The word Cyano conjures up images of nuisance “algae,” slimy, stinking bacterial sheets that plague our aquariums, smothering our plants, decor, and corals and bringing misery to reefkeepers all over the world. Cyanobacteria is a scourge, an indicator of poor…
How to keep Algae from Becoming Problematic
Whether you are starting out or have been keeping a reef tank for a long time the number one worry that most hobbyists still seem to have is how to keep algae in check. Since the start of the hobby…
Salty Q&A: Should You Scrub New Live Rock?
Question I’ll be receiving a shipment of live rocks in a few days, and I could use some advice on how to clean them up before putting them in my tank. Do I just need to give them a good…
Astraea Snails Make Short Work of Algae
This past year, I rediscovered how great an army of snails can be. We go pretty light on cleanup crews in general. For example, there really aren’t any hermit crabs to speak of in our systems. In 5,000 gallons of…
4 Crabby Caveats to Keeping Clibanarius tricolor
Clibanarius tricolor, the blue-legged hermit crab, is very commonly introduced to marine aquaria, either in conspecific groups or as part of a multi-species “reef janitor” package or “cleanup crew” (aka “CUC” for those who just can’t get enough of those…
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?…
DIY Algae Trough—Fight Algae with Algae!
In my opinion, marine aquarium hobbyists have a fundamental misunderstanding of algae. It is not a disease, and it can’t be cured, as it grows on every healthy reef in the sea. We don’t usually see as much of it…
What Gives When Herbivores Won’t Graze Nuisance Algae?
The practice of adding herbivorous fish and/or invertebrate species to marine aquariums for the purpose of nuisance algae control is quite commonplace. Hence the popularity of those herbivore packages known in hobby parlance as “cleanup crews,” or CUCs. But almost…