Articles

Introduction: This article covers the equipment that I utilize in my current quarantine tank. I address commonly asked questions for newly cycled and existing QT setups. In addition, I touch upon the trusted medications that I keep on hand, helpful links, and trusted vendors for pre-quarantined fish. Image of my current quarantine tank that successfully housed five fish for a twelve week period. ~~~~~~~~~~~~ MY QUARANTINE EQUIPMENT OVERVIEW FOR UNDER $175 - Two (2) Fluval C Power HOB...

An RO membrane forces molecules through a semipermeable membrane (certain substances can pass through but not others) to form a less concentrated solution then you started with. The inside of the membrane looks like so: Some of the things an RO membrane can filter out are: Lead Copper Arsenic Nitrates and Nitrites Chromium Selenium Fluoride Radium Barium Cadmium TDS The filters on an RO/DI filter are called stages. The first few stages consist of prefilters that help protect the RO...

Introduction Named after the terrestrial flower, Anemone, because of their often beautiful coloration and flower-like appearance, sea anemones are predatory animals that can be a wonderful but also risky addition to an aquarium. Notoriously difficult to keep, sea anemones, which we will hereafter refer to simply as anemones, often have very specific needs that can influence your entire aquarium ecosystem if you want to keep them thriving. Taxonomy Sea anemones belong to the phylum...

For inspiration: a great macro anemone shot. The image above is from the Reef2Reef archives courtesy of @maidia ©2019, All Rights Reserved. Successful reef-keeping is very much a numbers game. Specific gravity, pH, temperature, calcium & magnesium concentrations are important to know. Light intensity should also be monitored, and all values recorded for reference purposes. This short article will examine why measuring light intensity is important, and how to do it correctly. Years ago...

A few days ago, we published an article on Choosing an LFS. After that article was published, @Mr Fishface asked if we could do a follow-up article on choosing an online vendor. Well, here it is. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ For inspiration: a beautiful mature reef tank. This photo is from the Reef2Reef archives, courtesy of @MJC ©2019, All Rights Reserved. Choosing an online LFS (or "local fish store") can be a bit more difficult than choosing a brick and mortar store near you. You can't walk...

One of the first things that new members of the forum will learn is that we generally advise new aquarists not to rely solely on what their LFS* tells them. Note: LFS is a reef acronym for "local fish store" or the store where you can buy aquarium supplies for your saltwater tank. Sometimes these stores carry more than just aquarium supplies, but that's what LFS refers to. The reason we say this is because there is such a wide range in the expertise of those working in these stores. And...

A mature reef tank for inspiration. This photo is from the Reef2Reef archives, courtesy of @Cannedfish ©2019 All Rights Reserved. Note From the Editor: This article, below, and several future ones by the same author were originally part of several presentations made to a local aquarium club. The article is reprinted with permission from the author. Reef2Reef is grateful to the author for sharing these articles with us. Today's article is Part 4. Part 5 will be available in a few days...

Note from the Editor: These profiles are only possible with the help and participation of aquarists willing to talk about their tanks and practices and answer a long stream of questions. Reef2Reef thanks @HotRocks for letting us profile him. It's always interesting for readers to get to know the staff of Reef2Reef. @HotRocks is a staff member. He is good friends with @4FordFamily, another staff member, and they live near each other. As such, they work together on many experiments with...

Tides: The Science and Spirit of the Ocean Photo is courtesy of @Seawitch ©2019, All Rights Reserved. Hardcover: 360 pages Publisher: Trinity University Press; 1st Edition edition (January 31, 2017) Language: English ISBN-10: 1595348050 ISBN-13: 978-1595348050 These are the prizes the book has won or been a finalist for. This screenshot is taken from the book author's website: You're going to love this book. If you have any interest in ocean tides and how they work, you want to read...

Part 3 (You can read the previous articles here: Part 1 & Part 2) So we left off in the last discussion having talked about time and money which leaves us with these two questions about your goals and knowledge. 1. Just what do you want from this hobby and is it a realistic goal? Just a tank to look at? To grow and sell corals? To get involved in building or selling equipment? To expand your base of contacts and get involved in helping your local club? 2. How much do you know about the...