I’ve always personally wanted to set up an aquarium endemic to a certain area of the ocean. I recently moved across the country to Florida, and with the move, I happened to have an empty 75-gallon aquarium. I figured if…
What Hobbyists Can Learn when They Visit a Public Aquarium
Here in the US, the summer travel season is well underway, and popular attractions all across the nation are swarming with tourists. For those of us enamored with marine life, vacation travel often involves a visit to major public aquariums,…
What Constitutes a Marine Biotope Aquarium?
For today’s post, I’d like to take a slightly different tack than usual. By presenting my meandering thought process on the concept of marine biotope aquariums, I’m hoping to elicit some input from you, my fellow salties, on precisely how…
Steinhart Aquarium’s Caribbean display is a truly realistic representation of a biotope
Few set ups truly elicit fascination and marvel quite like those done in a biotope fashion. A biotope refers to an area of uniform environmental conditions which provides a specific niche for a particular set of organisms. Because aquarists are spoilt for choice…
Reef Nuggets 3: Fairies and Flashers, with notes from the wild
Today’s Reef Nuggets deal with a topic very close to my heart. Cirrhilabrus and Paracheilinus, or more commonly known as the fairy and flasher wrasses. Instead of my usual banter on “this ultra rare flasher wrasse” or that “extremely deepwater…
Photoblepharon palpebratus is a unique glowing oddball for your deepwater biotope
The flashlight fishes are a very unique group of light emitting fish that are not often seen in the trade. These fishes are well known for the photophores (light emitting organ) found below the eye, which harbours bioluminescent bacteria, allowing…
Ideas for Replicating Nature: Appreciating a “Nuisance” Macroalgae
As a dedicated fan of  marine biotope aquariums and unique concept aquariums, I’m always trying to look at natural reefs for inspiration. I mean, if nature does it, it must be good, right? And you never know where that next…
