The other day, as I was playing with my (gasp!) freshwater nano-paludarium, it occurred to me that I have become a hardcore fan of nano aquariums. I was inspired to write of my new-found love for these tanks when I…
Two Times Five Equals Success! Learn to Love your Siphon Hose
Since our “infant days” in the hobby, we’ve had it drilled into our collective heads to perform regular water changes on our aquariums. It’s one of those “facts of life” that we just can’t avoid. Water changes achieve several valuable…
Some tips and tricks to keep coral munching fish in a reef aquarium
I often hear fellow hobbyists taking about the risk keeping a certain type of fish in their reef tank. Usually, it’s that beloved Angelfish or ultra-cool Butterflyfish that the hobbyist simply cannot resist! I know- I deal with this all…
Slipping into seagrasses- Making the case for aquariums going green!
As a traveling fish geek, I’m lucky enough to talk to lots of hobbyists on a monthly basis. It’s a good life, with good times (“If this is Saturday, I must be in Akron, right? Or was it Detroit…?). I…
“The Greatest One”: A Luft Affair
Greatness comes in many packages, many forms. In sports, hockey legend Wayne Gretzky earned the title, “The Great One” during his long and storied NHL career. One of my personal sports heroes, Gretzky holds 61 records for his amazing accomplishments,…
The Big Hobby Developments of 2009- Scott Fellman’s take
As the holiday season is in full swing and the end of 2009 is in sight, Jake thought that it might be cool for those of us who write for Reef Builders to give you our thoughts on what we…
Aquascaping techniques, tips and thoughts
As a reef geek who is more than just casually interested in creating great looking aquariums, I’ve made it my personal mission over the past few years to rid the reef aquarium world of dull and mediocre aquascaping. To this…
One new tank…A million ideas!
I’m deep into the planning on my first new aquarium in 2 years. It’s a great feeling, I’m now in that most exciting phase of the planning process (in my warped opinion, anyways): the “Which idea do I try?†phase!…
From revolution to evolution: a look at two hobby trends and their impact
After 30-something years in the hobby, you see a lot of trends come and go. Fads and “new” ideas show up and subsequently vanish back into the mists of time. Some of these “fads” do stick around a while, yet…
When common corals are Amazing corals
I was at a local coral “chop shopâ€Â a while back (yeah, they exist here in SoCal), perusing the raceways chock full of ½†frags of “LE†corals , when I saw it: A brilliant, neon- green, orange-tinged flash- a…