When you get into this hobby there are certain tools that go along with maintaining the aquarium system. Using the correct tools and keeping them in top shape will make you job easier. Unfortunately most tools are taken for granted…
aquarium maintenance
The quest for improved pH levels: Heat/Energy Recovery Ventilators
PH is one of the most important parameters governing the growth and calcification of corals in the wild and in our reef tanks. However keeping aquarium pH water within a desirable range can be difficult with elevated indoor carbon dioxide…
Observations on Dry Rock Aquascaping
Throughout my years in the marine aquarium hobby, I’ve typically aquascaped my systems using cured live rock from Fiji. However, when setting up my 125-gallon tank in our new home about a year and a half ago, I wanted to…
Important Water Parameters For Keeping A Saltwater Aquarium
Healthy water equals healthy fish and coral, but how do you know what’s best? Water quality is a fundamental aquarium skill, and understanding how to read and decipher water tests can clue us in on problems. The first parameters you…
Reefing from Afar, Part 5: Plans and Wishes for the Future
Overview: Finally we have come to the end of my series where I will set out some future desires of mine that are totally non-existent today or are very close to market. These are the wholes in my system that…
5 Good Reasons to Keep a Marine Aquarium Journal
Quick! What were your aquarium’s water parameters in the fourth week of January? When was the last time you performed a water change and exactly how much did you change? Can you recall precisely when you last swapped out your…
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…
End the Toil and Trouble of Bubble Algae
“泡沫,泡沫,辛苦和麻烦”可能是洛杉矶ment of any marine aquarium hobbyist battling a stubborn outbreak of green bubble algae. (Okay, “Double, double toil and trouble,” is the actual incantation from Shakespeare’s Macbeth, but I digress.) Green bubble…
Don’t Contaminate Your Saltwater Aquarium!
When we think about toxins in a marine aquarium, the first thing that usually comes to mind is ammonia or a toxic allelopathic chemical released by a coral—in other words, a biologically produced toxin originating in the tank itself. But…
A Closer Peek at Marine Aquarium pH
One of the many important water parameters marine aquarium hobbyists must routinely monitor is pH. But what exactly is pH, what should the level be in a saltwater aquarium, what does an incorrect pH level tell us, and what’s the…