One of my biggest nightmares as a marine aquarist is someday having one of the panes of my glass aquarium suddenly give out and dump 125 gallons of salt water on my living room floor. What a costly, hideous mess…
Equipment
Can Live Rock Be Added Directly to an Established Marine Aquarium?
“Caribbean Chris” and I are very frequently asked whether it’s okay to add new pieces of live rock directly to an established system. Ever erring on the side of caution, we generally discourage this practice. Instead, we recommend curing them…
Reefing from Afar, Part 5: Plans and Wishes for the Future
Overview: Finally we have come to the end of my series where I will set out some future desires of mine that are totally non-existent today or are very close to market. These are the wholes in my system that…
Reefing from Afar, Part 4: The Wong Solution
The last article discussed some of the quick and simple ways to take care of your reef while being away for just a short period of time. Due to my work responsibilities, which require travel around the world for two-…
How Can You Prevent Marine Fish from Jumping Out of Tanks?
Take away their trampolines, of course! Okay, being serious now, far too many marine fish are lost unnecessarily when they leap from their tank and become “carpet jerky.” While jumping is among the most common (if not the most common)…
Reefing from Afar, Part 3: The Bare-Bones Basics of Automation
In Part 2 of this series, I discussed some of the possibilities for automating your reef system based on your needs. Now that you have a few ideas of what you can automate, I’d like to offer a simple recipe…
Reefing from Afar, Part 2: Automation Options
In Part 1 of this series, I laid down some of the expectations for success, and now we are ready to dive into the functions that we can automate. Automation can range from low-tech to high-tech and fit various budgets,…
The Pros and Cons of Using a Marine Aquarium Cover Glass
To put a lid on it or not to put a lid on it, that is the question! Okay, with profuse apologies to the Melancholy Dane, the point I’d like to mull over in today’s post is whether it’s a…
Beware Marine Aquarium Complacency!
A funny thing sometimes happens to marine aquarium hobbyists who have a few years’ experience under their briny belts—they have a tendency to become complacent in their methods and attitudes. Once they’ve mastered the basics of aquarium keeping, it can…
Marine Aquarium Decorations: Tacky, Tasteful, or Somewhere In-Between?
I’ve always favored very naturalistic aquariums, so when an acquaintance recently asked me what I think about using decorations in saltwater systems, my immediate response (more or less) was that I find them tacky and cringe-worthy and that corals and…