarium
Floating, underwater hotel, where you sleep in an underwater aquarium. The Utter Inn is the brainchild of Mikael Genberg, a local artist and sculptor who has chosen to focus on “making art for the public”. It lies 3m below the…
Ecosystems of Vietnam’s long coastline are in peril
It was the destruction of coral reef and over-fishing that moved artist Nguyen Lieu to paint brightly coloured canvasses warning Vietnamese that their coastal environment is in peril. “Nha Trang is the most beautiful bay recognized worldwide but exploitation there…
