A Look at the Goldline Rabbitfish If you have worked in this industry–the ornamental fish trade–for any significant amount of time, you certainly will notice that different species, genera or even whole families of fish go in and out of style. One example of a family of marine fish that has been underrepresented (and, arguably, …
Captive Bred Fish
Aquacultured fish are adapted to survive certain rigors of captivity. Cultured animals, for example, can better withstand the instability of newly set up aquaria. Using exclusively aquacultured livestock leads to a lower overall livestock mortality rate as well as a more carefree fishkeeping experience. With a happier hobby and healthier natural reef environments, captive bred fish are a win-win!
Captive Bred v.s. Wild Caught Green Mandarin Dragonets
They may look the same, but captive bred and wild-caught Green Mandarin Dragonets are different for many reasons. When it comes down to deciding which is better, the captive-bred kind is definitely it. Keep reading to find out why. Diet The biggest difference between captive-bred Green Mandarin Dragonets and specimens that are collected from …
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Coral Beauty Angelfish
The angelfish species has some of the most elegant fish to exist. These fish, however, can be massive. For example, Queen angelfish can reach 17 inches, which is not something that is wanted in the average reef tank. The alternative to this is Dwarf angels. These are a smaller, less aggressive, and more manageable version …
A More In Depth Look At Captive Bred Livestock
Once upon a time, all of our saltwater fish, invertebrates, and corals were wild caught. Hobbyists were still using compact fluorescent bulbs and tap water in their reef tanks, under gravel filters were still cutting edge technology, and most people had their fish for six to twenty four months before they died of “old age.” …
How to Set Up an Aquarium for a Green Mandarin Dragonet
I should have done this! I should have done that! Throughout your experience in the saltwater aquarium and reef hobby, you will be finding yourself commonly saying these things. Maybe you did not dip your corals, or you bought the wrong additives, or maybe you added a fish without properly preparing your tank. This fish …
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Cultivating Ogo and Sea Lettuce for Your Tangs
These days, it seems that most marine aquarists are reef aquarists. And reef aquaria almost always house one or more tangs. This should seem reasonable enough, as representatives of this sizeable fish family (Acanthuridae) are found in abundance in pretty much every shallow water coral reef ecosystem on Earth. But their strong presence in the …
Feeding the Mandarinfish with a Mix of Live and Prepared Foods
For so many aquarists, the green mandarin fish (Synchiropus splendidus) is a must-have species. Its endearing personality, exquisite finnage and intense coloration rarely fail to impress. Given these highly desirable traits, it has for long been among the most popular marine aquarium fishes. Thus, many thousands of specimens of this species are sold in the …
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A Big Year for Captive Bred Fish!
Hobbyists, vendors, fish breeders and, of course, the fishes are all cheering on this year’s developments in saltwater aquarium fish aquaculture. We really can say that the last five or six have been extraordinary; it’s been a nice, long winning streak where we saw more new families of fish commercially cultured than we used to …
A Classic Improved: Aquacultured Yellow Tangs
There is hardly a more iconic saltwater aquarium fish than yellow tangs (Zebrasoma flavescens). We can just start out by stating the obvious; it is a real stand-out. Nothing “pops” like the bright yellow blaze of this species. Its highly laterally compressed body and pronounced snout give it an undeniably exotic, “marine” appearance. Boldly pigmented …
Mandarin Dragonets for Beginners
By Nathan Peel – 2018 Writers contest award recipient! The Mandarin dragonet (also known as the mandarin goby), is the arguably the most beautiful saltwater fish, which catches the eye of both experienced and beginner hobbyist. If you have done any research on these fish you would find that most people would agree they are …
Is There Really a Difference Between Wild-Caught and Aquacultured Marine Aquarium Livestock?
Is There Really a Difference Between Wild-Caught and Aquacultured Marine Aquarium Livestock? These days, when it comes to aquarium livestock, marine aquarists are inundated with choice. Of course, a good deal of thought typically goes into the kinds of animals we will keep. Choice of animal species is certainly important; this not only determines the …
Enhancing the Diet of Captive Marine Animals with Live Brine Shrimp
The marine aquarium hobby looks little like it did when it first became popularized decades ago. Nowadays, it might seem as though a new fad emerges every month. Yet, a few things seem to never change. One such undying custom is the use of brine shrimp (Artemia sp.) as a food for aquarium fish—freshwater and …
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Feeding the Mandarin Fish with a Mix of Live and Prepared Foods
For so many aquarists, the green mandarinfish (Synchiropus splendidus) is a must-have species. Its endearing personality, exquisite finnage and intense coloration rarely fail to impress. Given these highly desirable traits, it has for long been among the most popular marine aquarium fishes. Thus, many thousands of specimens of this species are sold in the ornamental …
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Mandarin Goby Fish Care | Using Copepods to keep a Mandarin Dragonet
Mandarin Goby Fish Care 101: Foods and feeding are the foremost concern for any aquarist wishing to keep a green mandarin fish (Synchiropus splendidus). Most critical in the diet of a mandarin is (1) constant availability of feeding opportunities and (2) food sources that are varied but primarily consist of enriched pods. If you get …
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A Look at the Aiptasia-Eating Filefish (Acreichthys tomentosus)
Nuisance algae is such a common irritant to marine aquarists that any mention of the words “aquarium plague” can immediately bring to mind visages of brown films and stringy green stuff. There are, however, some animal pest species that can quickly reach plague proportions in population size and create a crisis in terms of aggression/predation …
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Bizarre and Beautiful: The Lined Seahorse (Hippocampus erectus)
Marine aquarists have always been fascinated with seahorses. These strange animals do make for interesting aquarium subjects. With their erect posture, rigid body, prehensile tail and their odd but clearly deliberate movement, they are unlike all other fishes. However, not all types of marine aquaria are right for seahorses. And, not all seahorse species have …
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Petite and Pretty: A Look at the Neon Goby (Elacatinus spp.)
If there was ever a group of fishes that was just about perfect for keeping in marine aquaria it is the neon gobies. These creatures are small, colorful, active and carry out some interesting and rather valuable duties. In addition to all that, they are extremely hardy and easy to care for. The common name …
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A Look at the Blue Tang
Even before that well-known cartoon character of the same species was conceived, the blue tang (Paracanthurus hepatus) was extremely popular in the marine aquarium hobby and, therefore, important in the ornamental fish industry. Whether one keeps true “fish tanks” (such as fish-only-with-live-rock (FOWLER) systems) or full-blown reef aquaria, it usually isn’t too long before this …
Mixed Microalgal Feeds for a Balanced Nutrition
Primary producers—those organisms (e.g. plants such as algae) that build new biomass from inorganic sources of energy—form the very base of all food chains. They are of most obvious importance to herbivores. But, of course, without producing the material upon which herbivores feed, nothing else down the chain could exist. And the dependence of carnivores …
Keeping and Feeding the Mandarin Fishes
Mandarins are undoubtedly among the most popular of all marine aquarium fishes. Conspicuous for their small size, they have an endearing habit of demurely hopping over the aquarium bottom. They have rather long, elegant fins. But, arguably, their most striking feature is their gorgeous body coloration and patterns. These attributes make them downright irresistible to …