Opinion

Is it Okay to Name Living Creatures after People?

It’s human nature to name things. It’s part of how we label and describe items, communicate, and even differentiate one another. But nomenclature stretches to living things too, like plants, animals, and fish, and we want to know if it’s…

What does the Future Hold for Reefkeeping?

For many of us, 2023 was a rough year. But as I typically do during a tough year I start looking at the future and hopefully better times. 2024 will mark the fortieth year I have been in reefkeeping. The…

Are Fish Necessary in a Reef Tank?

After keeping reef tanks for almost forty years, and having viewed literally thousands of successful tanks, including a few recently sans fish, it got me to thinking are fish necessary in a reef tank.  Now before you think I have…

Are Reef Tanks Stress-Reducing or Stress-Inducing?

Since we are in the midst of the holiday season, we are all familiar with how the family get-togethers, shopping, and hustle and bustle can be both stress-relieving in some ways and also stress-inducing. I have come to realize that…

Is the Hobby Getting Too Expensive? Part II Livestock

As was discussed in Part 1 the cost of getting into the hobby, equipment-wise was surprisingly not as expensive as I had thought. This was the case even when some of the best equipment was being used. Even when inflation…

Why Cyanobacteria is the Most Important Organism that Ever Lived

The word Cyano conjures up images of nuisance “algae,” slimy, stinking bacterial sheets that plague our aquariums, smothering our plants, decor, and corals and bringing misery to reefkeepers all over the world. Cyanobacteria is a scourge, an indicator of poor…

It’s Always Something!

There are few universal things in this hobby, as every tank is different and how every tank is managed is different as well.  But there are a few such as the need for being patient, and there being no benefit…

Has the Hobby Gotten Too Expensive? 

Let’s face it, this hobby has never been an inexpensive one. Even during the early years of the hobby, it was expensive for a number of reasons. Corals and saltwater fish have always been more expensive than their freshwater counterparts.…

Why Successful Reefing Is All About Incrementalism

Over the course of the last forty years, many changes have taken place that have made the hobby better. Looking back, it is safe to say that while all of these changes seem large now, they were all done incrementally,…

Five Things That Can Get You Down About Reefkeeping 

We’re never going to throw the towel in with this hobby, but we admit that sometimes, some things do inevitably get us down. Here are just a few of the things that are getting to us this week. “Silent” equipment…