General Saltwater Aquarium

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...

Note from the Editor: These profiles are only possible with the help and participation of aquarists willing to talk about their tanks and practices and answer a long stream of questions. Reef2Reef thanks @4FordFamily for letting us profile him. It's always interesting for readers to get to...

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...

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...

Reef aquarists frequently talk about copepods. They are generally viewed as a positive thing for a saltwater tank, and they are an important food source for many fish, most notably the mandarin fish, seahorses and some crabs. Today we'll take a deep dive into the world of copepods, no pun...

This article is my attempt to make considering getting into a saltwater marine aquarium as clear as possible, and then to try and explain what you’ll need to know to make it all work. Make no mistake, the saltwater aquarium hobby can be an expensive, annoying, time-consuming and frustrating...

In November of 2018, we published an article on some of the initial questions that aquarists ask before starting a saltwater tank. In case you're one of those people still hesitating about whether you want to have a reef tank, here we're going to try to explain some of the major differences...

This is a young (1 month) and handsome 13.5-gallon reef tank. Photo is from the Reef2Reef archives courtesy of @Robg139 ©2019, All Rights Reserved. Introduction This article has been a long time coming. This question is one that is frequently asked to search engines. What do you need to...

This week's Profile of a Reef Aquarist (#7) introduces you to @Bob Weigant, a resourceful and pragmatic gentleman, who believes in making the most of what you have and making good use of your resources, whatever they may be. Bob has almost 25 years of reef experience. The 200G. Photo is...

Note from the Editor: Not long ago, I asked on the forum for funny or crazy stories related to their reef aquarium. Below is a compilation of the posts received so far in the thread. Some will make you laugh and some will make you grimace, but they're all true. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ @SDK: I...

So, let's continue on with our discussion of plastics for the reef aquarium, Part 3. Moving along down our list in the table, the next ones are the polyethylenes. Table courtesy of @Seawitch, ©2019, All Rights Reserved. PE: polyethylene PET: polyethylene terephthalate PEX: cross-linked...

Lego, made of ABS, Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene. Yes, @Brew12, you can have Lego in your reef tank. This is a royalty-free image from by MW from Pixabay. Welcome to Part 2 of Plastic for the Reef Aquarium. In Part 1, we covered some background on plastic, why plastic is of interest to reef...

Introduction At the beginning of January, 2019, I wrote an article about glass. Shortly after that, I was asked to write an article about plastic. This is the result. The article below is organized in a similar way as the glass article. Plastic is of interest to reef aquarists because we use...

We have in our midst a reef aquarist who has had aquariums for the past 40 years and saltwater aquariums for 30 years. That's an enormous amount of reef experience by any measure. He also does things a little differently than some of the others profiled recently. This gentleman in the southern...

When you're starting a reef tank, it can take a long time before your tank starts to look like something you can be proud of. It takes patience and perseverance. We always say, "nothing good happens fast in a reef tank." Recently I visited a big LFS in Vancouver, BC, that had a nice display...

This is a royalty-free photo covered by Creative Commons License CCO. Sperm whales or cachalots Physeter macrocephalus are world’s largest toothed mammals, and they have the largest brains of any living things. They belong to the cetacean group of mammals along with dolphins and whales. Sperm...

Note from the Editor: Starting a saltwater aquarium can be frustrating. There is a lot to learn, a steep learning curve, and many learn what they need to know after they needed to know it. Many experienced reefers look back on the days when they first started and shake their heads. There is so...

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...

The author's dog-eared copy of Moe's book. Photo courtesy of @Seawitch, ©2019, All Rights Reserved. The Marine Aquarium Handbook: Beginner to Breeder by Martin A. Moe, Jr. Paperback: 352 pages Publisher: TFH Publications, Inc.; Revised, Expanded edition (September 1, 2009) Language: English...