Damselfish are preventing Cleanerfish from cleaning in the Caribbean

New research from the Universities of Cambridge and Cardiff shows that when Sharknose gobies set up cleaning stations in damselfish territories, the damsels scare their clients away. Damsels have been chasing off fish since the dawn of time and on…

14 of our favorite featured fish from 2022

Cast your eyes over our pick of the hottest fish to make the Reef Builders news in 2022.

10 Rare Hawaiian Aquarium Fish

Hawaii is well known as a hot spot of endemism both above and below the water and this is a fact which aquarium fish fanciers are very well acquainted with. Many common shallow water species that have been enjoyed by…

Top 10 New Species of Reef Fish of 2019

This past 2019 was a fruitful year of new saltwater and reef fish species, introducing fish lovers to a whole host of new species. More so than other years we were treated to a nice variety of new official descriptions…

The Blakctip Snailfish is a Fascinating Deepwater Oddity

Besides live video from deep diving ROVs, specialty aquariums are the only way that the general public can ever hope to see and appreciate the bizarre marine life of the deep sea. The graceful blacktip snailfish is one such peculiar…

Oblique Butterflyfish Is The Coolest Fish You’ve Never Heard Of!

The Oblique Butterflyfish, Prognathodes obliquus, is a rare species from St. Paul’s Rock in the middle of the equatorial Atlantic Ocean. Although few mere mortals ever make it to this extremely isolated rocky islet, thankfully super-scientists like Dr. Luiz Rocha always…

This Hawaii Biotope Aquarium is the Best FOWLR Ever!

Reef tanks have all but taken over the saltwater side of the aquarium hobby but we’ve still got a special place reserved in our hearts for tanks dedicated to showcasing nice marine fish. Today’s feature is quite possibly one of…

Rare Spotfin x Foureye Butterflyfish Hybrid Collected By Dynasty Marine

A very rare hybrid of the spotfin and four-eye butterflyfish was recently collected by Dynasty Marine in South Florida. The hybrid specimen shows an appearance with a near 50/50 split in the features of its parent, resulting in a ghostly…

A Deeper look into Mokupapapa Discovery Center’s Aquarium

We recently visited a very unique aquarium at the Mokupapapa Discovery Center in Hawaii. The mere size of this aquarium is not what makes it impressive but the beautiful and extraordinarily rare fish that it contain. While there are many…

Guyote butterflyfish and many other sightings by Okeanos deep sea ROV

Prognathodes guyotensis, the uber rare Guyote Butterflyfish is the pinnacle of a whole suite of awesome deepwater animals that have been documented over the last week. The Okeanos Explorer is an ROV expedition by NOAA that has been live-streaming its…