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Field guides, step-by-step setups, and lessons from the lab, written by aquaculturists, for aquaculturists.

July 24, 2026 3 min read copepods

Coral Feeding Guide: When Live Food Beats Frozen and Powders

Coral feeding is one of those hobby topics where everyone has an opinion and most of them contradict each other. Some reefers swear by powders. Some target-feed every LPS individually. Some just trust the lights and zooxanthellae. The...

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Jun 26, 2026 · 2 min read

Best Live Foods for Pipefish, Seahorses and Other Picky Reef Eaters

Some marine fish are flat-out impossible to feed without live food. Pipefish, seahorses, mandarin dragonettes, scooter blennies, and several wrasses all share...

Jun 12, 2026 · 2 min read

Phytoplankton 101 for Reef-Keepers: What It Is and Why You Need It

If you've spent any time around reef-keepers, you've heard someone go on about phytoplankton. It's hyped, often confused with macroalgae or dinoflagellates,...

May 29, 2026 · 3 min read

How to Set Up a Refugium for Copepod Production

A refugium is the single best upgrade most reef-keepers can add to their tank. Done right, it's a copepod factory, a nutrient...

May 15, 2026 · 2 min read

Seahorse Feeding Guide: Why Live Food Is Non-Negotiable

Seahorses are one of those fish that look easy on a shop tag and turn out to be anything but. They're slow...

Apr 30, 2026 · 3 min read

Mandarin Dragonettes: Why They Need Live Food (And How to Keep Them Alive)

The green mandarin dragonette (Synchiropus splendidus) is one of the most beautiful fish you can put in a reef tank. It's also...

Microscopic zooplankton including copepods and rotifers in seawater

Aug 12, 2025 · 2 min read

What Is Zooplankton?

Zooplankton are tiny drifting animals found in every marine environment, and they're absolutely vital to a healthy reef. Unlike phytoplankton, which produce...