Search ReefScales
Results for "lighting"
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Search results for "lighting"
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Tridacna Clam
Tridacna clams are light-driven reef animals that thrive only in stable, mature systems. Strong, consistent lighting and steady alkalinity and calcium matter far more...
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Firefish Goby
A reef-safe, peaceful fish that’s easy to keep and fun to watch—as long as your tank is covered. Provide rockwork with a bolt hole,...
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Mandarin Dragonet (Synchiropus splendidus)
A stunning, peaceful, reef-safe fish that constantly hunts copepods and microfauna. Advanced mainly due to feeding requirements. Best in a mature 75+ gallon tank...
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Blue-Green Chromis
A reef-safe, active schooling fish that adds constant motion to the upper water column. Easy to feed and generally peaceful with other species, but...
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Percula Clownfish (Amphiprion percula)
A reef-safe clownfish with bold coloration and strong personality, the Percula Clownfish is hardy, adaptable, and well suited for both new and experienced reef...
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Royal Gramma Basslet (Gramma loreto)
The Royal Gramma is a classic reef fish: small, colorful, hardy, and full of personality. It’s best known for its stunning purple-to-yellow gradient and...
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Montipora Digitata (Montipora digitata)
Montipora digitata is a beginner-friendly branching SPS coral that grows “finger” structures with stable reef chemistry, moderate–high light, and strong turbulent flow.
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Birdsnest Coral
A popular branching SPS coral that forms a dense “nest” structure. Best in stable tanks with moderate-to-high light and strong, turbulent flow. More forgiving...
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Magnificent Anemone (Magnifica / Ritteri)
Magnificent anemones (Magnifica/Ritteri) are iconic clownfish hosts but require a large, mature reef with high light, strong broad flow, and excellent oxygenation. They climb...
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Ulva (Sea Lettuce)
Ulva (Sea Lettuce) is a fast-growing macroalgae used primarily for nutrient export and food web support. It thrives with moderate–high light, moderate flow, and...
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Dragon’s Tongue (Halymenia)
Dragon’s Tongue (Halymenia) is a display-friendly macroalgae that offers light nutrient export without aggressive growth. It does best in stable systems with moderate–high light,...
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Chaeto (Chaetomorpha)
Chaeto (Chaetomorpha) is a utility macroalgae used almost exclusively for nutrient export and pod habitat in refugiums. It needs strong, consistent light, good flow,...
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Ball Anemone
Ball anemones are hardy corallimorph hitchhikers that hide in shaded crevices and feed like tiny ambush predators. They can sting nearby corals and irritate...
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Acropora Red Bugs (Tegastes acroporanus)
Acropora red bugs are tiny parasitic copepods that irritate Acropora, causing reduced polyp extension, dull color, and slowed growth. They spread easily via new...
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Montipora-Eating Nudibranch (Phestilla subodiosus)
Montipora-eating nudibranchs are tiny coral predators that chew Montipora tissue, causing “nibbled” edges and scraped white bite patches. They hide on undersides and lay...
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Acropora-Eating Flatworm
AEFW are Acropora-specific flatworms that eat coral tissue, causing bite marks, poor polyp extension, and slow SPS decline. They spread mainly through unvetted Acropora...
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Red Planaria Flatworms
Red planaria are common nuisance flatworms that multiply quickly in low-flow, detritus-rich areas. Heavy infestations can shade and irritate corals, and large die-offs during...
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Vermetid Snails
Vermetid snails are tube-dwelling pests that spread on rock and frag plugs and feed with sticky mucus webs. Their webs can irritate corals and...
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Majano Anemone
Majano anemones are pest hitchhikers that can sting corals and spread quickly in reef tanks. Remove or control them early—once established, they’re difficult to...
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Aiptasia
Aiptasia are fast-spreading pest anemones that hitchhike into reef tanks and sting corals. Catch and control them early—once established, they’re difficult to eradicate.
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Sebae Anemone
Sebae anemones can be great host anemones in stable, mature reefs, but many are sold stressed or bleached. Give them moderate–high light, gentle flow,...
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Carpet Anemone (Haddoni)
Haddoni carpet anemones are stunning sandbed centerpieces that need a large, mature, stable tank with a deep substrate, strong lighting, and gentle flow. They’re...
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Bubble Tip Anemone
Bubble Tip Anemones are rewarding centerpiece anemones that thrive in mature, stable reef tanks with strong, consistent lighting and moderate indirect flow. They can...
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Hydroids
Hydroids are stinging colonial polyps that hitchhike into reef tanks and can spread across plugs, racks, and rockwork. They often irritate corals and cause...
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Myrionema Hydroids
Myrionema hydroids are stinging colonial polyps that often spread around zoa mats and frag plugs, causing localized zoanthid irritation and persistent closure. They thrive...
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Christmas-Tree Hydroid
Fire/Christmas-tree hydroids are stinging Pennaria colonies that look like tiny feathery “mini trees” on plugs, racks, and sump/overflow surfaces. They can irritate corals—and sting...
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Phytoplankton
Phytoplankton isn’t livestock—it’s food web support. Its main value is feeding pods and filter feeders and strengthening the base of the reef ecosystem. When...
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Amphipods
Amphipods are beneficial micro-crustaceans that support reef stability by recycling waste and serving as natural live food for fish. They thrive in tanks with...
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Copepods
Copepods are foundational micro-crustaceans that support biodiversity and provide natural live food in reef tanks. They thrive in stable systems with structure, food, and...
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Gracilaria
Gracilaria is a reef-friendly macroalgae that provides steady nutrient export, pod habitat, and natural food for herbivores without becoming invasive. It grows best with...
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Asterina Starfish
Asterina starfish are common hitchhikers that usually act as harmless algae and biofilm grazers. In balanced tanks they stay in low numbers and do...
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Fromia Starfish
Fromia starfish are beautiful but demanding invertebrates that rely on mature reef surfaces for food. They require large, well-established tanks with abundant biofilm and...
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Sand-Sifting Starfish
Sand-sifting starfish clean sand by consuming the life within it, which makes them one of the most common slow-failure inverts in reef tanks. While...
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Serpent Star
Serpent stars are hardy, reef-safe scavengers that live in rockwork and clean up leftover food before it becomes a nutrient issue. They’re mostly nocturnal...
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Brittle Star
Brittle stars are reef-safe scavengers that live in rockwork and help clean up leftover food before it becomes a nutrient problem. They’re mostly hidden...
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Squamosa Clam
Squamosa clams are one of the more forgiving giant clams, but they still require a stable, mature reef with consistent lighting and chemistry. They...
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Crocea Clam
Crocea clams are high-light, rock-dwelling giant clams that demand stable chemistry and strong, consistent lighting. They’re sensitive to alkalinity swings, poor placement, and system...
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Maxima Clam
Maxima clams are high-light, light-driven clams that do best in mature, stable reef systems. They need strong, consistent lighting, steady alkalinity and calcium, and...
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Derasa Clam
Derasa clams are one of the more forgiving giant clams, but they still require a stable, mature reef with consistent lighting and chemistry. They...
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Collector Urchin
Collector urchins are effective algae grazers with a lot of personality, but they’re mechanically disruptive by nature. They’re reef safe biologically, yet will pick...
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Pencil Urchin
Pencil urchins are strong, opportunistic algae grazers that work best in rugged, well-secured systems. They’re reef safe with caution, not because they eat corals,...
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Longspine Urchin
Longspine urchins are powerful algae grazers best suited for large, well-secured reef tanks. They’re reef safe biologically, but their size, spines, and strength make...
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Tuxedo Urchin
Tuxedo urchins are small, reef-friendly algae grazers that excel at controlling film algae and biofilm in mixed reefs. They’re generally gentle, but will move...
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Pincushion Urchin
Pincushion urchins are small, reef-friendly algae grazers that work well in mixed reefs when given enough food. They’re generally gentle but can knock over...
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Anemone Crab
Anemone crabs are specialized, symbiotic crabs that depend on a healthy host anemone to thrive. They do best in stable, established tanks where food...
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Emerald Crab
Emerald crabs are opportunistic algae grazers that can be very effective when algae is present, especially bubble algae. They’re reef safe with conditions, but...
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Porcelain Crab
Porcelain crabs are peaceful filter feeders that rely on moderate flow and suspended food rather than scavenging. They do best in established reefs with...
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Blue-Leg Hermit Crab
Blue-leg hermits are active, hardy scavengers that help with algae and leftover food, but they’re more aggressive than scarlet hermits. Their biggest downside is...
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Scarlet Hermit Crab
Scarlet hermit crabs are one of the most reef-friendly hermits available, known for grazing algae and biofilm without causing much trouble. They do best...
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Astraea Snail
Astraea snails are reef-safe algae grazers that clean film algae and biofilm from rock and glass. Their main downside is that many can’t flip...
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Cerith Snail
Cerith snails are versatile, reef-safe grazers that work across rock, glass, and sandbed edges, making them one of the most useful cleanup crew snails...
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Turbo Snail
Turbo snails are powerful algae grazers best used as a targeted response when algae needs to be knocked back quickly. They’re reef safe biologically,...
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Nassarius Snail
Nassarius snails are sandbed scavengers that specialize in cleaning up leftover meaty food, not algae. They live buried in the sand and rely on...
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Trochus Snail
Trochus snails are reliable, reef-safe algae grazers that work on both glass and rock without needing constant attention. They’re especially valued for their ability...
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Pistol Shrimp
Pistol shrimp are burrowing engineers that reshape the sandbed, move rubble, and make their presence known with characteristic snapping. They aren’t cleanup crew and...
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Fire Shrimp
Fire (Blood) shrimp are peaceful, reef-safe cleaner shrimp with a more reserved personality than skunk cleaners. They’re naturally shy, often more active in the...
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Skunk Cleaner Shrimp
Skunk cleaner shrimp are hardy, reef-safe scavengers that also happen to clean fish when given the chance. They’re active, visible, and beginner-friendly in stable...
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Peppermint Shrimp
Peppermint shrimp are hardy, opportunistic scavengers that fit well into many reef tanks when expectations are set correctly. They’re mostly nocturnal, tend to stay...
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Banggai Cardinalfish
A peaceful, reef-safe cardinalfish with bold striping and a calm hovering behavior. Great for community reefs, especially smaller tanks, as long as it isn’t...
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Pajama Cardinalfish
A peaceful, reef-safe cardinalfish with a quirky spotted pattern and calm hovering behavior. Easy to feed, beginner-friendly, and often suitable for pairs or small...