Michael Paletta
Michael Paletta
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Michael Paletta has been keeping marine tanks since 1980 and reef tanks since the mid-1980s. During the past 40 years, he has written over 370 articles on reef tanks, marine fish, and invertebrates for both the US and Europe. His first book “The Modern Marine Aquarium” simplified marine fishkeeping for beginning hobbyists while at the same time incorporating advances that had been made due to reef keeping. His second book “Ultimate Marine Aquariums” illustrates how far the hobby had advanced during its first 15 years.

How to choose reef tanks and stands

When you ask someone what the most important aspects of having a reef tank are, and what really got them excited not a single individual will ever say “my tank” or “my stand”. But when you think about it without…

Necessary Planning for a Successful Reef Tank 

During my career I sat in on countless sales meetings and heard countless sales platitudes like: “Know your customer”, or “Always make a hard close”. But my favorite cliché and the one that was probably used most often was: “Fail…

My Mini-Reef Past, Present, and Future

I’m Back. Well, after a brief six-year hiatus, I am happy to be back writing for Reef Builders on a regular basis. To be honest, it is kind of bittersweet, as it is not quite the same as it was…

Building my Last Reef Tank

As the year winds down we tend to look back on our failures and successes and the major events of the year, as well as ahead to the things that we want to accomplish and what we are looking forward…

Making The Hobby Fun (And Keeping it that way)

I admit it, I am still a big kid at heart. And this time of year I often show this side of my personality in many ways. I still find fun, in just about everything this time of year. I…

My Corals are Dying: Why?

    Over the years I have been asked a lot of questions. Some have come and gone over time, like what is the best whatever or what fish or coral can I add to my tank. Some, however, have…

Seizing the Moment and Limiting Regrets

As I have discussed numerous times in these articles, this is a hobby of patience. That is, we need to be patient and wait for things to occur in order to be successful such as waiting frags to grow into…

Things You Need To Do And Should Be Doing Regularly

Now that we are in the middle of Fall and at least for us in the East and Midwest it has finally gotten cool again, at least for me it marks the time of year when I get serious about…

Much Fun at the Aquatic Experience in Chicago

Over the years I have been fortunate enough to attend or speak at just about every large show, frag swap and meeting that occurred throughout North America. From MACNA to Reefaplaooza, IMAC, The Southwest Marine Conference and ReefStock – I…

Things That Scare Me About The Hobby

Boo and Happy Halloween. I am not really much of a Halloween person, I am much more into Christmas, but I understand how some people really get into it. In fact, I recently learned that humans are such an overwhelmingly…