Aquatic life has introduced a new clear cartridge housing for their deionization filter system. The updated filter is made with durable polyethylene material to help prevent cracking if the cartridge is accidentally dropped. The clear housing allows for easy viewing…
Saltwater Aquarium Maintenance: Water Changes
Aquarium Maintenance: Water Changes Regular water changes are fundamental to maintaining an aquarium. The volume and frequency will fluctuate for each tank but almost every reefer performs regular water changes on their aquarium. Once you regularly maintain your aquarium you…
Is It Possible to Overdo Marine Aquarium Water Changes?
In a recent meandering conversation I had with my freshwater-pond-keeping brother-in-law, the question of water change volume and frequency was raised—specifically whether it’s stressful to the livestock if you perform them too frequently or change out too much water at…
Marine Aquarium Water Changes: Don’t Postpone the Personal Payoff!
Yesterday, I finally got around to performing an overdue water change in my 125-gallon tank. Admiring the fruits of my labor afterward, I couldn’t help wondering, “Why on earth do I wait so long to do these when the result…
The Water Change Conundrum
We all have a friend in the hobby or know someone who constantly brags about how he or she has never done a water change and their tank is perfect. The corals are growing and colorful, the fish vibrant and active…
Marine Aquarium Terminology: “Nutrient Export” Defined
Among the myriad mysterious terms that might give neophyte marine aquarists a migraine (okay, I’ll stop with the gratuitous alliteration now) is “nutrient export.” What does this term mean? Is it just a fancy way of saying “filtration”? Well, not…
The Many Means of Nutrient Export in Marine Aquariums
Dissolved nutrients. Sounds like a good thing, right? After all, every organism needs nutrients in one form or another in order to grow and stay in good health. So why are marine aquarium hobbyists—particularly reefkeepers—seemingly so fixated on keeping the…
Before Adding That Marine Aquarium Supplement, Ask Yourself These 5 Questions
You’re perusing the shelves of aquarium supplements at your local fish store when you come across a colorful bottle labeled “Dr. Hfuhruhurr’s Magic Reef Elixir.” Intrigued, you read on to discover the product’s intended purpose. The claims on the label…
The Challenges of Collecting Natural Sea Water for Your Marine Aquarium
Given the ready availability—and relative affordability—of high-quality synthetic sea salt mixes, it’s not surprising that the vast majority of marine aquarium hobbyists today choose to use artificial sea water rather than collect the natural stuff from the ocean for their…
5 Tips for Maintaining Stable Salinity in a Saltwater Tank
While salinity and other water parameters are relatively constant on the natural coral reefs, they’re highly prone to undesirable fluctuation in the closed system of a marine aquarium. As conscientious hobbyists who want to provide the most naturalistic environment possible…
