Maybe it’s because we’re from the land that we are so obsessed with the substrates in our aquariums. Deep sand, shallow sand, live sand, Aragonite, sugar-sized fine, coarse, chips, coral gravel, or bare bottom – we’ve done them all, and…
AF Bio Sand is Live Sand with a DIY Twist
Traditionally reefkeepers have associated the term Live Sand with aragonite sand harvested from the sea and shipped in seawater, or at least shipped damp, with a live coating of bacteria. But actual coral sand is in short supply globally, so…
PNS Substrate Sauce is Nitro for the Nitrogen Cycle
PNS Substrate Sauce is a new blend of purple non sulfur bacteria (PNSB) specially formulated to help condition reef aquarium sandbeds and substrates. Hydrospace cultivated this special bacteria blend with Rhodopseudomonas palustris and Rhodospirillum rubrum with the expressed purpose of turbocharging the nitrogen…
Freshwater Substrate Vs. Aragonite Mangrove Growth Test
Mangrove trees are a popular addition to reef aquarium systems, and we’ve recently focused our attention on them with all the newfound space at the Reef Builders Studio. It’s positively easy to simply keep a few Rhizophora mangrove pods alive…
Nothing Better Than A Nice Bare Bottom
Sand Bed or Bare Bottom? In the aquarium hobby, one of the most significant debates when building your reef tank is to decide a bare bottom or to use a live sand bed. Let’s discuss the benefits and disadvantages of…
5 Practical Uses for Rock Rubble in Marine Aquaria
When working with rocks, live or otherwise, in marine aquaria, we often end up with little chunks of rubble that break off the larger pieces. While this rubble may not be particularly useful for large aquascaping projects, it can come…
Substrate Update
In 2016, the systems at Tidal Gardens are a mix of custom glass aquariums and Rubbermaid stock tanks. Originally back in 2002, all the tanks were some combination of 300-gallon and 150-gallon stock tanks because they were by far the…
Outsanding Selections now available as live sand package
Two Little Fishies has been offering their high quality substrates Outsanding Selections in several varieties for a few years now. This week the company announced their Outsanding Selections in a live aragonite sand form. Live sand, especially clean live sand…
The Use of Negative Space in the Reef Aquarium Aquascape
One of the more interesting developments in the reefkeeping hobby, in my opinion, has nothing to do with the latest, greatest gadget or advance in water-quality-management methodology. Rather, it’s an evolving aesthetic in aquascaping. Bored with the traditional monolithic stack…
Avoid These 5 Live Rock Aquascaping Pitfalls
Your long-anticipated live rock shipment has finally arrived at your doorstep, and you can’t wait to get it in your tank and start watching as life emerges from those gnarly chunks. Though you’re understandably eager to forge ahead putting the…
