One of the main challenges facing any reef aquarium hobbyist is the maintenance of water chemistry conditions within recommended ranges. This maintenance involves the removal or reduction of detrimental compounds (e.g., excess phosphates and nitrates, biological toxins, etc.) along with the...
Algae, unavoidable companions.
Algae are undoubtedly one of the inhabitants of a reef tank that cause the biggest headaches to hobbyists. In a world idealized by aesthetics, we might wish that these living beings were out of our system, however, this wish makes no biological and ecological...
THE PROBLEM
As is well known, dinoflagellate pests in the reef aquarium are perhaps the worst that we will face during the life of our system. These pests are quite difficult to eradicate because dinoflagellates have a great capacity for reproduction, propagation and survival. In addition...
Calcium reactors are perhaps the best method for providing calcium and alkalinity in reef aquariums with a medium to high calcification demand. It is a system that does not introduce unnecessary ions, does not depend on evaporation rates and has very low operating costs, with a significant...
A reef tank is a complete ecosystem operating with clockwork precision in a space of extraordinarily small dimensions compared to nature. As a result, the water chemistry fluctuates at a dizzying rate, implying a strategy to compensate for these changes in a sustainable manner. The export and...
During the last few years, the technology available to facilitate the work of hobbyists has experienced an important boom. Technological advances have been transferred from the laboratories of scientific institutions, public aquariums and aquaculture companies. There is a transfer of techniques...
A reef aquarium can be thought of as a system fed by inputs, which are processed to generate biomass, resulting in outputs. The system uses the inputs for its operation, transforming them into growth of organisms and producing waste products that must be reduced, removed or recycled in some way...
The proper light for the reef aquarium is of extraordinary importance, not only for coral growth and health, but for the overall functioning of the food web. A large number of organisms involved in nutrient recycling, feeding corals and invertebrates, depend on light for survival. Photosynthetic...