Hippocampus japapigu, the Japanese Pygmy Seahorse officially Described

Hippocampus japapigu is a precious new species of seahorse that was recently described from Japan. Despite its recent description, this very tiny seahorse has been documented for over a decade in the waters of Japan and was previously believed to…

VolxJapan Vesta Skim is the internal protein skimmer from Japan

VolxJapan Vesta Skim is a new  internal protein skimmer the company added to its small, but growing line of products. The Vesta Skim comes in tow sizes and uses a simple external pump controller to regulate flow and initiate the…

Tempuractis, the ‘Sponge Battered Anemone’ Is The First Symbiosis of its Kind

Tempuractis rinkai is a wild new genus and species of anemone which has a very peculiar relationship with a particular species of sponge. This tiny, simple anemone appears to be in an obligate symbiotic relationship with the sponge, living inside…

ReefLive BR-Mini100

The ReefLive BR-mini100 is a nifty HOB biopellet reactor from Japan that can be used on your tank directly or in a sump. It comes in two colors – black and white – and can be mounted on rimmed or…

Ostichthys alamai, a New Species of Highfin Soldierfish from Japan

Soldierfish and Squirrelfish are not the most common fish seen in reef tanks but they should be as they don’t touch coral at all. Ostichthys alamai is a new member of this group, more specifically a recently described species of…

Japan has a New Species of Deepwater Triplefin

Enneapterygius velatus is a new species of triplefin recently described from Japan. Coming from the deep waters of the Ryukyu Islands, the holotypes for this new fish was collected at 55 meters (180 feet) deep but it has been photographed…

Hippocampus haema, a surprising New Species of Seahorse from Japan & Korea

Hippocampus haema is a new species of crowned seahorse from the northwest Pacific Ocean around Korea and Japan. The poster child for the crowned seahorses is Hippocampus coronatus, recognized by its pronounced and tall head crown or horn.  Once thought…

Chaetodon argentatus Butterflyfish Hybrid Spotted in Japan

So many times when we see aberrant or hybrid reef fish it’s in the setting of an aquarium livestock dealer. So it’s always a nice surprise to see some of these animals being spotted in their natural environment, and GT…

Japanese Minister Prepared Emergancy Declaration Over Coral Extinction
Naha Japan The Environment Ministry of Japan has prepared an emergency declaration over coral deaths caused by rising sea temperatures from global warming. In an emergency meeting of experts held in Okinawa Prefecture on Sunday, the ministry inked out the declaration,…
Japan’s Largest Coral Reef Hit Hard By Coral Bleaching

Japanese Coral Bleaching News from the Japanese government today shows that more than 70 percent of the country’s largest coral reef is dead due to warm temperatures. While the headline sounds dire, the decline of coral health in Seiseishoko reef did…