A first look at the REAL Cirrhilabrus claire from its type location of the Cook Islands

As I type this, my breath is rapid, and my fingers are bent from random spasmodic twitching. We’ve seen Cirrhilabrus claire before, and a few times now. We’ve even covered it extensively before, but nothing could have prepared us for this.…

DeJong Marinelife’s Interzoo Booth is a rare fish oasis amid exhibition chaos

Wandering the numerous halls of Interzoo 2014 is intense. It requires endurance, comfortable footwear and ton of caffeine to take it all in. But once we found DeJong Marinelife’s booth among the chaos, we found ourselves in fish-geek heaven. Unlike…

Sneak video preview of DeJong’s world debut display of tiger and peppermint angelfish

Featured here are two of the aquarium world’s rarest species of marine angelfishes; the peppermint angelfish, Paracentropyge boylei and the tiger angelfish, Apolemichtys kingi. Both of these two demi-gods of reef life have been thoroughly featured on Reef Builders throughout the years but this…

Countdown to 2015 with BlueHarbor’s immaculate rare fish calendar

2013 was such a fantastic year for rare fish and aquarium tidbits and we’re so stoked to see what 2014 will bring. Here’s a fun way to countdown 2014, and what better way than with BlueHarbor’s splendid calendar. In typical…

Liopropoma tonstrinum has a range wider than we previously thought

Liopropoma tonstrinum is a basslet with equal parts beauty and rarity. Looking superficially similar to L. multilineatum, the former is most often found and captured in Palau, where the few specimens that enter the trade are offered from. According to…

Our top six smashing aquarium debuts of 2013

Here’s another 2013 recap, but this time, we’re featuring smashing aquarium debuts of 2013. Yes that’s right, 2013 is a year of first times, and these five fishes have had their moment in the spotlight in the past months. While…

Andrew Sandler’s reef tanks are a cumulative 1,600 gallons of awesome

Andrew Sandler, or his online alias Hedgedrew, is a dedicated and real hardcore reefer with several amazing set ups. A cumulative total of roughly 1,600 gallons comprising numerous set ups, including amongst others a 1,250 gallon SPS tank, a butterfly…

Hong Kong through Digiman’s eyes part 1: Legendary reefers Dr. Chung and Jimma Ma

Here’s another exciting Reef Builders travelogue showcasing the sights and adventures of the reefing scene in a foreign country. Like our Japan and Bangkok travelogues, we visit yet again another Asian country – the mystical land of Hong Kong. This…

Peppermint Angels are officially making their way around the world

As we all know, there are thousands of different species of fish available in the aquarium trade, and we all have our favorites. There is no denying, however, that the Peppermint Angelfish, Paracentyropyge boylei, is by far one of the most highly…

BlueHarbor teases another red and white striped fish: Liopropoma tonstrinum

Peppermints aren’t the only candy colored fish residing at BlueHarbor currently. In a brand new but smaller scale Southern Pacific shipment, Koji teases with another super rare and beautiful fish dressed in a similar striped garb. Liopropoma tonstrinum is one…