I was first introduced to the Triton method a while back, while it was still gaining traction in Europe. As a reef aquarist with a knowledge of natural reef ecosystems, I’ve always felt there was something fundamentally wrong with our approach to reef aquariums....
Reef keeping is an imperfect science. In many cases, it’s not science at all. When an un-informed person enters an aquarium store and decides they want a home reef, any number of things can happen. Even intermediate aquarists often have a finite understanding of the...
A few years back, I visited the island of Bonaire, in the Dutch Caribbean. The island serves as an example of what can happen, when conservation takes the forefront, and is used as an engine of economic development. In 1976 the late Captain Don, (proprietor of Captain...
We all want healthy fish, and we don’t want to have to take out a second mortgage to get them. Often, I talk with aquarists who are wondering, what is the deal? Sometimes, it seems like pulling teeth, to get parasite free, healthy marine fish, at a fair cost. Most...
I’ve been a loyal customer of Pacific East Aquaculture for many years. In 2012 I traveled there, and covered Dr. Mac’s store, and history in the hobby for Tropical Fish Hobbyist Magazine. They are Maryland’s only certified aquaculture facility, which specializes in a...
The Kessil A360 light is one of my personal favorites, and my weapon of choice for growing SPS and LPS corals. One issue that many aquarists have noted, is that the Kessil lights didn’t include any controller. Yes, they could be hooked up to the Neptune Aquatics Apex,...
The reality of keeping marine fish, is that external parasites come in a variety of shapes and sizes, and all of them can be severe. Marine ich (Cryptocaryon irritans) is the most common external parasite aquarists will encounter. The problem, is that many parasites...
Protein skimmers, are in my opinion, the heartbeat of a reef aquarium’s filtration system. Some would disagree, and beautiful, skimmer-less reefs certainly do exist. Any device that remove solid waste, before bacteria begins breaking it down, is of value in a reef...
Hailing from the waters of French-Polynesia, this two faced maxima clam comes from the remote Austral Islands. Believe it or not, the genetic mismatch that causes this dual colored mantle to occur, only happens once in 2 million clams. So do you want an uber rare...
When NOAA released its plans to add 20 coral species to the list of threatened species, the reef aquarium hobby took a hit. Not only does it mean our right to keep those 20 species, (many of which are popular aquarium corals) will be under the microscope, it adds...