In a previous post titled “Turning Up the Heat on Tropical Saltwater Aquariums,” I explained that it’s important to maintain a stable water temperature somewhere in the range of 76° and 80°F in marine tanks, and that using a quality…
Equipment
Reefkeeping is Seasonal – and You Can Reap the Rewards
It may not seem apparent, but the reef aquarium hobby is highly seasonal. Compared to the winter months, there is almost no activity in the spring and summer. The industry as a whole slows down. I think this phenomenon has…
5 Marine Aquarium Misconceptions I No Longer Espouse
Casting my mind back on my early days as a marine aquarium keeper, it’s funny how some of my stances on various aspects of the hobby have, shall we say, evolved in the intervening years. Of course, these changing opinions…
My Top 6 Simple Accessories Repurposed for Marine Aquariums
Visit your local fish store, and you’ll see shelf after shelf of equipment, implements, doodads, and thingamabobs specifically designed to make the maintenance of marine aquariums more manageable. But when you really think about it, a lot of the handy…
Making the T5 Changeup in Reef Aquarium Lighting
Recently, Paul Grant decided to switch up the lighting on his 240-gallon custom reef tank. Originally, five Aquaillumination Vega Color fixtures were used to power his SPS-dominated reef. He decided to make a changeover to an ATI Powermodule. The Powermodule…
How to Reduce the Risk of Flooding with Hang-on-Back Overflows
Marine aquarium hobbyists whose tanks didn’t come with a built-in overflow or can’t be drilled to accommodate one (i.e., those made of tempered glass) sometimes choose to use a siphon-based hang-on-back (HOB) overflow to feed water from the aquarium to…
Don’t Let the Water Flow Slow in Your Marine Aquarium
We’ve mentioned several times here at Saltwater Smarts how the output of reef aquarium lighting gradually and imperceptibly shifts away from the desired level over time. But did you know a very similar phenomenon can occur with the rate of…
Good Reasons to Use a Refugium in Your Reef System
A refugium is a safe haven for algae and invertebrates in a separate tank from the main display aquarium. These organisms provide some distinct advantages to the overall health of a reef aquarium. First off, the critters breeding in the…
Aquarium Plumbing: True Union Ball Valves and Why You Should Love Them
One of the cool things about the reef aquarium hobby is that you tend to pick up some useful skills by accident. If it wasn’t for the reef-keeping hobby, I may never have developed a love of photography and videography.…
DIY Algae Trough—Fight Algae with Algae!
In my opinion, marine aquarium hobbyists have a fundamental misunderstanding of algae. It is not a disease, and it can’t be cured, as it grows on every healthy reef in the sea. We don’t usually see as much of it…