I think most people in the marine aquarium hobby enjoy the daily surprises our piece of the ocean supply on a daily basis. Whether its hitchhikers, spawnings or new growth of our corals we all look on with a big smile. A few years back I added a different dimension to...
By Dominick J. Cirigliano Thinking of acquiring new marine species for your home aquarium? Then one of the first questions you should ask yourself is, “Do I know the care requirements of this specimen?” Many hobbyists will inquire about the care of a particular...
By Dominick Cirigliano with Chris Martini The activities of reef-keepers may be esoteric, but rarely are they misunderstood as criminal. When I met a fellow reefer recently, the public exchange of cash for some of my cultured amphipods, macroalgae, and phytoplankton...
By Dominick J. Cirigliano Seahorses are one of the newer marine species that have become a part of my fish fascination. I’ve only been keeping seahorses for just over three years but have learned quite a bit about them in that time period. The first seahorse species I...
By Dominick J. Cirigliano In Part 1 of this two part series we discussed the aquarium setup and conditioning of adult seahorses. We are now going to focus on the system used for the collection, holding, and raising of seahorse fry. The System There are many methods...
In many cases our aquariums represent an extension of ourselves. Some people like zoa's, some people like acans, and some people even like non-photosynthetic corals. My passion is "ugly" fish. Are they really ugly or are they just misunderstood? I've always had...
I've had many species of filefish over the years. Their behavior, ability to camouflage, and many different colors and patterns make them an interesting addition to any aquarium. They've also been known to breed in captivity. Probably the most well known filefish in...
Over the years I have read all sorts of negativity surrounding the use of UV sterilizers in a reef tank. But I haven't found many of those comments based on experience or scientific evidence. So I've decided to take the two most common negative comments I've read and...
One of the great aspects of our hobby today is the innovations in method and technology for captive breeding of fish and aquaculturing corals. Because of the economy downturn, I think we need to remind ourselves the importance of supporting captive breeding and...
I absolutely love boxfish. It doesn't matter what species, I love them all! I've had anything from the most commonly available Yellow Boxfish (Ostracion cubicus) to the more exotic Flame Boxfish (Anoplocapros lenticularis). Most people have an understanding or have...