By Tim Wijgerde, Ph.D. Light is one of the most discussed topics in the marine aquarium hobby. It is also amongst the most dreaded, due to its complicated nature. In this article, I will explain the basics of light, including luminous flux, PAR, PUR and spectrum, and...
Recently, I was reminded by a friend how great today’s smart phones are for photography. It seems he wasn’t talking about your casual photography, where you shoot a photo or two during a party or take some pictures of your fish tank.…
Recent scientific findings suggest that these so-called mesophotic reefs can act as refugia for many reef species, including fishes and corals, which may help repopulate shallow reefs after periods of environmental stress.…
“Let the word Aquarium then be the one selected to indicate these interesting collections of aquatic animals and plants, distinguishing it as a Freshwater Aquarium, if its contents be fluviatile, or a Marine Aquarium, if it be such as I have made the subject of the present volume.…
Photographs and videos by Tim Wijgerde, unless stated otherwise.
In 2002, Charles Delbeek published an article about his experiences with Dendronephthya and other difficult to maintain corals in this magazine (Delbeek 2002).…
By Tim Wijgerde Text and photographs, by author, unless stated otherwise Cover photo courtesy of Gary L. Parr Why water flow is vital to corals Several decades of research has taught us that coral health is affected by many factors, including light, water quality, and...
By Tim Wijgerde The colorful appearance of marine life is the main reason why many people choose to maintain a salt water aquarium at home. Phenomena known as iridescence and fluorescence result in highly attractive marine fishes, corals and other invertebrates. When...
Currently, large numbers of fish, corals and other invertebrates are exported annually for the American, European and Asian markets. It is paramount that this trade is sustainable, for coral reefs as well as for local tropical communities.…
Before I go into the relationship between amino acids and corals, I would first like to address the following question: what are amino acids? Basically, amino acids belong to a class of organic compounds that is essential to all life.…
Looking up the word myth in a dictionary yields several results, including this: a fiction or half-truth, especially one that forms part of an ideology. This suggests that myths do not need debunking, otherwise they would be called facts.…