Articles
The Ways Alkalinity can Accumulate in a Reef Tank
@Miami Reef
"Why is my alkalinity rising?" is a seemingly simple question that consistently pops up in the chemistry section of Reef2Reef. However, it is a complex question since there are numerous ways alkalinity can accumulate - some ways one...
I've been a Tampa Bay Saltwater customer for more than a decade now and have started at least half a dozen saltwater reef aquariums using their rock, sand, and clean-up crew. TBS is an amazing asset and resource for hobbyists in the USA. In this article, I hope to offer some insight into their...
One of the most common questions we are asked is how to join two pieces edge to edge. This type of bond is called a "Butt Joint" and requires careful edge preparation, fixturing and patience. I will start with a guide on glue selection. For butt joining, we like to use Acrifix® products...
How to automate a phytoplankton culture
In this article I will illustrate how to automate a phytoplankton culture, automation has been the key to successfully achieving stability in our hobby and with phytoplankton I feel that is no different. There is many reasons on how this could be...
Reef Spotlight
REEF OF THE MONTH - November 2022: Samsreef's 340-gallon Mixed Reef! Hobby, passion, obsession!
R2R Username: @SamsReef
Build Thread: Sams 340 Gallon SPS dominated tank
(Special thanks to Kenny of @Pieces of the Ocean for taking pictures of my tank.)
Introduction:
I would like to start by thanking the R2R family for this esteem recognition and for R2R for being part of my life. I read...
The two most common problems when cutting and routing acrylic welding of the material and poor edge finish. In this article, I will focus on routing. The top reasons for chip welding and poor finish are:
1) inappropriate tool selection
2) improper chip load
3) small tool diameter size
4)...
The gold standard for bonding acrylic to itself in larger aquarium builds is polymerizable cement bonding. It is the go to method when joining pieces greater than 1 inch in thickness and some cases, as thin as 1/2 inch. Polymerizable cements are those in which a catalyst is added to an already...
Before you continue, I suggest first reading this article describing the different bonding methods.
Capillary bonding is the most well known method for joining acrylic. And from the number of posts, easy to assume it is the only way. As in all methods, surface preparation is key to success. For...
Satisfactory joints between acrylic sheet and other plastics as well as non-plastics are more difficult than joining acrylic to acrylic and the resulting joints are usually lower strength. In most cases, there is a substantial difference in thermal expansion between acrylic sheet and non-plastic...
Acrylic pieces may be joined three ways:
1) mechanical means such as bolts or screws
2) thermal means such as welding
3) chemical methods such as cementing
For our purposes, I will focus on the third method, cementing. There is a great amount of misinformation regarding this topic. The...
The simplest method of forming acrylic sheet along a straight line is to use a strip heater. Strip heaters are typically used to for the rapid production of simple boxes, and frames. They are generally limited to straight line bends. The process is usually used for small parts where the length...
Corner pentagon aquariums have two symmetric back walls and a bent viewing panel. The back walls are at 90 degrees to each other and the viewing panel completes the vertical structure. The final assembly consists of a top and a bottom.
The challenge is the short leg dimension of the front...
Routers are used in edge-finishing operations and for cutting flat or formed acrylic sheet parts to size.
For our purposes, the two main types of router configurations I will discuss are 1) table and 2) portable. For edging small parts, the table router is convenient. When a part or assembly is...
Acrylic sheet can be cut in three ways:
1) Sawing
2) Routing
3) Scribing and breaking
Sawing and routing can be used for straight and curved cuts on any thickness of material. Scribing is limited to straight cuts in thin pieces of sheet .236 inches or less in thickness. It is practical for...
Hello everyone, There is a great deal of R2R interest in forming and fabricating with acrylic. There is also a great deal of misinformation. This is will be the first post, in a series of posts, discussing and explaining just about everything you ever wanted to know about working with acrylic...
These are an inexpensive way to create some functional and stylish dosing containers and you’ll be recycling/repurposing, too!
The “GHL Edition” in the title is just a little humor because these happen to match my GHL Doser perfectly! A little added bonus for any other GHL owners out there. But...
All of us had that one fish that when we first saw, we immediately fell in love with and were fascinated about. Perhaps that “love at first sight” lead us to learn more about it and even go further to owning one with taking all the challenges of keeping it.
To me that fish would be the slender...
Reef Spotlight
REEF OF THE MONTH - October 2022: Joe's 400-gallon Majestic Sunlit Reef (A Living Memorial to Kelly)
R2R Username: @jdpiii3
Build Thread: Our 400 Gallon In Wall Natural Sun-Lit Reef
Introduction:
My name is Joseph Palermo and it is an honor to have been selected as Reef Tank of the Month. I am humbled to be in the company of so many accomplished aquarium hobbyists. I have been inspired by...
Most beautiful and elegant aquascape reef tanks layouts for living areas with Orphek Atlantik iCon Reef LED Lighting
Orphek Atlantik iCon over reef aquascaping tank under constrations
Today’s post is about integration of reef aquariums as elegant, creative, serene and even striking decorative...
Hello fellow reefers, I hope you enjoy this article about the Halichoeres wrasses we know and love. Before we start, I would like to thank @SaltyT and @Crabby48 for allowing me to use some of their photos. So, lets get into it.
The genus Halichoeres is differentiated from other genera of...
