Got baby shrimps that you’re finding impossible to get out of your planted tank? Problems with planaria? Nathan Hill reviews a new product that could really help. First impressions; you get an urge to drink from it/store something in it/use it as a smoking aid. The catch pen is a corking piece of blown glass. Smart and functional, its role is either to catch nuisance planaria from a tank, or, even better, allow you to gather tiny shrimplets that are otherwise nigh impossible to get out of a... Read more»

JNS has literally put a new spin on the BioPellet reactor.  JNS has opted to swirl water in a circular motion within the reactor to create a vortex like flow pattern resulting in a tornado of biopellets. The reactors appear to be well designed with thick black acrylic plates.  The attractive feature that stands out from the rest of other biopellet reactors is the paired Sicce Syncra pump that mounts underneath the reactor for a very small footprint. JNS Biopellets reactors are now available... Read more»

An all in one high quality test kit from D-D to monitor Calcium, Alkalinity and Magnesium in reef aquaria. These three important elements provide calcium and carbonates for Coral growth whilst also providing stable water chemistry when maintained at natural levels. Multi Kit can be used as part of a complete testing regime that includes the D-D Phosphate, Nitrate and Iodine test kits for best results and to help monitor complete aquarium health and nutrient levels.  The D-D Multi Test Kit... Read more»

Just as some freshwater fish need a lot more than just a tank of fresh water to thrive, many marine species have special needs way beyond just salt water. This magnificent powder blue tang Acanthurus leucosternon on our cover requires extremely pristine water quality, plenty of room, and a diet based on macroalgae. Two of this month’s features address these issues for tangs and other popular species: Bill Rosser’s “Feeding Marine Fish the Right Way” (p. 86) and Jeremy Gosnell’s “Tackling... Read more»

H2Ocean Pro+ Reef Paste The beauty of reef paste is the way it extends feeding time due to the slow breakdown. This concentration of food leads to far less waste where food particles, especially flakes, are lost in the rocks very quickly. Many bold fish will physically eat the Reef Paste from the glass, while releasing a cloud of finer particles that are taken by smaller fish and corals. For shy species and inverts sticking it to the actual living rock works very well, and they start feeding this... Read more»

Though buying fish on the spur of the moment is never recommended, most aquarists will, at one time or another, make a spontaneous decision to buy new fish for their aquarium. Whether wandering into a new store to see what they have, or just stopping in at an old favorite shop, sometimes the urge to purchase a fish on impulse is too strong to resist. I recently went to a few local aquarium stores to see what they had to offer. I wanted to see what fish were most commonly offered in the larger chain... Read more»

The first of a two-part series, an expert on crustaceans reviews the biology and basic care requirements of freshwater shrimps, as well as some great species for a freshwater tank. As a freshwater hobbyist, you are probably aware of the long-term scarcity of invertebrates for the freshwater aquarium in contrast to the marine hobby, where a choice of various shrimps and crabs has long been available. What you may not know is that there are highly desirable and marketable species of invertebrates that... Read more»

Tropical water lilies can play a large part in emphasizing the beauty and tranquility of a garden pond through their dramatic coloration and elegant contours. Pondkeepers install water gardens for a variety of reasons. For instance, a well-designed and constructed water garden can enhance any setting and add value to a property. Other reasons may include a desire to keep koi or goldfish, the wish to create a peaceful setting for relaxation and reflection, or even the attraction of water lilies and... Read more»

The carbonate hardness CH is one of the most important water parameters in aquarium keeping and for garden ponds. The CH stabilises the pH-level and therefore prevents any dreaded plunge or sudden steep rise in pH levels, both of which are equally dangerous. In normal community aquariums and ponds, the CH should never drop below 4° GCH. Even if the initial water contained sufficient CH levels, the CH in the aquarium and pond may decrease. This may be the result of vigorous bacterial activity or... Read more»

Colorful, fun to keep, and easy to propagate, the multihued zoanthids are extremely popular for nano reefs. The hobby names given to these “zoos” can be as colorful as their striking polyps, and the ones blazing on the cover of this issue are a perfect example with their creative moniker “radioactive eagle eyes.” Read all about the garden reef tank where they are thriving in this month’s “Going Nano” (p. 44). photograph by Jonathan Truong A Family Vacation to See Cichlids in Nicaragua’s... Read more»

Scientific Name: Holacanthus Africanus Origin: Western Africa Care Level: Intermediate Disposition: Semi-aggressive Minimum Tank Size: 150 gallons Maximum Size: 17 Inches Diet: Omnivore Other Common Names: Guinean angelfish, Africanus Angelfish One of the true gems to be imported from the Western Coast of Africa, the African Angelfish is sought after for its remarkable beauty and adaptability to captive life. In the past, this species was rarely collected for the aquarium industry because of the... Read more»

Bring a piece of the prehistoric home with triops, peculiar creatures with an otherworldly visage and remarkable biology. Surely I can’t be the only one who fell for the deceptive advertising campaign? I can vividly remember being a wee boy staring at an ad in a comic book showing what had to be the coolest pet animals ever—they were pink monkey mermaid people with big, happy faces. There were even mommy and daddy monkey mermaids cuddling their two monkey mermaid kids. The ad had bold captions,... Read more»