Distilled down to its essence, success in the marine aquarium hobby is about keeping fish and invertebrates alive and thriving. And while it may sometimes seem as though fate plays a major role in how animals fare under our care,…
Sea Apples: Hazardous Holothurians Best Left to Advanced Hobbyists
In several posts here at Saltwater Smarts, I’ve mentioned that certain marine organisms routinely offered in the aquarium trade should come with a warning label—especially for novice hobbyists. In these cases, I’m usually referring to animals that are really gorgeous…
5 Maddening Things Marine Fish Do
I love marine fish. I really do. They’ve been part of my life for decades, and observing their beauty and behavior both in the wild and in aquaria seems to fulfill some primal need in me that’s, frankly, impossible to…
How to Acclimate Marine Animals in 8 Easy Steps—Plus 5 Cases When You Can’t
A simple acclimation process The following process is one that should be employed for all normal acclimation of animals from one system to another. STEP 1 If possible, determine the water quality values for the aquarium that the fish will…
Ribbon Eels: Elegantly Exotic but Usually Best Left on the Reef
Why are the most attractive and interesting-looking marine fish always the most difficult to keep alive in aquariums? Okay, maybe this isn’t actually such a truism. After all, there are lots of gorgeous-yet-easy-to-keep fish in the aquarium trade. It just…
Yellow Boxfish: Endearing but Perhaps Best Avoided
For hobbyists inclined to purchase livestock on impulse, a yellow boxfish (Ostracion cubicus) paddling about in a dealer’s tank can prove almost irresistible. Typically sold as juveniles at just a few inches in length, these boxfish are as cute as…
5 Techniques for Catching Fish in a Marine Aquarium
At one point or another, every marine aquarium hobbyist is faced with the necessity of capturing and removing a fish from a fully operational system—perhaps because the specimen is bullying tankmates, the victim of another specimen’s bullying, sick or injured,…
