Sanctuary Aquatics

06/28/2024

🚀🌊 Exciting News, Coral Lovers! 🌊🚀

We are thrilled to announce the launch of our brand-new website, dedicated to bringing you the most stunning live corals, plants, and equipment! 🎉🔥

🌐 Sanctuary-Aquatics.com is now LIVE! 🌐

Explore our collection of breathtaking livestock and take advantage of some crazy fire deals you won't want to miss! Whether you're a seasoned aquarist or just starting out, we've got something special for you.

✨ What to Expect:

A wide selection of live corals and freshwater plants
Unbeatable prices on select pieces
High-quality, hand-picked corals and plants
Easy and secure online shopping
A continually expanding selection of offerings
Dive in and discover your next showpiece today! 🐠💙

👉 Visit us at Sanctuary-Aquatics.com

Don't forget to like, share, and spread the word! Happy reefing! 🌊✨

06/22/2024

Sanctuary will be transitioning to our Summer Hours as of 6/23.
Our new hours will mean we are closed both Monday and Tuesday.
We will also be closing at 4pm on Saturday and Sunday.
We hope to see you soon! We’ve changed up a few displays, so come on by for some new inspiration!

06/19/2024

While a little late for Father’s Day, enjoy this video of a male Domino Damselfish taking care of a freshly laid batch of eggs in our Lagoon!
He is picking off algae and fanning the eggs to keep them from growing mold. The female joins him later in the video, helping to protect her eggs from other fish that might enjoy an omelet for breakfast!

06/15/2024

We will be closing at 4pm tomorrow, 6/16 for Father’s Day! We hope to see you again Tuesday 6/18!

06/07/2024

🐠Welcome back to Lee's Friday Fish Facts! 🐠
Today we are looking at a beautiful fish in black and white, the Banggai Cardinalfish!
These fish are quite a small ocean fish, with an average max length of around 2.5 inches. They have very distinct black bars down their body, with small white dots in between. This dotting is unique to the individual, like zebra stripes or our fingerprints! A well-trained eye can use these dots to tell the fish apart from each other.

Banggai Cardinal parents are actually very good, for fish. This species is what's called "mouth brooding". That means that while waiting for the eggs to hatch, they are held in their parent's mouth! For many mouth brooders, this job is given to the mother, however In this species, the father holds tight to his offspring until they are ready to live on their own. This typically takes almost a month, and the father will not eat at all during this time. When he releases them though, they are on their own. Typically, they are released somewhere safe, like the spines of a sea urchin, and left to fend for themselves. Dad did his job, he doesn't need to coddle them anymore!

Partially due to this mouth-breeding nature limiting their spread, these fish are limited to the Banggai Islands in Indonesia. This means they are highly threatened by habitat loss and pollution, and are considered an Endangered species. A good thing for us aquarists is that they are a commonly captive-bred fish. In fact, all the ones we have for sale here have been born and raised in captivity, so as to not damage their population in the wild.

If you want one, come on in✨✨!
We have them 50% off as long as supplies last! Or, you can get one free if you buy over $100 of saltwater fish or corals!

06/04/2024

Want to get rid of Aiptasia? Coral safe Aiptasia eating Nudi's available, shipping is also available!

Send a message to learn more

06/02/2024

Keep a lookout for some amazing pieces coming available soon!

05/29/2024

We just got in some awesome locally raised storm clownfish. These guys have some amazing coloration and patterns! Come on in and check them out!

05/24/2024

🐠Welcome back to Lee's Friday Fish Facts! 🐠
Today is National Escargot day, so we are looking at a small but mighty addition to your tanks, Snails!🐌🐌
Snails are in a class called Gastropods. This diverse classification has somewhere between 65,000-80,000 different species of slugs and snails. They come in a large variety of shapes and colors, and live in a large variety of environments, from the depths of the ocean to your garden. There are even some species of snail that live in Antarctica!
Snails build their own shells as they age. These shells are made out of calcium carbonate, similar to how our bones use calcium as their main structure. The muscles and organs of the snail reside inside the shell, so it serves as protection. Most species' shells coil with the opening on the right hand side.
Snails are a very old group of animals, with the first representatives' fossils showing up in the late Cambrian era (around 485 million years ago!) These first gastropods were exclusive to the ocean.
Snails in a fish tank can be a great way of helping things stay clean. Many popular pet snails will eat algae off decorations, plants, and the glass. They will also eat any fish food that is left over, or help clean up any fish that might die in spots you can't find them. Some snails however, are fearsome predators, such as the Assassin snail. This snail exclusively eats other snails, using highly acidic saliva to burn holes in the other snails' shells.

05/15/2024

It is a big day here at Sanctuary!
Ms. Pac-man, the large Yellow-Masked Surgeonfish (aka Yellow-Masked Tang) in our Lagoon is moving out!
Ms. Pac-man was outgrowing our tank, and out-competing the other fish for food. We decided she needed a larger home that we simply couldn't provide for her. So, Ms. Pac-man is traveling down to Milwaukee to live at Discovery World. Her new home will be a 65,000-gallon Caribbean tank! The fish there will be much more her size, and have plenty of room to swim!
While we will miss her very much here, we are sure she will be much happier in the larger home with fish her size to swim with.

05/09/2024

Have you been wanting to start your saltwater adventure but don't know where to start? We have the perfect set-up just for you, introducing the "Hello Reef" All-in-One starter kit. This has everything you need from the light, pump, heater, and even 2 months worth of salt! This is a great way to get your feet off the ground in the wonderful saltwater world, It even has very easy step-by-step videos that you can follow along with!

05/04/2024

Have you came into Sanctuary recently and fallen in love with our Oase biOrb display and wanted one of your own?
We now have some back in stock!
We also have decoration sets to make setting up your biOrb even easier!

05/03/2024

🐠Welcome back to Lee's Friday Fish Facts! 🐠
Today we are looking at a colorfully unique-looking fish, the Triggerfish!
These fish are related to the cowfish we talked about last week, as they are both in the order Tetraodontiformes. This means they also rely on their fins for most of their propulsion instead of flexing their bodies side to side. There are about 40 different species of this fish, ranging in size from 8 inches to 30 inches long.
They are unique in a large way from other fish, they can raise their dorsal fin and lock it into place, allowing them either to get jammed in a would-be predator's throat or burrow into a narrow crevice and lock itself into place. It allows the triggerfish to stand its guard, and be less likely to be pulled out of its hidey-hole.
That big head of theirs isn't just for looks either, triggerfish have powerful jaws and sharp teeth that can crush through the shells of clams, sea urchins, and snails. But don't worry, most triggers aren't actively aggressive towards people. Most of the time a triggerfish will attack in the wild, it is due to them guarding a nearby stash of eggs. They don't want their little ones gobbled up by us! Fish that are kept in your tank at home aren't likely to attack, and can even be trained to eat food straight from your hands!

04/26/2024

🐠Welcome back to Lee's Friday Fish Facts! 🐠
Today we are looking at a friend who loves to greet visitors here at Sanctuary, the Long-Horned Cowfish! 🐮
Despite his appearance, this fish is not a pufferfish. They are related though, as they are both in the order Tetraodontiformes. Fish in this order are slow-moving and rely on their fins for propulsion rather than flexing their bodies side to side. This order also includes popular aquaria fish such as triggerfish and filefish. This species can grow up to 20 inches long, which makes our Lagoon friend look outright tiny!
So what's with the weird shape? The boxy shape is due to hexagonal plate-like scales that have fused together into a box-like carapace (kinda like the shell of a turtle!) They typically have a belly that's wider than their top half, which helps stop the fish from tipping over.
This armor is one of their many defenses against predators too! The scales are hard, which makes it very hard to crunch through. Their titular horns are also a defense against predation, not just an offensive weapon. The horns make it much harder to swallow the fish whole! Their defenses aren't all easily seen, however. They have one secret weapon against the sharks that would like a cute little meal. They are able to secrete a deadly neurotoxin, pahutoxin, from parts of their skin. Basically, the predator that wants to take them down won't be making that mistake twice. 💀

04/19/2024

🐠Welcome back to Lee's Friday Fish Facts! 🐠
Today we are looking at a colorfully diverse fish, the African Cichlids! (Sick-lids)
These fish are a large, diverse group where over 1,600 species have been described, but many believe the true number is much higher. They are native to three lakes in Africa. They are Lake Malawi, Lake Tanganyika, and Lake Victoria. Lake Malawi contains the most cichlid species, with at least 700 different types!
With so many species, the behaviors and appearance of cichlids are very unique. Depending on the species, they can range from an inch long to 3 feet! They also come in almost every color under the sun, a fact only made more apparent by humans using selective breeding to amp up the colors. Males tend to have brighter hues, while females are typically duller, making it easier to hide from predators.
Due to the different species often having different diets, African cichlids have a wide range of mouth shapes, similar to birds' beaks. Some have powerful, shell-crushing jaws to eat snails and fish, while others have mouths that are much more suited to eating plants.
Many species are what's known as "mouth-brooders". This means that after her eggs are fertilized, she holds them in her mouth until they hatch and are ready to fend for themselves. This keeps the eggs and fry safe from predators that would like to make a snack out of the easy prey!

04/12/2024

🐠Welcome back to Lee's Friday Fish Facts! 🐠
Today we are looking at a shy addition to the reefs, Feather Duster Worms!
These strange-looking worms are a type of annelid, which is a phylum that's also categorized as "segmented worms". This is a large phylum, categorizing over 22,000 species still alive today, including earthworms and leeches! Specifically, feather duster worms are a type of tube worm, a type of sessile worm that builds a hard, shell-like tube around its body. This mineral tube is made for protection, a place for the delicate, feathery branches to retreat into if the animal is in danger.
These animals are filter feeders, spending their lives curled up in a rock crevice or man-made structure, waiting for plankton to get stuck in their clutches. They then slowly guide the plankton into their mouth through grooves on their tentacles. These grooves progressively get smaller, so anything too big to fit isn't going into their mouths. But that's not all! These fans are also how the worm breathes, acting as gills. The tentacles are also covered in eyespots (a rudimentary sort of eye) so the worm can sense danger coming!

04/10/2024

We are proud to announce we are now carrying LRS brand food for all your hungry fish! We have heard you asking, and we are finally able to provide this brand to you!
Currently, we have LRS Premium Seaweed, LRS Chunky, LRS Fish Frenzy, LRS Herbivore Frenzy, LRS Reef Frenzy, and LRS Reef Frenzy Nano.
This brand uses premium ingredients to produce a low-waste, high-quality food for a large range of fish. It can be cut into squares and tossed into your tank without thawing, or thawed in tank water and poured in.
Come on in and ask for a new food for your fishy friends to try!

04/05/2024

🐠Welcome back to Lee's Friday Fish Facts! 🐠
Today we are looking at a tidy fish friend, the Cleaner Shrimps!
These colorful shrimp are important parts of both wild coral reefs and aquariums. In the wild, these shrimp choose a spot on the reef and start working! If you have ever gone to a nail salon, hairdresser, or dentist you may be used to the routine these shrimp perform. First, these shrimp 'advertise', performing a swaying dance to let the fish know they are ready to help. A large fish will then swim into their station and settle in. The shrimp then gets to work, cleaning the outside of the fish of anything pesky holding on. The shrimp then hops inside the mouth and cleans up any leftover debris from the larger fish's last meal. When the shrimp is done, the fish leaves happily. The shrimp benefit, getting a full belly of parasites and detritus, and the fish benefit, now free of the hitchhikers that can make them ill. This is called a symbiotic relationship!
"Cleaner shrimp" is actually a very broad term for a large number of animals in many different families and genera. In order to be classified as a "cleaner shrimp", it must be a true shrimp that cleans other organisms of parasites. To be a 'true shrimp' they have to be decapods. This means they have to have 10 appendages that are considered 'legs'. Don't think that stops them though! Some decapods can have up to 38 appendages, similar to how we have 4 appendages, but only 2 legs.
Did you know that Jacques, the French shrimp in Finding Nemo's dentist tank, is actually a cleaner shrimp!?

04/02/2024

🌨️❄️ UPDATE: With the winter storm currently hitting hard, your safety is our priority. We'll be closed tomorrow to ensure everyone stays safe. Hang tight, stay cozy, and we'll reopen business as usual Thursday 4/4/24.

04/02/2024

Due to inclement weather, Sanctuary Aquatics will be closed tomorrow, 4/3/24. We will see you Thursday!

03/29/2024

🐠Welcome back to Lee's Friday Fish Facts! 🐠
Today we are looking at a Fin-tastic pet that people of all ages love to keep, the Goldfish!
Everyone has seen a goldfish in a bowl, but do you know where the practice came from? Around 1300 A.D. in China, goldfish ponds were popular decorations at people's houses. It was a tradition that when a family had guests coming over, the prettiest of their goldfish would be placed inside the house in an ornate bowl covered in drawings of fish. After the guests left, the fish would be returned to their ponds to live, eat, and grow. As Romans came to China, they saw these beautiful fish in the bowls inside the house and mistook them as their permanent living space. The Romans took the practice back to Rome, keeping beautiful goldfish in their bowls for long term, and thus began the practice of goldfish bowls.
When this practice came to Victorian Europe in the 1800's, it was common belief that goldfish didn't need to be fed, and lived off microscopic animals in the water.
Of course, this was false, as everything needs to eat. However, these tiny shimmery fish cannot taste the food they eat, as they simply do not have an organ that allows them to do so!
They are friendly, life-long pets as well. These fish are known to recognize the faces of their owners. They can also live to be between 15-45 years old under the right conditions!
These fancy goldfish shown in the picture are a type of goldfish bred for their looks. Similar to how we breed dogs to look different and have different personalities, goldfish were bred to look as pretty as can be! These ones are actually show quality goldfish! (That's right there are fish competitions just like there are dog shows!)

03/26/2024

This little Gold-Lined Rabbit Fish is here to let you know that we will be closed Easter Sunday (3/31). We will see you the following Tuesday (4/2)!

03/22/2024

🐠Welcome back to Lee's Friday Fish Facts! 🐠
Today we are looking at a fish very common in the freshwater hobby; guppies!
These fish are actually a namesake fish, and were named after the person that was given credit for discovering them as a species, Robert John Lechmere Guppy. However, the first person to actually discover them was W.C.H. Peters, but was overlooked when it came time to give out the credit. They are also nicknamed the Millions fish (for how frequently they breed) and Rainbowfish (for their brilliant colors).
These fish are native to South America, where they live in shallow ponds and streams. However, these fish are now found all over the world (except Antarctica).
These fish are also what are known as 'livebearers'. This means that, like most mammals, they give birth to live young. These fry can swim from the second they leave their mother, which is good because adult guppies are known to eat their young. To avoid this, the babies swim into tight nooks and crannies formed by surrounding plants to hide from their parent's hungry mouths.
Because these fish eat mosquito larvae, they have been employed to help fight malaria!

03/15/2024

🐠Welcome back to Lee's Friday Fish Facts! 🐠
Today we are looking at an ELECTRIC addition to fish tanks, the Peter's Elephantnose!
These fish are weakly electric and detect their environment by generating brief electric pulses with an organ in their tail. This field can even be heard with the use of electrodes and an audio amplifier.
But what is up with that freaky nose? It is actually a very sensitive extension of its mouth, like a long lip. It is covered in electroreceptors and is used to dig around in the dirt to find worms and other insects.
The use of these electric organs allows this species to thrive in low-vision, crowded environments.

03/08/2024

🐠Welcome back to Lee's Friday Fish Facts!🐠
We are looking today at an invertebrate that's happy as can be.... Clams!
These filter feeders lead a sessile life, finding a comfy rock and attaching to it with their muscular foot. To eat, they simply let the food flow to them. They push the water through their gills and filter out the tiny phytoplankton to feast upon! They are simple creatures, with only the bare minimum to respond to the world around them with. They lack a brain, but have a nervous system that still allows them to react to light, vibrations, and even chemicals in the water!
This sessile, peaceful life lets them live quite a long time, with some being able to live to be over 500 years old! Another species, the Giant Clam can live to be over 100, and can weigh almost 500 pounds!
They are also a good bioindicator. This means that their presence or absence can tell you about the water quality of the area. These creatures are very sensitive to pollution, so the less pollution there is in a body of water, the more clams there will be!

02/16/2024

🐠Welcome back to Lee's Friday Fish Facts! 🐠
Today we are looking at one of the the largest bony fish in the ocean, Groupers!
The one we have in store is the Panther Grouper, and when fully grown they can be up to 28 inches, but that is tiny in comparison to the largest species of grouper, the Goliath Grouper. Goliath Groupers grow up to 8 feet long and can weigh over 800 pounds!
These massive predators play a very important role in the ecosystem, as they are one of the few fish that eat the invasive and venomous Red Lionfish. They aren't picky and will eat pretty much anything they can swallow. However, they are helping keep the numbers of Red Lionfish down.
These fish are also one of many that change their s*x as they mature. These fish are all born as females, and transition into males as they hit maturity!

02/08/2024

Sanctuary Aquatics will be closing at 4 pm Sunday, February 11th. We will see you Tuesday, February 13th!
(Pictured here is an Anemone Hermit Crab)

02/02/2024

🐠Welcome back to Lee's Friday Fish Facts! 🐠
We are looking at a noisy invertebrate, the pistol shrimp!
These shrimp only get up to 2 inches long, but have the power of the sun inside them. No, really! When hunting prey, these shrimp can produce heat that is nearly as much as the surface of the sun (4,800 °C)! The heat is only for a brief moment and produces a loud snapping sound. The noise is around 218 decibels and can knock fish in its way unconscious, allowing the shrimp to start its feast. For context, most gunshots are around 140-175 decibels.
These sonic superheroes aren't invincible, however. Their eyesight is their Kryptonite. They can't spot threats easily, so they rely on their super sidekicks, gobies! Gobies have a mutualistic relationship with the shrimps, keeping an eye out for predators, and the shrimp gives the goby a nice home. Pistol shrimp make burrows, allow the gobies to move in, and together they live in their hole, keeping the other fed and protected.

01/26/2024

🐠Welcome back to Lee's Friday Fish Facts! 🐠
We are looking at an interesting shaped fish that we have two of in one of our displays, the stingray!
While many species of stingrays live in saltwater, these two live in freshwater! In the wild, you could find this species in the Amazon river basin, digging under the mud and camouflaging into the river bed.
Stingrays get their name from the saw-like spine near their pelvic fins that can rip through skin when withdrawn. However, despite many perceptions, they don't use this spine as an offensive weapon. You have to really be bugging them to meet the business end of a stingray. They are a very docile species, as long as you don't step on them. In captivity, they even recognize their owners and can be hand-fed!
Stingrays are actually closely related to sharks! Both types of fish are cartilaginous, meaning that they are made up entirely of cartilage. This is the same stuff that our ears and nose are comprised of!
(These are all pictures of our male, the other one doesn’t like coming out for pictures very often)

01/19/2024

🐠Welcome back to Lee's Friday Fish Facts! 🐠
Due to the blizzard last week, I was unable to write up my facts, but I hope you all had fun playing in the snow. I know I did!
This week we are looking at a new fish that just *hopped* out of quarantine recently, the Orange Toadfish (also called the Gulf Toadfish).🐸
These bottom-dwelling fish use their unique coloration and shape to their advantage when hiding from predators. If you look like a rock, it would take a very smart fish to eat you up! It's also known to bury itself under the sand and wait for prey to come close to it before it snatches it up. They are opportunistic hunters, and they love to prey on shrimp, crabs, and small fish that get too close.
These fish get their name not just from their froggy appearance, but due to the noises they make! During reproduction season, the males of this species build a fortified nest with shells and rocks then sit inside. They then use their specialized swim bladder to croak out a mating call, just like a frog! When a female lays her eggs in the nest, the male stays and protects the eggs until they are hatched.
Some species of this fish are highly toxic and have venomous spines on their dorsal and pectoral fins (but not this one). Don't step on these guys if you find them in the wild!