Articles

Figure 1. A. efflorescens captive colony Last month, I wrote about the thick, fusing branches of Acropora austera. This month, I present another thickly growing SPS, the beautiful A. efflorescens. The “efflo” as is frequently called in the aquarium trade, is a plating coral that is rare by SPS...

Introduction Nitrate is an ion that has long dogged aquarists. It is typically formed in aquaria through the digestion of foods, and in many aquaria it builds up and can be difficult to keep at natural levels. In the past, many aquarists performed water changes with nitrate reduction as one of...

The Japanese Swallowtail Angelfish A True Asian Beauty Genicanthus semifasciatus G semifasciatus male with a unique shoulder marking The Japanese Swallowtail Angelfish is a true beauty to behold. Males are gorgeous with irregular vertical bars on the upper body, mask-like yellow markings on...

How to Quarantine The purpose of this article is to present an argument for quarantining saltwater fish, and then show the reader how to setup a Quarantine Tank (QT) and discuss quarantine protocols. Why quarantine? Setting up a QT does not have to be expensive or complicated. The saying...

Building an aquarium cabinet may seem like a daunting task if you have never done so before. Just the thought of turning a pile of wood into something that looks halfway decent, while at the same time withstanding hundreds or thousands of pounds of weight pushing down on it may be enough to...

This article is obsolete. It has been replaced by the 1st revision. Cirrhilabrus, the “Fairy Wrasses”, are one of the most elegant, active, and colorful reef fish. Their appeal in a reef tank is common to many, but not all have a well-rounded understanding of the compatibility amongst them...

There is no aspect of reef aquarium chemistry more important than calcium and alkalinity. Many of my previous articles have described various aspects of these systems in detail. In reading those articles, aquarists will note one pervasive theme: that maintaining appropriate levels of each are...

Alkalinity is one of the most important measurements that a reef aquarist can make. It can become rapidly depleted in many aquaria, requiring frequent measurement in order to maintain stable levels. While hobby test kits for alkalinity can be simple to use, some aquarists find them either...

There are many different ions in seawater, and as reef aquarists we generally only test for a small number of these. Calcium, magnesium, “alkalinity”, nitrate, phosphate, and ammonia, for example, are relatively easy for hobbyists to test at home using kits. Other ions, however, are more...

By Austin Lefevre The genus Euphyllia contains some of the most spectacular and recognizable corals we’ve come to love in the marine aquarium hobby. They fall under the hobby coined term, “LPS”, or Large Polyp Stony corals. While the term LPS can shed some light on their overall care, all...

Member Tank Thread: http://www.reef2reef.com/forums/reef-aquarium-discussion/55423-tank-birthday-40-years.html I am honored that Reef 2 Reef would feature my reef this month. It is not the nicest looking reef and it does not have wall to wall corals. It's just a tank that has evolved over...

My 125g Mixed Reef Build Thread:https://www.reef2reef.com/forums/member-tanks/137575-~tjs-125g-~-building-reef~.html I'm an 'Old Salt' getting my feet wet in SW around 1979 and into my first 'Reeftank' in March of 1982 after meeting Martin Moe Jr. at a conference. Was working at a LFS in the...

[note: edited on 5/29/2022 to update the nitrate and phosphate sections with higher recommended levels.] One of the main roles of an aquarist with a coral reef aquarium is to ensure that the conditions are right for their tank inhabitants. There are many different attributes of the aquarium...

TinPanVa’s Geeked Out & Modified 29 BioCube R2R Build Thread INTRODUCTION: Howdy Fellow Reefers!! Let me just start by saying Thank You & Kudos to R2R for the spotlighting my little Nano-Reef. My name is Paul and I’ve had this BioCube up and running just over 2 years now. The...

Member Tank Thread: https://www.reef2reef.com/forums/member-tanks/122302-siptangs-72g-bow-front-tank.html Introduction: My name is Richard, and I started keeping fish since I was very young by helping my grandmother take care of her multiple small fresh water tanks. I got...

Hello to everyone! I’m Jourdan Sy from Manila, Philippines. Member Tank Thread: Jourdy's 90 Gallon Mixed Reef This is my 90-gallon tank. Background: For as long as I could remember, it was a yearly tradition for my family to go to the beach. As an avid fisherman, my dad would sometimes take...

This month’s zoa spotlight will feature the “Fruit loops” zoanthid. These tiny zoas are in almost everyone’s top 10 most wanted zoas list. They are also in most people’s top ten want, but can’t have (because they are notorious for melting away) list. I will shed some light on a common...

A few people have asked me how I make my filter socks so I figure I'd post a thread in case this can be helpful to others. All you need is a sewing machine, very basic sewing skills and about 30-45 minutes every 2 months. I buy my polyester felt from JoAnn Fabric for about $2.50/yard (usually $5...

June 2014 R2R Spotlight: GlennF https://www.reef2reef.com/forums/large-aquariums-180g/138700-glennfs-300-gallon-dsr-reef.html My name in Glenn Fong , from the Netherlands and I live in Rotterdam. All my life I have been keeping all kinds of fresh water aquariums,that was until I was...