Back when I started keeping fish, filtration consisted of angel hair or glass wool as the mechanical filtration and charcoal as the chemical filtration. Now there are a multitude of ways to perform these types of filtration, but rarely are…
Chrysiptera starcki, the Poor Man’s Resplendent Angelfish
We’ve always had a soft spot for damselfish since they were our first saltwater fish over 25 years ago. We still like their bold colors, cichlid-like looks, and behavior, and still add them to our reef tanks even now. Sure,…
How to deal with Valonia Bubble Algae
Bubble algae is one of the most persistent pests of mature reef aquaria, overgrowing corals, weir combs, and wave pumps if left unchecked. Newbies often report surprise when they first find the small, bottle green, glassy balls as it’s something…
Paletta on Protein Skimming
Through the years I have seen marine aquarium filtration go from under gravel filters through canister filters and then trickle filters, all producing various levels of success. But the only filtration method that truly changed filtration was when the hobby…
DeJong Marinelife Successfully Breed the Circled Dragonet
Dutch wholesaler DeJong Marinelife has successfully bred the Circled Dragonet, Synchiropus circularis. Combine a male and female dragonet, feed them plenty of the right food and even captive spawning often comes naturally, but what makes this such a big deal…
Understanding lighting
While planning and choosing the right tank and selecting a stand are all important aspects of setting up a tank, they are not sexy and probably seemed kind of obvious. Understanding lighting and choosing proper lighting, however, is where things…
Show Us Your Reef Tees!
Remember Jake Adams and you’ll remember him not just for his world-class reef information, but his apparel too. Despite coming to us from the frosty climbs of Colorado, Jake was so often seen in shorts and sandals, a baseball cap,…
What you need to know about Refugia
A reef tank is different from other types of tanks in a lot of ways, with one of the biggest being that most reef tanks utilize a sump to hold the equipment and to add volume to the system. An…
Managing Tissue Necrosis
While we have come a long way in the hobby and have improved our husbandry skills for keeping corals immeasurably over the past four decades, we still have much to learn, especially in the area of coral diseases. Having worked…
How to get Reef Aquascaping Right First Time
Because of sites like Instagram, aquascaping is everything these days, and if you want to create a great saltwater aquascape you have to start with great-looking materials. Gone are the days of sloping rock walls with corals displayed like fruits…
