When a fish, snail, crab, copepod, shrimp, or coral eats what happens? They poop! When poop is submersed in water it dissolves and becomes detritus, or waste powder. Detritus causes ugly rocks, sand, and feeds bacteria and algae. We do not want this. We want crystal clear water, bright purple rocks, and sand that is so white it blinds the neighbors across the road.
So what do I need to do to make sure this is how my tank looks? First of all you need to know what your goal is. Are you...
Photo via Gary L. Parr at Reef2Reef.com
Believe it or not, there is a group of corals that does not use Photosynthesis as its main means of energy production, but these corals care requirements should not be left in the dark. Some of these corals can require more food than your cat! Some hobbyists have designed systems with oversized filtration and automated feeders that constantly blast their corals with food. Automated water changes of large quantities are also a common design, for these...
@joshporksandwic 125g Zoa Dominated Tank
Zoanthids are one of the most diverse species of coral we see. They come in an infinite array of colors and color morphs. They are mostly compatible with each other, allowing multiple colors in one colony, sometimes even creating new colors. The zoanthid family is very broad and is found in every reef in the sea, so growth rates, lighting, and flow will be a game of trial and error. Luckily, most of the assorted Zoas we find are grown and propagated...
Periclimenes imperator (Emperor shrimp) on Bohadschia argus (Sea cucumber) via http://en.wikipedia.org
One of the coolest thing about this hobby is its diversity in tank inhabitants. This is sadly its biggest problem as well. Due the the immense diversity, we have so many animals to choose from that we cannot know every fact about them all, which leads to purchasing something that may either kill everything or be killed. A great example of this is the Emperor’s Shrimp. These are very...
One of the hardest concepts to grasp is Lighting. It is also one of the most controversial topics brought up when talking to owners of pet stores and even veteran reefers. Try telling someone with 10 year old corals raised by fluorescent lighting that they need to upgrade to LED and they will say otherwise. This is not wrong if they are successful with their corals but why not upgrade when there are so many benefits? Sometimes it is just because they have not learned much about them.
Types...
Have you been having algae problems in your display tank? Do you feed your fish as much as you would eat? Are you sick and tired of struggling to keep your sand clean? Do you want me to stop asking you questions because the answer is “Yes?” The problems you are experiencing are centered around the import/export of nutrients, and at least one great solution to exporting nutrients lies within the mangled screen of what has been called the Algae Turf Scrubber.
An Algae Turf Scrubber, or ATS...
When you go to the beach and “sea” foam, pun intended, you will also smell a very familiar odor. The ocean is a gigantic system of natural filtration and chemical dosing. Today we will focus on the filtration factor. Protein Skimming!
First off, what on Earth is protein skimming and why do we need to utilize these devices? A protein skimmer uses nothing but air bubbles and water to extract Dissolved Organic Compounds, or DOCs, not to be confused with Department of Corrections. The protein...
REEF SPOTLIGHT - April 2013
The Reef Aquarium of:
Pedro Gomes A.K.A. "PmRg"
You can also check out Pedro’s tank build here on R2R:
https://www.reef2reef.com/forums/member-tanks/95851-island-reef.html
Introduction
I would like to start by thanking Reef2Reef for picking my tank for this spotlight. I’m very glad that Reef2Reef is the first forum featuring my “Island Reef” in the United States.
My name is Pedro and I’m a 25 year old international student, currently studying at Kingston...
Being a artist for fun and profession, I see things different than most people. I decided to create a article about composition, balance, color, and depth within your reef aquarium. I really hope this can help some of you out to create your dream looking reef that is pictured in your head. Once you have your tank in front of you with your rock, most people tend to blank out and just throw the aquascape together with little to no thought. When you search through the internet looking at the...
Oulophyllia, although available in the hobby trade, is quite often mislabeled due to its resemblance to other types of Brain corals and may therefore not be offered for sale under its proper name. Due to its overall difference in shape though identification should not be all that difficult, but because it is not a widely available one many wholesalers and stores may not research its correct ID and just sell it as a Brain Coral without giving a scientific name to the coral.
It is a large...
