Captive Aquatic Ecosystems is a Texas based aquarium installation and consultation company that has been practicing the art of reef building since 2002. CAE was founded by Ben Johnson who is a professional reef aquarist with both the experience and knowledge to put together very successful and practical reef tanks.
For years Mr. Johnson has been dropping nuggets of reefing wisdom on various forums and discussion groups but a few months ago he started organizing his ideas on the official CAE blog. In that short time he’s already shared some serious reefing knowledge with valuable insight, hacks and very practical ideas on how to make reefing easier.
These include simple ideas like using titanium hose clamps to secure hoses or mini disconnect fittings to easily service aquarium equipment for much needed preventative maintenance. We also love the discussion of wet skimming as a form of ‘concentrated water changing’ – a topic which is often mentioned but rarely discussed in the detail that Mr. Johnson explores.
Three other great topics the CAE blog has already dove into include post filtration to capture the fine carbon and GFO particles that exit our reactors, beveled PVC for better fit of pipes into fittings and a simple modification to bucket handles to make them easier to carry. Clearly Mr. Johnson has some uncommon knowledge related to reef tanks but so much of it is immediately applicable to reef aquariums, and we’ll be watching closely to see what ideas he shares next.
