Why we love the reef aquarium hobby

While my daughter Catherine was home for Spring break last week, I took her out shopping one day, and I am happy to report there is something more addicting than this hobby: shopping for a teenage girl. While we drove…

An Ultra-Low-Nutrient System for Acropora and other SPS

Welcome to the next level of coral care. By now I am assuming you have at least understood all the key general practices to maintain some of the hardier corals, from soft corals to large-polyp stony (LPS) corals to some…

DIY Gift kits for anyone who loves Aquariums

Looking for the perfect gift for the Aquarium lover on your list, why not make one of these DIY kits! Or if you are just looking for a few stocking stuffer ideas why not mix and match and pick a…

The Best Beginner Small-Polyp Stony Corals

Upon entering the world of small polyp stony corals (or SPS), many people ask the magic question, “Which types are best for beginners?” In my opinion the most beginner-friendly choices are found in the genera Montipora, Pocillopora, Seriatopora, and Stylophora.…

Meet the tiniest “Sea Bunny” you ever did see

We’ve talked about hitchhiking coral crabs before, which are common on wild aquacultured corals, but boy were we surprised when we found the tiniest “Sea Bunny” hitchhiker crawling around our tank. A while back the internet kicked into overdrive when this video…

Our Tanks Are Lookin’ Good! But for Whom?

This is an easy question. Our tanks can be as good looking as we want. Of course, we can always throw more time and money into our tanks to make them look even better—but better looking to whom? And why?…

How to thoroughly quarantine your Corals

 With just about every endeavor success breeds new challenges. As I have already noted in several articles, with the improved success we have now achieved in keeping just about every type of coral and invertebrate long-term we are now seeing…

Common Coral Reef Pests and some ideas on how to remove them

In the early days of the hobby, we paid little attention to the many small animals that came in with our corals. We had such a difficult time keeping our corals alive that little thought was paid to the potential…

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…

Relax! Have Fun! It’s a Hobby!

I realize that many of us take our aquarium keeping very seriously, but we have to put it in context and remember that it is just a hobby. A hobby, by definition, is something that gives us pleasure, not something…