Articles

Part 2 and the conclusion of Decisions, Decisions, Decisions. (You can read the first article in this series here: Part 1) Money So just how much do you think a saltwater aquarium is going to cost? When I first started I bought a used 30g tank and stand for $35 at a garage sale in my neighborhood and in a few months had invested over $1500 just getting hardware and sand and rocks! Hang on now, don’t jump ship yet. Read on and find out why I spent so much on relatively small tank. First, I...

Hello all and welcome to another DIY penny-pinching project from yours truly.. Up today. A DIY ATO reservoir and DIY easy-refill solution for all of you out there that DON'T have in-line auto refill systems and emergency shut-offs. I have broken the steps down a little better for this build for those who may be trying a DIY for the first time and wish to replicate it. I must say that there are ENDLESS ways to modify, change, or revamp this idea. I don't know if anyone has already done...

Part 1 So we left off in the last section (HERE) by asking these questions. So where should you start? The very first issues you need to consider are: 1. How much of your time are you willing to commit to keeping a marine aquarium? 2. How much money are you willing to spend, both up front to set the system up and over a year in upkeep? 3. Just what do you want from this hobby, and is it a realistic goal? Just a tank to look at? Just fish? Just fish and corals? To grow and sell corals? To...

Reef aquarists frequently talk about copepods. They are generally viewed as a positive thing for a saltwater tank, and they are an important food source for many fish, most notably the mandarin fish, seahorses and some crabs. Today we'll take a deep dive into the world of copepods, no pun intended. Male tigger pod, a euryhaline and eurythermal copepod. This photo is from the Reef2Reef archives courtesy of @Reef Nutrition ©2019, All Rights Reserved. What are copepods? Copepods are tiny...

This article is my attempt to make considering getting into a saltwater marine aquarium as clear as possible, and then to try and explain what you’ll need to know to make it all work. Make no mistake, the saltwater aquarium hobby can be an expensive, annoying, time-consuming and frustrating addiction. And my best guess is that for every 10 people who start getting into the hobby, after 2 years 50% of them, or more, have given it up. Why? I think it’s because it takes a commitment of time...

I have long cited a calcium reactor (CaRx) as THE piece of equipment that got me over the hump with SPS. That was back in 1997, and the reactor was a Marine Technical Concepts ProCal. Those who may be familiar with my posts know I am an unabashed fan of MTC gear; and have used their stuff successfully and reliably for over 25 years. Times change, and while my enthusiasm for their gear remains undiminished, the actual company is now retired. I've had them build modifications for me over the...

In November of 2018, we published an article on some of the initial questions that aquarists ask before starting a saltwater tank. In case you're one of those people still hesitating about whether you want to have a reef tank, here we're going to try to explain some of the major differences between freshwater and saltwater aquariums. A 93-gallon cube reef tank. This photo is from the Reef2Reef archives, courtesy of @vetteguy53081 ©2019, All Rights Reserved. Equipment This is a list that...