For those of you wondering why all the animals around reefs are so vividly colored, I definitely recommend checking out this multimedia presentation at National Geographic titled “Coral Reef Color, A Fish’s-Eye View.” Join NatGeo photog extraordinaire Tim Laman as he uncovers the mystery of reef colors!

One man’s chore is another man’s fun! I’m spending the day up at my friend’s reef shop, Kalypso Aquatics, lending a hand and learning a bit more about the hobby while we’re at it. I love coming up since Elliott give me the change to hack…errr frag some corals.

In this hobby you spend a lot of time to get creatures you want to thrive and sometimes you end up getting hitchhikers in the tank that start taking over. The last few months I have been seeing the growth of small, white sponges commonly known as “Q-Tip” or Scypha sponges since they do in fact look a lot like the tip of a Q-Tip. I first noticed a few growing in a small colony of zoanthids and now have hundreds popping up including a ton growing in my sump.

The good folks at Eternal Reefs may not of had the hobbyist in mind but this is a great option to give back and help support the ocean well after we leave this Earth.

There are generally some “rules of thumb” for adding different critters to your cleanup crew and there are quite a few snails, such as Margarita Snails, that just may not be right for your reef system. As conscientious reefkeepers we need to be aware of the pros and cons of our tank’s inhabitants and truly understand their needs to be successful.