Billions of Starfish Melt Into Goo on the Pacific Coast

A disease affecting over a dozen starfish species is decimating coastal populations from Alaska to Mexico. Called Sea Star Wasting Syndrome, the pathogen, possibly Densovirus, is infecting starfish, causing the limbs to detach and their bodies to melt, with some…

EU wrasse imports jeopardized due to catch-all disease restrictions

Reef Builders has learned that the import of all wrasses into Europe has been restricted. Fish health authorities have confirmed that wrasses and their relatives within the family Labridae are now only allowed to be exported to the European Union…

Can You Test for Fish Diseases? AquaBiomics Thanks So!

If it weren’t for pests and diseases, keeping a saltwater fish aquarium or reef tank would be so much easier. Fish parasites, coral parasites, and even clam pests can present a real setback to having a thriving saltwater aquarium environment and…

Fish Got Ich? Kick It With Fritz FixIck

Fritz FixIck is a revolutionary new way to treat aquatic external parasites including Ick, Chilodonella, Trichodina and Tetrahymena. As one of the most common diseases most aquarists will encounter, finding an Ick treatment that is simple, safe, and highly effective can be difficult.  Fritz…

Some Parasites can Only be Treated With Medicated Food

In the world of saltwater fish and as far as keeping them in reef tanks, a very small handful of disease dominates the collective conversation. The primary piscine ailments that we discuss are really the ones we can see including…

How to Set Up a Simple and Effective Quarantine Aquarium

Quarantine, quarantine, quarantine – this word get a lot of lip service in the saltwater aquarium hobby but too few of us really practice this important procedure, let alone undertake it properly. Even many of the fish stores we’ve visited…

How To Set Up A Simple & Effective Quarantine Tank

I must really like quarantine tanks because it seems like I’ve set up more of them than actual fish tanks over the years. There’s something about knowing you have the perfect environment to do whatever is necessary to acclimate a fish…

Catch It Early! PolypLab Launches Marine Ich Awareness Campaign

Marine Ich is undeniably one of the most deadly marine aquarium diseases our tropical saltwater fish have to face in captivity. It’s a big deal not because it’s particularly lethal, but because there’s simply so much misinformation about this ubiquitous…

The Marine Aquarist’s Greatest Asset

If someone were to ask you (perhaps with a gun held to your head, as is so often the case in these hypothetical scenarios) to identify the one thing that no aspiring marine aquarist should be without, what would your…

5 Myths About Marine Quarantine Tanks

Quarantine tanks are often discussed/written about as though they require very little effort, planning, or expense. Just dust off that 10-gallon plastic “critter keeper” sitting on the shelf, fill it with salt water, drop in a heater and sponge filter,…