There are few inevitable things in life and even fewer in this hobby. But the one inevitable that everyone encounters when they set up a new tank is that there will be an ugly phase. It does not matter if…
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How to Cure Live Rock
Up until now, everything that has been necessary to do has been relatively easy. This next step in setting up a reef tank properly is what starts to separate those who will be successful long-term from those who will not.…
FAQs on Phytoplankton Part 1
You wanna know how Phytoplankton really works in your aquarium? We asked Phycologist Taras V Pleskun. Which reef aquarium corals and other animals can ingest, and benefit from Phytoplankton? Microalgae are the nutritional foundation of all marine ecosystems. They are…
The History and Evolution of Live Rock
When Georg Smit and Alf Nilsen introduced live rock to American hobbyists in the 1980’s the keeping of saltwater animals changed forever. Up until this time, undergravel filters were the main means for biological filtration and most tanks were decorated…
Study Reveals How Corals Gain N and P in Darwin’s Paradox
An article published in the Journal Nature has found that photosynthetic corals not only host their symbiotic algae, they feed directly on it too, and importantly, it is how they uptake Nitrogen and Phosphorus. The paper titled “Reef-building corals farm…
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…
How to Set Up a Nano Reef Tank
We’ve really been feeling it lately for nano tanks. We run much larger tanks for surgeonfish, but while we’re waiting for our Acros to grow in those we like to have some low-cost fun and set up nano tanks as…
The importance of pH in the reef tank
Over the years a number of different aspects of reefkeeping have either become a hot topic or have been forgotten by the hobby. When I was starting out one of the parameters that was focused on was pH, which stands…
A Beginner’s Guide to ICP Testing
As mentioned in my last article, water testing is one of the least fun aspects of the hobby. I have discussed water testing and ICP testing with a lot of other hobbyists and one of the interesting things I have…
Why Water Testing is Important for a Reef Tank
Like equipment maintenance, water changes, quarantining animals, and cleaning the glass, water testing is an unglamorous task that nonetheless is one of the most crucial aspects for having long-term success in the hobby. I don’t care how good your lights…
