Always buy the biggest set-up you can afford. The term set-up, and not tank is mentioned because a large tank will need a large filter, large heater and adequate lighting, so make sure that you can afford not only the initial purchase price but also equipment costs and the costs of power to run it.
If an aquarist desires to have a captive reef in their aquarium, it is essential that they try to include all levels of a normal ecosystem. Our little reefs are really small artificial ecosystems and to avoid problems, all the components and functional parts of a normal ecosystem need to present. While ecosystems may be immense, they also may be miniscule; a small puddle can be, and has been, considered to be an ecosystem. So, it makes some sense for an aquarium to be thought of in this manner.
A lot has been written about reef aquariums and their cycling process, starting with “cured” live rock, how much live rock to purchase because it is needed in the tank, and what kind you should get. These methods certainly work and lead to tanks that will, in the long run, do just fine and will allow you to maintain corals and fishes using any one of the filtration methods now in vogue (trickle filter, Berlin, Live sand, plus combinations of any of these which, I find through personal communications with them, many, many hobbyists nowadays do). (more…)
We are in Love. We found this amazing hack which you can configure to display your tank status on a website of your choosing. Basically there is some things you need to learn but the link provided walks you thru all the steps. Seems easy enough, sure beats buying a $700 controller.
Bristle worms can be, and usually, are a real problem for reef hobbyists. Indeed, they create havoc in the aquarium, especially when they grow to larger sizes. Bristle worms grow quickly! Real quickly! They feed on anything they can find in the tank and grow to sizes that amaze most hobbyists. This process does not take long either.
It’s the holiday weekend, and while most of you are enjoying your holiday weekend have you thought about a backup plan for your saltwater aquarium? I mean for example that if you go on vacation who is going to watch it? What if they electricity goes out? Is someone going to take care of your saltwater aquarium while your gone?
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One key to having success in the marine aquarium hobby is stability within the aquarium, including a stable temperature. There are many factors that can cause temperature changes in the tank and just as many ways to help control these. This article will address the three major contributors that cause the heating of the water in your aquarium and then discuss some options for cooling the aquarium itself.
Mike Paletta is the author of The New Marine Aquarium and Ultimate Marine Aquariums. He has been in the hobby for over 15 years and has written numerous articles for Aquarium Fish Magazine, Tropical Fish Hobbyist and Aquarium Frontiers.
After trying just about every method for doing this out there really are two simple answers: reduce your bioload and feeding or give up on eliminating algae and learn to control it. While there are still some hobbyists out there that feel that having algae within the confines of their display tank is a good idea, this is now more of the exception than the rule. Not only is algae unsightly, but it also increases the amount of time that needs to be spent in managing the tank and if left unchecked it can reduce the health of the animals present. In the best-case scenario, it will leach yellowing compounds into the display tank; in the worst case it will overgrow and suffocate the corals or damage corals by having the holdfasts burrow through soft tissue or smother the polyps on stony corals. Regardless of which technology or methodology is used, this problem is still the most frequently encountered in the hobby. It does not matter if algae only cover the live rock or produce a quick film on the front glass it is still a problem. For a reef tank or any saltwater tank to be successful the quantity of algae must be kept to a bare minimum otherwise the tank’s other inhabitant’s will suffer. This does not apply only to microalgae, but also about the so-called desirable types of algae such as Caulerpa and Halimeda. The only algae that is considered desirable is coralline, and that is primarily because it prevents or retards the growth of these other less desirable types. Many of the unwanted types of algae that enter our tanks do so as unwanted stowaways on the live rock and corals that we add to our tanks or even as spores in the air. It is impossible to prevent algae from being introduced into our tanks, but it is possible to keep the algae from overgrowing our tanks.
There is more then one way to skin a cat. In the reef keeping hobby this adage is axiomatic. Given that every single tank is slightly different from any other in methodology used, in how each develops biologically, chemically, and physically, that adage is an extreme understatement. There are general groups of methodologies and philosophies that hobbyists do follow, however, and these can be used to categorize the ‘type’ of aquarium they strive to keep. One of these groupings deals with the type of substrate arrangement hobbyists use in their systems, and there are 3 main categories or methods. Each method is designed to accomplish, or not, what the aquarium keeping community indicates they can, or cannot do best based both on scientific knowledge and anecdotal experience.
Often a new arrival will not eat within the first 48 hours of receipt. Normally, your fish will resume eating when it has adjusted to its new surroundings and is once again comfortable. But occasionally you will come across a specimen that is stubborn and will refuse to eat, although otherwise healthy. Why then, is it not eating? The three most common causes are stress, parasites, and constipation.
The most time consuming and least pleasurable task that needs to be done is a water change. There has been much debate as to whether water changes are necessary or not, as well as how often and how much should be changed. After much discussion, the general consensus is that doing regular water changes is crucial to the long-term success of every reef tank. It allows for detritus (and other large pieces of material) and undesirable compounds to be removed from the tank. It is important to do regular water changes because, despite advances in filtration methods, harmful compounds still tend to accumulate in a tank over time. Removing them in bulk during a water change puts less pressure on the live rock and filtration system to break them down. As a result, nitrate and phosphate should not accumulate as quickly.
Although a miniature reef does not have a lot of room, you can still add a sufficient number of living creatures that will put the finishing touches in this underwater habitat. In setting up a saltwater reef tank it was important to buy the proper equipment and stabilize the salinity level before adding live rock and sand.
I’ve had this Aiptasia anemone in my tank for a little over a month now. It has been bugging me to remove him from the tank, afraid that he might grow a few friends to go in other parts of the tank, etc. So I decided that it was time for him to go. This guide will walk you through on how to remove a Aiptasia Anemone from your tank.
So currently in my tank I have quite a lot of bubble algae, and the bubbles keep popping releasing there spores into the tank to grow more. I am getting sick of it so I bought some professional grade needle syringes to suck out all the spores filled bubbles. This is a great way to get rid of bubble algae. The total cost of the syringes was about $40, I got 100 in the box, not that I will ever need that many. I started to poke the algae bubbles last night, I did 3 and already it filled one syringe (3CC) full of bubble spores. The actual liquid inside the bubble algae looks greenish brown and smells like algae. Now I must note that the easiest way to get rid of bubble algae is when you first see it in your tank, and removing your phosphates. If you have done all that using the syringe method is a great way to knock it out!
Here is an advanced reef keeping guide. It covers in a lot more detail that my guide did. If you are a book worm, you’ll like this guide. Enjoy! You can view it here.
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