Note from the Editor:
This article, Part 1 of which appears today, was originally published in Marine Fish Monthly some years ago. It is published again here with permission from the author. While some of it may feel dated, the article is as interesting now as it was then. The photos herein are also courtesy of the author and published here with his permission.
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When I see coral reefs on television, I notice that there is an altogether different look than I have...
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...
Introduction
Below you will find a companion article to our recent one on snails for the reef aquarium. This one is on crabs, and it is, by no means, an exhaustive treatment of the subject, but rather an introduction to the ones most commonly found in the marine aquarium trade and ones you may have heard of.
What scientists call "true" crabs are decapod crustaceans belonging to the infraorder called Brachyura. Decapod means literally "10 feet," however, decapod crustaceans can have many...
Snails can be a very useful part of a reef tank, consuming algae, detritus and harmful microfauna that can make life difficult for your corals and fish. In a sense they act as a janitorial service for your tank, which is probably why teams of snails and other scavenging organisms are called the Cleanup Crew (CUC). However when janitors and cleaners are hired for a building you usually don’t need to worry about whether they’ll eat each other or the furniture once they’ve run out of lunch...
Note from the Editor:
Keeping your tank clean is important for a saltwater system. It's not just important for the livestock, but it's also important for your viewing pleasure. We want you to feel happy when you look at your tank, not dread because the tank is dirty.
What may feel overwhelming for the beginner is much more manageable when you break it up into smaller tasks. So, the author of this article, Robert Woods, has done just that.
Photos included here are from the Reef2Reef...
