Articles

No, I am not talking about Madonna! The Sunburst Anemone is much more interesting, at least more family friendly! This anemone was actually created in Colorado, not the sea! It is a strain of Ectacmaea Quadricolor, but not your every day rose. This bad boy is ORANGE! There is another anemone in...

Elos Calcium and Alkalinity Test Kits Milk and batteries? What is this stuff?! You never thought keeping corals would require a slight knowledge of chemistry, did you? Do not worry! It does not have to be as scary as your high school chemistry class. In fact, I am going to make it as easy as...

Step Away from the Tank (When is it time to quit the hobby?) Animals are a fragile link in the chain of the immense ecosystem. Most of them were here before humans. The fact of the matter is that animals are important to the well being of the planet. Even maggots play a role in cleaning up...

SLAUGHTER HOUSE FISH – Have you ever wondered why marine fish are so expensive? Unlike a cichlid, or most other freshwater fish, marine creatures live in much harder to reach areas of the world. Some live hundreds of feet below sea level which is very out of reach to the Average Joe, thus it is...

This is a general guide on how to turn an aquarium into the ultimate reef filtration. I am going to explain the planning stage, the materials, and the assembly. The tank I am using is a 75 gallon aquarium that has no cross brace, which is fairly uncommon around here. Luckily, this was traded to...

The Seneye is a line of monitors designed to make your life much easier. They come in various models to accommodate most types of aquariums and even your pond! The product that is up for review today is the Seneye Reef Monitor from Reef Radiance. Before I open the package I will first explain...

Are you into rare corals but also like preserving life in the ocean? The Merulina coral, also known as Lettuce, Cabbage, Ridge, or Ruffled Coral, may just be your ticket to preservation! Some species of Merulina coral fall within the Marine Protected Areas. Growing these corals in captivity to...

One of the least likely fish to appear in your LFS is the Dr. Seuss fish. In fact, you will not find but an extremely limited amount of information about this particular species on the internet. Scuba divers are not even lucky enough to encounter these rare creatures without exceeding dangerous...

This Article is Sponsored by @uniquecorals As you know, when I'm not stoking fellow reefers with cool corals, I get to travel around the country and talk about geeky reef topics. One of my most in-demand topics is "Nutrient Control and Export", which, in other words, is a nice way of saying...

What is the most common reason for giving up the salt water hobby? When you search through the endless listings of reef tanks for sale on Craigslist, the majority of tanks are not exactly top of the line. Someone will label “Full Blown Reef” on a tank that is nothing more than a fraction of what...

This Article is Sponsored by @uniquecorals Hi Everyone, Have you ever kept a Lobophyllia? These are great "LPS" corals with terrific color patterns and shapes that look great in reefs! If you're like a lot of reefers, you may have kept one before, and either had moderate success, or perhaps...

This Article is Sponsored by @uniquecorals As you might have noticed, we offer and sell a lot of coral frags here at Unique Corals. When you work a lot with frags, even the most dense reefer (hey, that might be me!) can pick up some priceless gems of information that can add to the body of...

By: Justin Leoni of Reef Savers Aquatic Services Introduction Having been around saltwater aquariums for most of my now almost forty years, I’ve seen many gizmos and gadgets. I’ve seen a hobby that one was only for the most advanced aquarist become affordable and available to the masses...

This is one of the strangest cephalapods in the sea. They resemble a squid or an octopus but also resemble a fish from another dimension. Another interesting fact about these invertebrates is that they are not native to the United States. The cuttlefish has been purely an import species until...

By definition a sump is a pit or hollow in which liquid collects, in particular. (Wiki). If you are new to the aquarium hobby, you may have heard the word sump before. In the aquarium hobby, and even in professional setups like those in zoos and public aquariums the use of a sump is by far the...

We are a very mobile race of beings. We have access to every square inch of the planet and even the moon. Staying in one place for your whole life just is not an option to some. Jobs call for relocation. Families grow and need space to grow. Sometimes we cut in line at the zoo, only to be put on...

We all want waves! They look great on the beach, and they look awesome in our tanks. Some of the waves people produce in aquariums are outstandingly realistic and benefit their corals ten times more than the linear flow that most affordable companies allow us to achieve. So how do we get more...

This is one amazingly hard to keep coral. If you are one of the few who have made it longer than a year than you are truly a supreme reefer. These are known as one of the hardest corals to keep alive…period. Generally these corals die within the first 6-12 months of captivity, but are still...

Live rock is often harvested from the ocean, which leaves a void in the once full reef. A few pounds is not going to effect the ecosystem, but when a few thousand people set up a few thousand gallons worth of water it starts to add up. That can easily be a few hundred thousand pounds of rock in...

Reverse Osmosis and Deionization is a standard in water purification for use in reef keeping. It allows for 100% H, 2, and O. There are tap water conditioners out there, but adding chemicals may not be for you. When you use RO/DI water you minimize the risk of nuisance algae or diatoms. You may...