After attending last year’s MACNA in Denver and a couple of the recent Reefapaloozas, I have come to the realization that the majority of the people now in the hobby have been in the hobby for less than ten years. …
The Reefkeeper’s Skill Set
Like Liam Neeson in the Taken movies, over time reefkeepers develop a unique set of skills. Even though today most of the equipment we want is readily available, unlike in the early days of the hobby when most of us…
The Ecosystem Aquarium Method: What’s in the Miracle Mud?
Of all the articles that I’ve written and all of the talks I’ve given over the years, none have stirred the souls of reefkeepers as much as my discussions of “Miracle Mud” and what it does and doesn’t do. For the…
Women in the Hobby, and the lack thereof
With it being Mother’s Day Weekend I thought it would be interesting to discuss a topic dear to my heart: The relative dearth of women in the hobby. While reefkeeping has been around for approximately 30 years and the advances…
Stop overfeeding your fish to reduce nutrients and prevent fat fish
Over the past few years there have been significant advances in just about every aspect of taking care of the inhabitants of our reef tanks. There has been a significant increase on providing the proper nutritional requirements of our corals and other…
Lots of things can kill corals, suicide is not one of them
Over the years I have been asked a lot of questions by hobbyists regarding their corals and their tanks. Of these queries, the single most frequently asked question is” Why are my corals dying or why did this coral die?”…
Shipping livestock is the weakest link in Aquatics
The hobby has made remarkable strides over the last 30 years; almost everything in the hobby is now superior to how it was in the early days of the hobby. Sadly the one thing that really has not improved is shipping. I…
Pros and Cons of the aquarium hobby being so expensive
Recently I became involved in something I hadn’t done for a long time: helping a total newbie set up his first reef tank. Initially he wanted to set up a 300-gallon reef, but after we came up with the list…
What traits make a great reefer?
While sitting around with Julian, Jake and Sanjay, an interesting discussion developed as to what traits make a great reefer. It was a lively debate as each of us had our own ideas of what traits really differentiate great reefers…
Common little lies we’ve told our significant other about reef tanks
Since my intention to stir debate and ignite discussion has apparently occurred from my past couple of articles, I thought I would try and be little more light-hearted this week, especially with today being Valentine’s Day. For those of you lucky…