As regular Saltwater Smarts visitors are aware, The Toledo Zoo’s Aquarium closed October 1, 2012 for a $25.5 million renovation and the new Aquarium is scheduled to open in 2015. Since the renovation began, one of the common questions visitors…
Search Results For: quality marine
5 Tips for Maintaining Stable Salinity in a Saltwater Tank
While salinity and other water parameters are relatively constant on the natural coral reefs, they’re highly prone to undesirable fluctuation in the closed system of a marine aquarium. As conscientious hobbyists who want to provide the most naturalistic environment possible…
Head-to-head review of the Vertex Omega 150 protein skimmer
The Vertex Omega 150 cone protein skimmer is an exciting new design which is hiding a lot of cool tricks in plain sight. At first glance it appears to be yet another well-performing cone skimmer with a durable Sicce needle-wheel…
Green Mandarinfish: Gorgeous, Good-Natured, and a Very Finicky Feeder
Many coral reef fishes are renowned for their spectacular coloration and patterning, but there’s one particular species, commonly available in the marine aquarium hobby, that arguably surpasses them all in this regard. I’m talking about the green mandarinfish (Synchiropus splendidus).…
New Fluval Accent makes aquarium maintenance simple, approachable [VIDEO]
The Fluval Accent was unveiled at SuperZoo last week showing an innovative and simple-to-maintain aquarium. The new aquarium is promising to see from the industry stalwart, especially with the upcoming marine systems from Fluval we’ve spotted this past year. You…
Top 5 stories from Aquarama 2013
We are hitting prime aquarium show season here with SuperZoo wrapping last week, MACNA right around the corner, and followed by Reefapalooza in October. We figured it was prime time to do a quick recap of the top 5 stories…
Videos of thresher sharks whipping behavior released for the first time
Thresher sharks are known for their extremely long tails, which as previously hypothesized by marine biologist, used as a whip to stun and kill prey. The whipping behavior has been observed by divers before, and has been filmed as part of an…
6 Tips for Choosing the Right-Sized Tank for Saltwater Fish
Have you ever noticed that species profiles written about marine fish almost always include a recommended minimum tank size for the species? Have you also noticed that tank-size recommendations for the same species can vary wildly from one author, dealer,…
How to Arrange a Vacation Sitter for Your Saltwater Aquarium
You’re getting ready to depart on a well-deserved summer vacation, and everything is falling into place nicely. You’ve purchased airline tickets, made all your hotel reservations, and packed everything you could possibly need at your travel destination. You’ve even made…
Incredible freshwater fish like this jeweled betta are impossible to ignore
Reef Builders is clearly a specialist in the marine and reef aquarium side of the hobby but we still have lots of appreciation for incredible freshwater fish. This year’s Aquarama fish competition featured so many unbelievable fish specimens that we…
