There are several species of stony coral belonging to the genus Euphyllia available to hobbyists, which are a popular bunch for good reasons. These corals can be very attractive, can grow to large sizes, and can thrive in aquariums with acceptable water quality, lighting, and flow.…

I was scheduled to give a presentation to a reef aquarium club some time ago, and I figured I’d try to do something different after the talk. I asked to have everyone coming to the talk bring all of their water testing kits, expired or not, just to see what would happen if a bunch of hobbyists tested the same water samples with different kits.…

With the help of my colleague David Flanigan, an organic chemistry professor and fellow reef aquarist, I tested the effectiveness of some reflectors used with T-5 fluorescent bulbs in aquarium lighting fixtures.…

There are several species of clam belonging to the family Tridacnidae, which are best known as the tridacnids or giant clams. Of these, one of the most attractive species is Tridacna maxima, which is also one of the most commonly offered species available to hobbyists.…

Almost all sorts of reef-building corals and most all of their reef-dwelling kin contain symbiotic zooxanthellae, and require bright light to live. Thus, these are called zooxanthellate corals, and they’re all restricted to life in relatively clear, shallow, warm, and well-lit waters.…

With the exception of something like an aquarium set up for jellyfishes, essentially all marine aquariums contain solid materials made of the minerals calcite and aragonite. Oddly enough, these two minerals are made of the same thing though, as both are composed of calcium carbonate in different forms.…

The CV Dinar aquaculture facility, which is more easily called a farm, is located on the northeast coast of Bali, not too far east of Tulamben. It’s also around 6 degrees south of the equator meaning the water’s warm and there’s plenty of sun year round, which gives rise to wonderful coral reefs.…

There are approximately 8,000 species of sponges, and they can be found living in many different marine environments from shallow water reefs down to the depths of the abyssal plains and trenches.…

The Family Pomacentridae contains over 300 species altogether, some of which are without a doubt the most common fishes in the marine aquarium hobby. Almost all of them are marine, primarily being found in the Indian and Pacific Oceans, but there are a few that may be found in brackish waters, and several species are found in the Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean, as well.…

As best as I can tell, for as long as tridacnids have been put in aquariums there has been much debate about how much light is needed to keep them healthy. I’ve heard all sorts of ideas here and there, and have even seen specific PAR values recommended for each species.…