One aspect of this hobby that may help some to stay interested in it is that there is almost constant debate as to what is the best way to do anything in a reef tank. Whether it is halides versus…
How do I know if my tank’s too clean?
Stand in your LFS and about one in ten reefers will say their tank is too clean. Compared to temperate and cold waters, the tropical waters that our corals inhabit are nutrient-poor, hence the symbiosis between photosynthetic corals and zooxanthellae,…
API Nitrate Reagents are ‘Usable’ With the Hanna Checker
The Hanna Nitrate Checker is one of our favorite new aquarium tools to measure the nutrients in our reef tanks but the only limiting factor has been getting enough of the official Hanna nitrate reagents. We’ve been carefully doling out…
Korallenwächter is a new German Auto Water Tester
The Korallenwächter is a new water testing machine from Germany which is designed to automatically measure the most important parameters of reef aquarium chemistry. The company Korallenwächter, bares the same name as their machine, has been developing a new concept…
How to Cycle a Reef Aquarium Right Away – With Corals First
Forever and a day we have been schooled in how to set up and cycle an aquarium. Set it up, wet it, add bacteria, test, add fish, test again, and then eventually add corals. But here at Reef Builders we can’t help but think there’s another way to fast reef tank cycling, and that actually, people have been doing it wrong all along…
Hanna High Range Nitrate Checker Review
The Hanna Marine Nitrate High range Checker is a new nutrient measuring tool to test nitrate levels in our reef and saltwater fish tanks. It was just last year that Hanna treated us to the low range Nitrate Checker which…
Algae Scrubbers, How We Grow Massive Amounts of Chaetomorpha
Managing nutrients is one of the most important aspects to keeping a healthy, balanced reef aquarium free from unwanted algae. Curiously, one of the best ways to do this is to actually encourage algae to grow in a separate part…
Hanna Nitrate Checker Review; Extra Effort for a Lot More Accuracy
The Hanna Nitrate Checker is a brand new water testing kit which takes a very different approach to measuring nitrate compared to what is currently available in the aquarium hobby. This low range colorimeter is specially designed to measure NO3…
Hanna Nitrate Checker Coming Soon for the Low Range
The Hanna Nitrate Checker is a long awaited addition to Hanna Instruments’ catalog of trusted digital water testers. The Hanna Phosphate Checker has been the gold standard in accurate, low range measurement of this important nutrient and algae fuel so…
Salty Q&A: Can I Kickstart My Cycle with Aquarium Water?
Q: I’m a newbie aquarium hobbyist and just starting to set up my first tank, which will be a 40-gallon soft-coral reef system with a few small fish. A friend of mine, who is also fairly new to the hobby…
