Country Critter’s pet shop in Patchogue, NY has landed a specimen of the rare, deepwater basslet Lipogramma evides. This small reef fish from the tropical Atlantic and Caribbean is normally found at depths of 145-365m (480-1200ft)! Collecting fishes at these depths...
An aquarium in Dubai has reported the first known case of parthenogenesis in the zebra shark, Stegastoma fasciatum. The female shark has been in the Burj Al Arab’s aquarium since 2001 when she was a pup. For the last four years, she has been laying eggs that...
It’s been more than two weeks since I posted news of the first settlement of a Liopropoma bass at the Long Island Aquarium. I know at least a few of you are eager for an update, but there really hasn’t been anything new to report…until now. At day 69, post-hatch, the...
As I sit here writing, my wife Ashleigh is in the kitchen opening the first bottle of Bombay Sapphire gin that’s been permitted in our house in more than a year. After having worked on this species off and on (sadly, more off, than on) for more than fifteen years,...
...and win a pair of captive-bred anemonefish (A. ocellaris) from the Long Island Aquarium.  The first person to provide the correct answer (genus and species) gets it. The prize can be picked up at the Manhattan Reef Swap on December 4th. ID and information on...
Can you guess what this thing is? You get two hints: 1. It’s appearing on Reefs.com,  and 2. It was taken at the Long Island Aquarium in Riverhead, NY. That’s all I’ll say for now.  Place your bets.  There’s only one rule: If you have inside information, you can’t...
It’s mid October and it’s the most stressful day of the year for the aquarists at the Long Island Aquarium – as well as for a thousand or so of our favorite fishes. It’s the day we empty the outdoor snorkel tank for the season and move all of the fishes into other...
As a professional aquarist working at a coastal aquarium, I field a lot of calls from local fishermen, SCUBA divers, fish collectors, or just people out for a walk on the beach looking for help identifying some fish or other marine creature that they’ve come across. ...
Damselfishes (Pomacentridae) present a quandary for people involved in marine ornamental aquaculture. They are hardy, aggressive feeders that come in an impressive variety of brilliant colors and they are extremely popular in the marine aquarium hobby.…
Each summer and fall I spend more time snorkeling, diving, and seining, than I can really afford. I can’t help it. The sea is so full of mystery and wonder, I am utterly powerless to it. After more than 20 years of exploring the waters of New York, I try to tell myself that nothing will surprise me.…