Wishing I’d Chosen a Wider Marine Aquarium

I wouldn’t exactly say I have major regrets about choosing a standard 125-gallon tank for my current marine aquarium system, but if I had to do it all over again, I might go in a slightly different—rather, slightly wider—direction. For…

Signs You May Need to Lower Your Reef Tank’s Bioload

The bioload in a reef aquarium increases through both the acquisition of new specimens as well as the growth/reproduction of established livestock. So, unless fish and corals are dying in significant numbers (which they shouldn’t be unless there’s a major…

From the Archives: Live Bottles are reborn as Aquacultured Art by Atlantic Reef Aquaculture

This story was originally published in October of 2009 and it is well worthy of another go-around. Live Bottles for use in Mini Reef aquariums used to be as common as normal output fluorescents, bristle worm traps and dolomite. It…

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…

Down to One Marine Aquarium—and So Far I’m Loving It!

For quite some time, I had at least two marine aquariums up and running—a 75-gallon reef tank and a 125-gallon FOWLR tank. As regular Saltwater Smarts visitors know, that 75-gallon tank had become something of a thorn in my side.…

6 Comments Non-Hobbyists Make When Viewing Marine Aquariums

The other day, two installers were in my home laying a new vinyl floor in my kitchen when they took note of my aquariums. One of them was especially enthralled by my reef tank (which is ironic—more on this later)…

We are getting creamed in the aquascaping department

I love aquariums so much, it doesn’t matter what kind of tank it is, as long as someone’s put some Love into it, it shows. As hard as we work and fiddle with and try to perfect our reef aquariums,…

5 Ways to Counteract Coral Combat in the Marine Aquarium

At a casual glance, corals would appear to be an inoffensive lot, generally espousing a “live-and-let-live” philosophy. After all, when you’re firmly affixed to the substrate, how much trouble can you really cause for your neighbors? Plenty, as it turns…

Photosynthetic Gorgonians for the Home Aquaria

Of all the amazing corals that are available to the reef aquarium hobbyists nowadays, gorgonians are frequently overlooked when choosing corals for our aquariums. In the wild they are a vital part of the environment; they filter water, provide sanctuary…

Neozoanthus uchina and N. caleyi are the newest species of Zoanthid

Neozoanthus is a very little known group of zoanthids in the aquarium hobby but today we learned a little more about two new species: Neozoanthus uchina and N. caleyi. This funky genus of zoanthids was thought to be rare, it’s…