Nanipora kamurai, a skeleton-building Octocoral that could already be in your tank

Nanipora kamurai is a new species of Octocoral which may be small and nondescript, but it falls in a very special place on the soft coral tree of life. We are all taught that soft corals are by definition soft, and we…

Reef Building soft coral has the thickest stony “branches”

Soft corals are called “soft corals” because they are kind of like corals, and they are primarily soft. We know that there are always exceptions to every rule in the animal kingdom, and the most notable of these in the Octocorallia soft…

ReefBrite teases its first true LED fixture

The ReefBrite LED striplights have been some of the most popular LED strips in the aquarium hobby since their introduction nearly seven years ago. With little changes to their design besides a more powerful XHO version that packed in more…

2.2 Fairy Wrasses: The cyanopleura group

The cyanopleura group is the next collection of fairy wrasses from the second major Cirrhilabrus clade (whose member taxa share the trait of mid-length pelvic fins) and is sister to the scottorum group. In the latter, certain traits that were diagnostic to the members will be…

Signs that Allelopathy Might Be Agitating Your Inverts

Since corals and other sessile invertebrates are more or less stuck in place and can’t chase away competitors or run from predators, many of them—particularly among the soft corals—have evolved the tactic of exuding toxins into the water to prevent…

Manhattan Aquariums installs gravity-defying coral art at new Carnegie exhibit

There’s a new coral aquarium exhibit at the Carnegie Museum of Art that shows corals in a very dramatic and unusual way. The installation features corals arranged and affixed to a “reef” in the shape of a large ‘E3’ as…

Amazing Aquarium’s soft coral display will lull you into a hypnotic trance

I think it’s so unfair that people don’t give soft coral enough credit. I’m not talking about zoanthids, those single limited edition collectable polyps that cost as much as an emerald ring doesn’t quite cut it for me. I’m talking…

Awesome Fish Spotlight: The under appreciated Chaetodon wiebeli

Today’s Awesome Fish Spotlight focuses on yet another butterflyfish, and this time it’s the highly under appreciated Chaetodon wiebeli. Well under appreciated in its range anyway. We’ve featured this species before when we caught sight of one in Bangkok, but…

5 Signs of Inadequate Water Movement in Reef Aquariums

Proper water circulation is one of many elements that are key to maintaining a healthy reef system. While there’s no such thing as a one-size-fits-all water-flow scheme (you really have to tailor the flow to the unique needs of the…

Reef Nuggets 2: Aquatic Lepidopterans for your reef (Revised edition)

In our previous episode of Reef Nuggets, we explored our options for peaceful and lesser known damselfish to add a little spark of colour and life to our aquariums. Having vanquished the hateful stereotype that not all damsels are malevolent and…