Remy and Reef Builders visit Aquashella!

Our resident Reef Builders video and podcast presenter Remy went to Aquashella last weekend, bumped into a few famous reefers, got tips on the rarest and most expensive corals there, and did a little watch shopping on the way.   First,…

Old and New Reef Tank Pests

It seems that when we take two steps forward we often have to take one step back. Such is the case with the success we have had in the hobby. In the early days of the hobby, we were preoccupied…

Urchins Relocated in Florida to Aid Coral Conservation

Marine scientists from the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences have been collecting and relocating sea urchins in an effort to aid coral reef restoration. Sea urchins help prevent invasive algae from overgrowing struggling coral reefs so…

Terelabrus toretore is a New Species of Striped Hogfish from Tahiti

A new species of deepwater hogfish has been described in the journal Zoological Studies. Terelabrus toretore is now the fifth species within the genus Terelabrus, and was discovered in the mesophotic zone in Tahiti, French Polynesia. Mesophotic zones range from…

Psychedelic Rainbow Umbrella is the most colorful Discosoma neglecta we’ve seen

Umbrella mushrooms are often green, brown, or mottled and as such aren’t highly coveted by the shroom world, but this specimen displayed by Iwarna Aquafarm in Singapore stopped our scrolling fingers in their tracks. Discosoma neglecta is a corallimorph that…

World’s first Octopus Farm concerns scientists

Plans to build the world’s first octopus farm have been met with criticism by scientists. Spanish multinational Nueva Pescanova sent the proposed plans to the Canary Islands’ General Directorate of Fishing, but they have been intercepted by animal rights group…

Meet Nemateleotris lavandula, the Lavender-blushed Dartfish

The 19th century was a golden age for ichthyological exploration. It signified an era of what seemed like an endless slew of new discoveries, where even the most iconic and noble of species we know today were without names. Taxonomists…

Observations on a “new” soft coral in the hobby, Paraminabea rubeusa, by Julian Sprung

After so many years enjoying and looking forward to the coral feature articles that Jake Adams wrote and Vincent Chalias still writes for Reef Builders, I came across a coral that inspired me to want to compose a gushing, over…

The New Octocorallia: Scleralcyonacea (And A Few Remaining Mysteries)

Having now fully explored the Malacalcyonacea Part 1 and Part 2, it’s time to turn our attention to its sister group, the order Scleralcyonacea. These clades are roughly equivalent in terms of species-level diversity, but whereas the malacalcyonaceans included many…

The New Octocorallia: A Brief Review of Taxonomic Chaos

Soft Corals, Gorgonians, and Sea Pens comprise the Octocorallia, a major branch in the coral tree of life whose 3000+ species come in nearly every shape imaginable. Not surprisingly, this biodiversity has confounded taxonomists for centuries, resulting in no shortage…