Regular Saltwater Smarts visitors may recall that back in the spring of 2015, I closed down my 75-gallon reef tank and converted my 125-gallon (then) FOWLR tank to a reef system with the addition of some invertebrate livestock from the…
Equipment
Marine Aquarium Aquascaping: The Rule of Thirds
Aficionados of freshwater planted aquariums have long understood that observing certain rules of composition when aquascaping with plants, rocks, driftwood, and other features can have a tremendous impact on an aquarium’s overall aesthetic impression. While we reefkeepers haven’t traditionally placed…
Reefkeeping Happiness Is…
In discussing the myriad rewards of reefkeeping, we marine aquarium hobbyists tend, at least in my humble opinion, to exaggerate the “soothing and relaxing” nature of our systems. If I’m being perfectly honest, on balance I probably derive more tension…
5 Practical Uses for Rock Rubble in Marine Aquaria
When working with rocks, live or otherwise, in marine aquaria, we often end up with little chunks of rubble that break off the larger pieces. While this rubble may not be particularly useful for large aquascaping projects, it can come…
Substrate Update
In 2016, the systems at Tidal Gardens are a mix of custom glass aquariums and Rubbermaid stock tanks. Originally back in 2002, all the tanks were some combination of 300-gallon and 150-gallon stock tanks because they were by far the…
Don’t Be a Penny-Wise, Pound-Foolish Marine Aquarist!
Okay, class, please put away your notes and calculators, take out your number-two pencils (clear-a-vous but for a number-two!), and complete this easy multiple-choice quiz: Which of the following reef-lighting options costs the least? A) Zany Caribbean Chris’s Homemade Reef-Suitable…
Salty Q&A: Is a Sump the Same as a Refugium?
Question What exactly is the difference between a “sump” and a “refugium” (assuming there is a difference)? These are terms I didn’t hear in my 30-plus years as a freshwater aquarist, but I’ve heard them numerous times since starting my…
5 Marine Aquarium Setup Missteps
Marine aquarium hobbyists can make any number of mistakes when setting up a new system, but some of these errors aren’t as easy as others to rectify after the fact. What follows is a list of five setup errors that…
The Top 5 Tips for Beginner Reefkeepers
I started the hobby before the internet became widely used, and information was sourced mainly through local fish stores. I was lucky enough to have some decent ones, but it was limited, no doubt. Today, beginning hobbyists have to deal…
What’s Your Aquascaping Rock of Choice?
Today’s marine aquarists have more options than ever before when it comes to the types of rock used to aquascape their tanks—from live rocks, whether aquacultured or wild-harvested, to all manner of dry rocks and even natural-looking man-made rocks. Each…