Meet Tyler’s Coastal Lagoon Gorgonian Reef Tank

Tyler aka Inland_Reef on Instagram set up this 42g coastal lagoon Gorgonian tank and you know we just had to learn more. Gorgonians are truly an under-appreciated coral, and it takes a skilled aquarist to make these somewhat dull corals…

Kevin’s Reef Tank Is An LPS Masterpiece

We’re really been enjoying checking out all your aquariums on Instagram including this LPS masterpiece which popped up under #reefbuilders. We reached out to Kevin aka Yaboikevin42 to learn more about his tanks and to get a few tips on…

Artist Lisa “Seaurchin” Stevens Creates Vivid Clay Coral Sculptures

Coral frags captivate our attention with their bright vivid colors, and flowing hairy polyps, but their inspiration doesn’t stop with aquarists. Intricate coral textures, shapes, and colors also catch the attention of artist like Lisa “SeaUrchin” Stevens from the UK.…

Meet The Striped Pyjama Squid: Sepioloidea lineolata

Striped pyjama squids (Sepioloidea lineolata) are some of the cutest cephalopods, rarely seen in aquariums. Pyjama squids are part of the Sepiadariida family, which is a group related to squid and cuttlefish. So it seems despite their name, pyjama squids…

Gaze Into This Crystal Reef Ball by Mini Ecossistemas Brazil

We’ve looked into a crystal ball, and this is what our future holds. A thriving mini-ecosystem contained in the most mystical crystalline orb. We were spellbound by this “show de bola” saltwater crystal ball and reached out to Flávio Akira…

Reduce Excess Nutrients With The Grotech MacroAlgae-Breeder

The Grotech MacroAlgae Breeder is a natural biological filtration system to reduce excess nutrients like nitrate and phosphate in saltwater aquariums. The MacroAlage Breeder or chaetomorpha reactors such as this work best with red algae family (e.g. Gracilaria curtissiae) or…

Scientific Research Spotlights Hybridization of Angelfish

Angelfish hybrids and the numerous ways that the Pomacanthids can remix their genetics have been one of our favorite writing topics on Reef Builders for over a decade. For much of that time our rare fish editor Tea Yi Kai…

Global Survey Found Sharks Were Missing From Twenty Percent Of Coral Reefs Worldwide

Over the past decades, shark populations around the world have been dwindling. Overexploitation for shark fins, and by catch from commercial fishing has lead to a sever inbalance in the worlds shark population. Unfortunately, the problem is compounded as most…

Salty Q&A: Is a Bigger Tank Always Better for Beginners?

Q: I’m setting up my first saltwater aquarium, and one piece of advice I keep hearing is that “bigger is better” when it comes to the size of the tank. I was planning to use a 40-gallon breeder, but now…

Fast Growing Corals To Quickly Fill Your Saltwater Aquarium

Fill Your Tank Quickly Does your tank look like a barren rock garden, peppered with bite-sized frags? Patience is the key to keeping a successful reef aquarium but waiting around for tiny frags to grow isn’t very rewarding especially for…