by Saltwater Smarts | May 22, 2016 | Corals, DIY, Fish, Opinion, Reef, Science, Tanks
Kauai, Hawaii coastline taken during a helicopter tourI have been lucky in my life to have had the opportunity to dive in some of the prettiest and most diverse underwater habitats on earth. Without exception, the nicest dive sites are far from civilization, which stands to reason. But today I want to talk about the places that are in trouble biologically speaking. The outer Hawaiian IslandsLast year, I went to some of the outer Hawaiian Islands for a nice vacation and, of course, to dive. My wife and I went to Hawaii on our wedding anniversary 44 years ago, and I dove then too, so I had an opportunity to assess the place decades later. The diving then was good, plenty of varied life with a smattering of sharks. by Marcin Smok | May 10, 2016 | Corals, DIY, Equipment, Eye Candy, Fish, Funny, Opinion, Photography, Reef, Tanks, Too Cute
All images by author It seems that everyone and everything on Earth follows the same principle- to survive, evolve, and finally morph into something better, more sophisticated, far superior. A cloud of galactic dust that aligned, through a nearly-impossible... by Marcin Smok | May 5, 2016 | Equipment, Industry, Opinion, Reef, Tanks, Technology
All photographs by author Every year, dozens of new LED panels are introduced to the aquarium markets, many of which never reach the American soil. Especially saturated is the “budget” LED lights segment; I’ve reviewed many such lights over the years and... by Admin | Apr 15, 2016 | Fish, Opinion, Photography
The Striped Eel Catfish (Plotosus lineatus) is an exciting animal to encounter underwater and one of the few catfish that have evolved to be able to inhabit salt water. There are, however, several species of plotosus that can handle brackish conditions in lagoons and... by Admin | Apr 9, 2016 | Fish, Opinion
I’m about to admit full-on fish keeping heresy here and state unequivocally that I think Clarion Angels are thoroughly disappointing, Zebras are snooze-worthy and Gem Tangs, utterly lacking in appeal.… by Saltwater Smarts | Apr 6, 2016 | Fish, Opinion, Reef, Science
For a zooplanktivore such as Anthias, who are frequent feeders, withholding food isn’t necessarily advantageousQuestionI’ve been told that it’s a good idea to avoid feeding aquarium fish on occasion, for example once every week or once every other week. I guess this stands to reason because fish in nature can’t always get a meal. Do you agree with this, and if so, how frequently do you recommend doing it?” – Submitted by Candace Brown Answer While I don’t have an issue with the practice of occasionally fasting fish, I’m always wary of making any sort of blanket recommendation such as “Marine fish should be fasted every X number of days.” In my opinion, a much better approach is to think in terms of feeding in a manner appropriate to the particular species—which may or may not include fasting. For instance, some predatory species, such as groupers and moray eels, naturally take in large prey items in one sitting and then go without eating for a relatively long interval until another prey item happens along. With these fish, it may be appropriate to feed only once or a few times per week and then allow them to fast in between meals. On the other hand, zooplanktivores and herbivores (such as anthias and many of the tangs/surgeonfishes respectively) naturally feed frequently, if not continuously, throughout the day. Thus, in an aquarium setting, it’s appropriate to provide multiple small feedings each day for zooplanktivores and continuous grazing opportunities for herbivores.
