My goal is to help hobbyists create the reef tank of their dreams. That’s it. And to do that I focus on three main areas: Cultivation, Education and Inspiration. My blog, online course, and book are the educational tools I use to share knowledge I have accumulated over the years, providing a roadmap for success.
The largest tank I have ever owned was a 225 gallon aquarium that measured 72”L x 30”W x 24”T. It seemed like a big tank and I was not gung-ho about going bigger with this new tank. A bigger tank equates to more money for the tank, equipment and livestock and I didn’t want to go overboard.…
I prefer wooden aquarium stands. Two choices exist with this material. You can go with 100% wood or you can have a wooden skin over a metal frame made of aluminum or steel.
In the past, my stands have been 100% wood and they were pricey since they were custom, furniture-quality stands.…
There is always a lot of tension building up inside me leading up to the day a large tank is moved into my house. Multiple parties are typically involved and it can be nerve racking to coordinate the move.…
I live about six hours from Coast To Coast Custom Aquariums in New Jersey so it is a long trip down and back to pick up a tank, especially when you do it in one day. But I am used to long drives and during these crazy times with COVID I did not want to take a chance and stay overnight in a hotel.…
Whenever I get the itch to start up a new tank I begin to think about where it can go in the house. I weigh the practicality of various locations and then I start to think about the type of tank possible in the location I settle on.…
I am really excited about my next three guests on Rappin’ With ReefBum! On Sunday (11/1) at 7P EST I had the pleasure of welcoming Adam Dickerson from Battlcorals. Adam is one of the most well-known coral vendors out there specializing in SPS corals.…
Is it possible to have too much coral in a reef tank? You bet. Certain SPS colonies in my 187 gallon tank have become way too happy, overtaking a lot of real estate in the aquarium. It sure looks pretty having very mature colonies but it can lead to trouble down the road.…
Today there are a few options available for keeping tabs on how a tank is doing. Perhaps the most common method is to use hobby-grade test kits like those from Salifert. For many years I used these kits to monitor key SPS parameters such as Calcium, Alkalinity, Magnesium, Phosphate and Nitrate.…
One key to keeping an eye catching SPS dominated reef is to plan ahead and think about what the reef might look like in a year or two when it matures. Do your homework and gather all the knowledge you can about the corals you are interested in adding.…
When I started out in this hobby many years ago I have to admit I was clueless when it came to properly aquascaping a SPS dominant reef tank. The wall of rock I put together with my first reef, a 90 gallon aquarium, seemed like a good idea at the time but the stacked and unstable structure led me to fiddle with it numerous times, trying my patience and upsetting the delicate balance of my reef.…