In the modern reefkeeping landscape, “garage culture operations” often trigger immediate skepticism from trade veterans, commercial importers, and store owners—and frankly, much of that criticism is earned. The industry has seen plenty of fly-by-night basement hobbyists undercutting local fish stores…
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…
Salty Q&A: Acropora Bleaching Fast!
Question I just introduced an Acropora to my 65-gallon reef tank, and it’s already starting to bleach on me. I’d say about one-quarter to one-third of the colony has already bleached, and it’s been in the tank less than a…
Marine Aquarium Acronyms: PE Defined
The marine aquarium hobby is second only to the US military when it comes to the number of acronyms its members throw around. (Quite fittingly, this past Monday was the 27th anniversary of my DOE. Shortly after that date, I…
An Ultra-Low-Nutrient System for Acropora and other SPS
Welcome to the next level of coral care. By now I am assuming you have at least understood all the key general practices to maintain some of the hardier corals, from soft corals to large-polyp stony (LPS) corals to some…
Salty Q&A: Are Fish in Nanos More Likely to Leap?
This question, recently posted on our website by Eric B, got me thinking about some of the assumptions we tend to make about nano aquariums. So, in addition to my original answer to Eric’s inquiry, I’ve included a few more…
What’s Your Excuse for Skipping Water Changes?
Excuses, excuses! When it comes to putting off those tedious maintenance chores, such as routine partial water changes, we hobbyists have a million of ‘em! But for every attempt we make to justify our indolence, there’s a more compelling counterargument…
In the Marine Aquarium Hobby, “Close Enough” Just Won’t Cut It!
When it comes to achieving success with a marine aquarium, there’s a certain “X Factor” that comes into play—the hobbyist’s attention to detail. Let’s face it, some of us are pretty focused on making sure every parameter, measurement, calculation, and…
When New Marine Fish Die, You Need to Find Out Why!
As many marine aquarium hobbyists have discovered, adding “just one more fish” to an already-established community can, on occasion, be surprisingly problematic. In some instances, every new specimen that’s added lives only a short time, either succumbing to some unknown…
Putting Aquarium Water Parameters to the Test
It’s crucial to keep tabs on several key aspects of water chemistry if you want to succeed with a saltwater aquarium. That means you’ll have to develop the habit of testing certain parameters on a routine basis. But that doesn’t…
