Should I keep a chocolate chip starfish?

In this article we will discuss the chocolate chip starfish, how to choose one, acclimate it, and take care of it and feed it.  By the time you are done reading this short article, and watching the video, you should know if the chocolate chip starfish is a good choice for your tank.

Should I keep a red linkia starfish?

There are many types of sea stars available to aquarists.  It can be difficult to know which ones to get.  In this article we will discuss just one, the red (or deep red) linkia. By the end of the article, you should know if this is the starfish for your tank or not and what you need to make sure it stays alive and healthy.

How do sea urchins see?

How do sea urchins see? If you've owned one of these fascinating animals you've no doubt noticed the fact that they don't have eyes. There are many other aquatic animals that have no complex eye, but most of them have "eye spots".  These are photosensitive cells or receptors that operate as eyes.  Sometimes they do no more than detect light and shadow, but for many marine animals, that's enough. Urchins don't have obvious eye spots. So how do sea urchins see?

Should you get a coral banded shrimp?

If you aren't familiar with the coral banded shrimp you're really missing out on an amazing animal. They are large, unique, and brightly colored. There’s a group of shrimp known as cleaner shrimp.  They are the shrimp that pick dead scales and parasites off of fish.  In the wild, that’s pretty much how they get all their food, but in a tank they will readily accept prepared foods.  Pretty much anything you feed the fish, they will happily grab some of.  In fact, feeding time is the best time to view most of your cleaner type shrimp.

Blue Tuxedo Urchin

I've always liked looking at sea urchins so it was natural that I would want one for my tank. However, most urchins are not reef safe. Those that are can often get large and do a number on rock work. Because my tank is small and my rock is only affixed together by the natural grooves and protuberances (plus some gravity) it just wasn't in the cards.

Peppermint shrimp: apstasia killer? I hope so!

This little guy is a peppermint shrimp (Lysmata wurdemanni). It lives in harmony with my other two shrimp and eats the aipstasia pest anemone.

Bristle worms in your reef tank...so what?

Americans and I'm assuming most Europeans, have a natural dislike of worms. They're creepy, sometimes slimy, and they move in what seems an unnatural and distasteful way. I remember going fishing when I was a kid and putting the red earth worm on my hook. As soon as the sharp end of the hook would penetrate the worm's flesh it would wiggle vigorously and inevitably turn its head toward my hand as if it were trying to bite me. I knew even then that earth worms didn't bite, but I still hated the odd little way the worm moved.

The myth of the fire shrimp

On Friday I got a fire shrimp (Lysmata debelius) for my tank. I've loved these shrimp from the first time I saw one. I think they typify the reason people want to keep a reef tank to begin with.