On a “Black Friday” visit to Old Town Aquarium (so as to avoid having to shop with family on Michigan Ave…), I scoured over the tanks for something interesting and, not seeing anything that I had to have in the saltwater department, ended up purchasing a grip of neon tetra and a few plants for [...]
December 1, 2009
I’ve been using Reef Crystals aquarium salt for years now, and used the last of the bucket to fill up and cycle the Elos Mini. I thought it might be interesting to use a new salt mix. With the sheer selection of reef salts out there, it can be a pretty confusing choice. The aquarium [...]
November 23, 2009
No matter how much forethought goes into the planning of an aquarium, any seasoned reefer knows that Murphy is never on our side. Whether it’s designing the system to avoid a sump overflow, writing controller code to prevent failing heaters from cooking the tank, or quarantining new arrivals to keep unwanted intruders at bay, there’s [...]
November 13, 2009
After a number of months, I’ve landed back in the hobby. Not that I ever left, but a gorgeous summer combined with a move that resulted in the loss of a number of stony corals took a bit of a toll on my enthusiasm and motivation to get a new tank set up right away. [...]
June 8, 2009
The relationship between the seasons and the attention my reef tank gets seems to be quite linear! I think the vernal equinox marks halfway on the downward slope, with it bottoming out around mid-August. I know I’m not the only one who takes a little break, as noted by Fragd.it & predicted by GBD in [...]
April 23, 2009
Came across a thread on Reef Central some time ago and just checked back today in the Clownfish & Anemone forums. Many of you are familiar with Dr. Sanjay Joshi, especially his work with aquarium lighting. If for some reason you’re not, shame on you! As he posted in January, his pair of clownfish decided [...]
April 21, 2009
As Earth Day rolls around, I wonder, is there such a thing as “green” reefing? I imagine reef keeping may be the epitome of the opposite of “green”… There are, however, a few steps I have been, slowly but surely, taking over the past few years to reduce the energy my aquarium requires. They may [...]
April 15, 2009
The ocean. I hope that the knack many Japanese have for keeping reef aquaria hints at possible outcomes for this coral transplant project… “We have been replanting forests for 4,000 years, but we are only just now learning how to revive a coral reef,” said Mineo Okamoto, a marine biologist at Tokyo University of Marine Science [...]
April 14, 2009
Took a trip down to Siesta Key FL last week and got up early each morning to take a walk on the beach and wade around looking for critters or shells or whatever before the other tourists ravaged the areas. The beaches were pretty bare most days, just shells that would wash up. One morning, [...]
April 8, 2009
Got an email from Victor at ATB this week along with a tracking number from a shipper. Looks like my ATB multi-use should be waiting for me the day I return from vacation… sweet… Wish there was a printer here – the manual would be good reading material for the beach… <2 days later> Back from some [...]
March 27, 2009
So, you got a LM3 – great choice! Automating certain tasks in your daily aquarium maintenance routine can be a very relieving experience – Two-part dosing is no exception. Not only can you relax a bit, but it is a great benefit to the health of your tank inhabitants – your stony corals will love [...]
March 22, 2009
You don't need to be the adventuring type or dedicate your life to discovery to have a new species named after you - just have an Ebay account. The Australian Marine Conservation Society put an auction up on Ebay in which the winning bidder will get the right to name a new species of Lebbeus shrimp discovered only recently in the deep seas of southwest Australia. Hey, naming rights are sold all the time - why not? All proceeds go to saving the oceans, and, though welcome to bid, no corporate names are allowed - great in my opinion - the last thing we need is Lebbeus verizonwirelis.
December 11, 2009