Aquatic Invasive Species
Jay Hemdal
Introduction –
Humans have moved plants and animals knowingly (and unknowingly) from one location on Earth to another for tens of thousands of years. The argument can be made that there has never been a translocation of a species that did not in some way, do some harm to the environment that it was introduced to. The magnitude of this harm varies greatly; from a single carp added to small pond that might eat some native aquatic vegetation to the...
R2R Username: @JGT
My Tank Thread: My 240, My 240/Basement Fish Room, My 240/Basement Fish Room/built into a full wall bookcase and focal point of house addition.
Hi everyone, my name is John or better known as JGT on R2R and I’ve been keeping fish/corals on and off for over 40 years. As a boy, I had freshwater water tanks and as I got older, I migrated to saltwater. My initial foray into saltwater was back in the early 1990’s. Got myself a 135 gallon, stand, wet/dry filter with bioballs...
How a Two Part Alkalinity and Calcium System Works, and Why it Matters
By Randy Holmes-Farley
This article is intended to help aquarists understand some of the important differences between the great variety of two and three part alkalinity and calcium dosing systems presently available, including commercial, DIY, and hybrids. It goes into detail about how such products are designed and what those design choices mean to a user.
While this article is not intended to be intensely technical...
Reef Aquarium Salinity: DIY Calibration Standards
By Randy Holmes-Farley
One of the most important issues facing marine aquarists is providing a suitable environment for their aquaria's inhabitants. Among the important properties for a marine environment's suitability is the water's salinity level. Water that is either too saline or not saline enough can be stressful or lethal to many organisms. Deciding what salinity level to maintain in a reef aquarium can be a complicated task...
Image: Full Tank Shot with Background on
R2R Username: @Epic Aquaculture
My Tank Thread: Miracles Do Happen! Bill's (Sawcjack00/Epic Aquaculture) 460 Gallon Custom Miracles Aquarium Build!
Image: Left angle view (Colorado Sunburst Tank is visible to the right of the fish room door)
My name is Bill Bramucci. I used to go by Sawcjack00 here, but since becoming a sponsor on R2R I now go by my company name of Epic Aquaculture. It is truly an honor to have my little slice of the ocean...
When Do Calcium and Alkalinity Demand Not Exactly Balance?
By Randy Holmes-Farley
Calcium and alkalinity are generally supplied to reef aquaria in order to offset losses caused by the formation of calcium carbonate. There are many ways to replace these loses, and every method has its own pros and cons. While the purpose of this article is not to detail these methods, there is one important aspect of the consumption of alkalinity and calcium that has a strong bearing on the way such...
R2R Username: @maramotreef
Introduction:
My name is Maisie and I have been in the hobby for 3 years. I have always loved the ocean and every time we go on vacation, especially in the Philippines, we always have to stay on a few islands. My wife and I started with a small fresh water tank that we bought at PETCO along with a fighting fish, but the fish didn’t last long. Fast forward when I saw saltwater tanks, I asked my wife if can do a saltwater aquarium and she said NO. Why? Because...
In a previous article I discussed my thoughts on trace elements
https://www.reef2reef.com/ams/randys-thoughts-on-trace-elements.951/
This article expands on that discussion by providing specific guidance for all elements one might dose.
First, some explanation.
I have listed many elements as not recommended to dose based on the lack of evidence of a requirement in ANY known organism. These are shown in a lavender color on the table below. I see no rationale to dose these, despite...
Since this topic comes up over and over, I thought I give a summary of my current general thoughts on trace elements for reef aquariums.
1. First, a standard definition. Trace elements are those elements in seawater at very low concentration. It does not include the major ions of seawater: calcium, magnesium, alkalinity (carbonate and bicarbonate), sulfate, potassium, bromide, borate, strontium or fluoride, despite the fact that many commercial trace element supplements may contain some...
R2R Username: @Andre_Takahashi
Tank Thread: Takahashi’s in wall tank
Introduction:
First I would like to thank Reef2Reef staff for choosing my tank to be featured here. It was always a dream of mine as a reef aquarist to achieve ROTM status and to be among the best aquarists in the world. I’m feeling like a winner of the IAPLC planted tank contest right now.
My name is Andre Takahashi from Brazil. I’m 37 years old and been reefing since I was 17, so 20 years in the hobby. I’ve been...
