When I first started keeping SPS (small polyped stony) corals, I had done my research. Well, I thought I had, but as it turns out there is always more to learn and SPS corals are not all that forgiving when it comes to learning. It is for this very reason that most reputable retailers will advise that SPS corals are not for the beginning reef keeper. That’s good advice – corals can be expensive and SPS corals in particular can command some high prices. I don’t know too many reef hobbyists...
Do you know that feeling? That feeling when you know something bad is happening in your tank and you don’t know what to do about it? That panic deep in your gut that says “ACTION! You must do something about this NOW!” We’ve all had that feeling at least once. The fear of losing $1000 or more of fish and coral because you didn’t act on a problem fast enough is a real one. The problem here is that nothing good in this hobby happens fast. This is a saying we have all heard and it’s true. So...
Salinity is one of the most important parameters measured in reef aquaria. It controls not only the salt balance between an organism and its surrounding environment, but also the levels of a host of ions in seawater that aquarists neither measure nor control independently. Consequently, aquarists must monitor salinity to ensure that organisms are not stressed by moving between aquaria of potentially different salinity, and that the salinity of the aquarium itself is controlled within ranges...
The Pearlberry is one of those corals that most people look at and think “It’s soooo beautiful – I’m going to try my hand at keeping SPS!” For sure, this is an inspiring coral – it is one of the most spectacular corals in our system, and we sure do love to stare at it. But as most SPS keepers know, the decision to move to the dark side and start keeping the “colored sticks” is not one to be taken lightly. SPS corals can be very demanding and frustrating; even with high-quality water...
You have a lot of options now-a-days when it comes to plumbing an aquarium and that can make the task a bit overwhelming. There are quite a few different solvents, glues, primers, fittings, piping, and sealants all with their own particular purpose. To complicate that a little more each one has its advantages and disadvantages for applications in our aquarium builds. In this article, we will attempt cover some of the different types of plumbing needs you will face, as well as the tips and...
I don’t know about you, but I’ve always been curious about how some zoas get their names. There’s almost an art to picking one with a good ring to it. Trying to have the name, the pattern, the colors of the zoa collide and become something special. Utter Chaos, Flaming Mohican, Krakatoa. I can’t say for sure on the previous mentioned polyps (actually I can on the Krakatoa, but that’s another story), but I was involved in the naming of one particular polyp, and it goes a little somethin’...
The reef aquarium hobby is not for the faint of heart. Maintaining a complex ecosystem can be a daunting task with many variables in play that all have effect on one another. However, beyond the effort to maintain the ecosystem and address common day-to-day issues, there are catastrophic situations which can place the entire place the life in the reef tank in great peril. Many of these “Tank Terrors” can strike literally overnight leaving a trail of rapid death in their wake. In this...
Elite Aquatic’s Acclimation Box
Acclimation boxes are an essential tool for adding new fish to an existing tank, but a tool which is often overlooked or disregarded. I was once a skeptic myself, and I have a feeling many reading this are far from convinced. After all, how could this little clear box do much of anything? Let’s find out!
The general idea here is to place the acclimation box into the tank, and then place the new fish into the box. One or two PVC pieces in the box provide...
For many aquarists, pH is not something that they have much experience with aside from their aquarium. For many, pH is almost a black box measurement: something to be considered, but whose physical meaning makes little sense to them. This article will describe pH in an intuitive way (as opposed to a more rigorous, mathematical way that I have used in previous articles). While plenty of chemical mathematics can be used to determine some of the interrelationships between various water...
How about a complete reversal of nearly all of the preconceived essential rules to keeping our sps healthy? Now this really isn’t so new a concept, as I’ve been having this conversation with many of you over the years. In fact, so many that I felt it was finally time to just lay this one on the table for all to see.
So here it is:
YOUR SMALL POLYPED SCLERACTINIANS NEED NUTRIENTS!!! In fact, they need them so much, that I believe a well stocked reef full of SPS will act as its own...
