Marijke Puts
  • Marijke Puts

    Marijke set up her first aquarium when she was just 13 years old—and hasn’t looked back since. Today, she’s a pop science writer specializing in marine biology and fishkeeping (fresh + saltwater), avid scuba diver and underwater photographer, and proud owner of a 10-gallon reef cube.

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Recent Content

Meet the Stenopus

Meet the Stenopus

Most aquarists are familiar with the coral banded shrimp (Stenopus hispidus), a hobby classic thanks to its stunning candy cane stripes. But did you know that the genus Stenopus contains eleven species in total, some of which are also available in the aquarium trade?...

Urocaridella Shrimp

Urocaridella Shrimp

The first time I spotted a Urocaridella shrimp was on a toasty Thai reef. I was hovering above a group of highly photogenic camel shrimp, snapping away on my camera, when I noticed one of them was not like the others… at all. It hovered a few inches above the...

The Night Shift: Cowries for Your Aquarium

The Night Shift: Cowries for Your Aquarium

Now here’s a critter with a story! Once used as currency, cowries are now popular additions to our aquariums. But you’ll have to choose wisely if you’d like to keep one: many cowries either eat your corals or starve in captivity. Sometimes both. Why? And which cowrie...

Why Do Fish Sleep in Strange Places?

Why Do Fish Sleep in Strange Places?

Raise your hand if you’ve ever turned on your tank lights in the morning only to find one of your fish stone dead. Now raise the other hand if the “deceased” was magically resurrected within five minutes, swimming around and begging for food as if it didn’t just...

Glassware For Reefs Part 2: The Prettiest Glass Accessories

Glassware For Reefs Part 2: The Prettiest Glass Accessories

In part one of my double Glassware For Reefs feature, we had a look at lily pipes: delicate glass accessories that haven't caught on much with reef keepers yet, but that I think could make our tanks all the nicer to look at.  In said post, we established that pretty...

Glassware For Reefs Part 1: Lily Pipes In A Reef Tank?

Glassware For Reefs Part 1: Lily Pipes In A Reef Tank?

As reefers, most of us are in an odd gray area between maximalism and minimalism. Our favorite gaudy corals and flashy fish certainly don't scream "less is more". When it comes to equipment, despite our best attempts, the home reef is littered with wave makers,...

Mari’s Must-Haves: Fish Viewing Caves

Mari’s Must-Haves: Fish Viewing Caves

For us aquarists, peeking over at our tank often results in a case of "light's on, nobody's home". Many of our favorite critters are shy or nocturnal, preferring to spend the day wedged into safe crevices. Some only come out at night. But did you know there's a way...

Mari’s Must-Haves: Reef Magnifier

Mari’s Must-Haves: Reef Magnifier

Ever sat in front of your tank squinting, trying and failing to ascertain whether that blotch on your Acropora is a parasitic flatworm or just discoloration? Or maybe trying to take a photo of your favorite coral, only for it to turn out looking like you used a potato...

3D Printing for Your Aquarium: Safe Filaments & How-To

3D Printing for Your Aquarium: Safe Filaments & How-To

Did you know that some 3D prints are 100% aquarium-safe? If you've got a 3D printer at home, a whole world of aquarium possibilities just opened up. From algae scrapers to castle decorations: you can print it all. All you need to know is the right filament to use and...