Skimmers are the most common filtration devices available for saltwater aquariums today. It uses a method called foam fractioning to clean the water. Per Wikipedia - Foam fractionation is a chemical process in which hydrophobic molecules are preferentially separated...
Water Chemistry (The Big 3) Tier 3 of Water Parameters includes the major elements: alkalinity, calcium, and magnesium. These are referred to as the "Big 3" since stony corals in a reef aquarium need these elements to grow. In a closed environment, these elements...
The Tier 1 article introduced that there are various levels of water parameters the saltwater aquarium hobbyist must understand. Depending on the goal of the system and the livestock you are trying to maintain, certain parameters will have varying weights of...
I asked LFS owners in my area what they thought was the most primary concept beginners had a hard time grasping. The initial response was understanding the different tiers of water parameters and the correct responses to maintain them. It is true that half of our...
In many of my prior articles I always brought up the "6 P's - Prior Proper Planning Prevents Poor Performance". In reality this mentality can be applied to everything in life. With regards to our beloved hobby the planning process involves many aspects as well. Many...
I know this may not be a saltwater or reef related product but we are all aquarists first. Freshwater aquariums have been been the founding spark that brought many of us into the hobby, ever since the hobby started. Today, the only freshwater aquarium I have is a...
Preface:Â This Reef Mentoring article series is to document my recommendations to a hobbyist I have been mentoring. I am basically building a reef tank with his setup in my house and maintaining it for a year with weekly hands-on sessions. We have reached the 10 month...
Many new hobbyists have a hard time identifying the stony corals that they see at their local fish stores. Knowing that, I wanted to re-introduce a great reference document sponsored by the United Kingdom government and published November 2022. This guide is titled...
There are many coral food products available these days, and I believe corals benefit greatly from feeding in an closed environment like our reef tanks. Find a product that is compatible with your system filtration capacity and meets the livestock feeding...