General Saltwater Aquarium

Acclimation Reasoning: Have you ever woke up from your warm, fuzzy blankets only to be frost bit by the cold air outside of your place of slumber? Have you ever taken a hot shower and opened the door to a gust of cold air? Luckily all humans do is complain, shiver, and then slowly get used to...

Have you ever witnessed an entire cloudless month? I haven’t, and if you have you must have been on another planet. Clouds pay us a daily visit. Some are treacherous storms that can last for quite some time while others are whisps of humidity that leaves as quickly as they become visible. Even...

Refugiums are a great way to grow Algae for filtration, food, and provide excellent breeding grounds for pods, shrimp, and anything else that would otherwise be destroyed in your Display tank. Refugiums are not always designed for filtration. Some are designed purely for visual enjoyment and...

coralline covered aquascape image via www.fws.gov Coralline algae is a very beneficial life form that most reefers want in their tanks. It can come in many colors and some even forms interesting branching shapes. It can encrust on just about anything. After a while, cleaning it can actually...

This Article is Sponsored by @uniquecorals Ok, maybe after a while writing these columns, you sometimes have to tell things like they are, right? The following is one of those examples of me having a bit of an attitude today. Some of this stuff may seem a bit mean-spirited to some of you...

You are sitting in your big comfy lazy boy recliner watching “Da Bears” in one eye and your reef in the other. The window begins to shake vigorously as your team is getting creamed like usual, so you assume the booing coming from your surround sound is responsible until a massive bolt of...

This article was sponsored by @MarineDepot at www.marinedepot.com. Introduction The marine environment is one of the most complex systems on the planet. The aquarium you are about to set up is only a tiny sliver of the vast ocean, but it is no where near simple. This task is going to take...

Cyanobacteria is said to be responsible for the end of Oxygen intolerant life forms on the planet Earth. Before our atmosphere was extremely low on Oxygen. The Bacteria is photosynthetic, which means it turns light into energy, making Oxygen as a biproduct. After the Cyanobacterias first Earthly...

This Article is Sponsored by @uniquecorals I was sort of pondering the state of the hobby in a recent philosophical moment, and I realized that we are at a sort of “crossroads” in the hobby and industry, with very real pressures on us from outside forces who know little of what we actually...

Step Away from the Tank (When is it time to quit the hobby?) Animals are a fragile link in the chain of the immense ecosystem. Most of them were here before humans. The fact of the matter is that animals are important to the well being of the planet. Even maggots play a role in cleaning up...

SLAUGHTER HOUSE FISH – Have you ever wondered why marine fish are so expensive? Unlike a cichlid, or most other freshwater fish, marine creatures live in much harder to reach areas of the world. Some live hundreds of feet below sea level which is very out of reach to the Average Joe, thus it is...

This Article is Sponsored by @uniquecorals As you know, when I'm not stoking fellow reefers with cool corals, I get to travel around the country and talk about geeky reef topics. One of my most in-demand topics is "Nutrient Control and Export", which, in other words, is a nice way of saying...

What is the most common reason for giving up the salt water hobby? When you search through the endless listings of reef tanks for sale on Craigslist, the majority of tanks are not exactly top of the line. Someone will label “Full Blown Reef” on a tank that is nothing more than a fraction of what...

We are a very mobile race of beings. We have access to every square inch of the planet and even the moon. Staying in one place for your whole life just is not an option to some. Jobs call for relocation. Families grow and need space to grow. Sometimes we cut in line at the zoo, only to be put on...

Being a artist for fun and profession, I see things different than most people. I decided to create a article about composition, balance, color, and depth within your reef aquarium. I really hope this can help some of you out to create your dream looking reef that is pictured in your head. Once...

As aquarists we all take great pride in the tanks that are in our care. Many of us also have small children who share in the enjoyment that a reef tank can bring. The aquarium can have a soothing effect on children and can spark their interest into things that may not be something they would...

Hello all. Some of you may recognize me from Nano-reef and my posts about LEDs, DIY recommendations, etc. Figured I'd post this up over here, as well. Putting it in general hardware and lighting because it applies to more than just LEDs. :) With full-spectrum LED arrays becoming all the rage...

Reacting to Loss of Power In this day and age we rely on electrical power for many things. In this hobby all of the equipment used to sustain life depends on electricity including lights, pumps, powerheads, and controllers. If the power goes out the life support systems are terminated and the...

Bare-bottom (BB)? Calcium Carbonate (CC) Gravel? Crushed Shell? Sand? Deep vs. Shallow? With all the choices that are out there, no wonder new hobbyists are often confused about which substrate to use for their marine aquarium. In this thread, I shall attempt to address pros and cons of each of...