If you needed any indication that alkalinity monitors are all the rage, here’s another company throwing their hat into the ring of this burgeoning segment of the reef aquarium market. Pacific Sun, a creative designer and manufacturer of interesting aquarium…
KH Guardian is the First Alkalinity Controller to go on sale
Alkalinity controllers have been bubbling into reality for most of this year and it seems like we can finally look forward to the first commercially made unit. CoralVue has just posted a pre-sale page for the first 100 units of…
Automatic Alkalinity Monitoring and Control Coming to Apex
Alkalinity monitoring is one of the holy grail parameters that reefers hope to control in our aquariums and the dream is almost here. The prototype alkalinity monitor displayed at MACNA by Jim Welsh will soon be incorporated exclusively with Neptune…
Salty Q&A: Calcium and Alkalinity Out of Whack
Question I’m having an issue with the calcium and alkalinity levels in my reef tank. Right now, the calcium is at 380ppm, which is at the low end of the acceptable range, and the alkalinity is at 10dKH, closer to…
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.…
Nyos Calcium, Magnesium and Carbonate Hardness test kit review
In addition to the easy-to-use Nitrate and Phosphate test kits, the NYOS Reefer line also includes some very well thought out tests for the mineral components of seawater, including Calcium, Magnesium and Alkalinity. With Ecotech Marine now distributing NYOS products in…
NOVA’s Lethal Seas program is a simple lesson in Carbonic chemistry
On a very basic level, some reefers kind of understand the interplay of carbon dioxide, carbonate, carbonic acid. However we’re not quite as sure that saltwater aquarists really understand how these chemicals affect pH and alkalinity, and especially how it…
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…
What to Consider when Converting a Fish-only Tank to a Reef System
“Caribbean Chris” and I are very frequently asked what it takes to convert a fish-only marine aquarium to a reef system containing corals and other sessile invertebrates. Can you just go ahead and add the invertebrates? Can you modify the…
Techniques for Maintaining Calcium and Alkalinity in Reef Tanks
Calcium and alkalinity are vitally important chemical parameters in reef aquariums. They are used by stony corals to build their calcium carbonate skeletons. A lack of calcium and alkalinity in the water will inhibit the growth of reef-building corals and…
