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.
Ok, I am in the middle of a self-imposed pledge…..I am not buying any corals for three months! Why am I doing this? Because it will force me to minimize the amount of time I fuss with my tank and reduce the time I have my hands in the tank, which can introduce oils from the skin and stress out both corals and fish.…
The Flame Hawkfish is one of my all time favorite fish and I have always had one in my reef tank. Their body is a striking red color and they have a black stripe going down their back. Despite their striking coloration, they do look goofy since they are not great swimmers and have these “bug” eyes that rotate independently of one another.…
I have been keeping reef tanks for 25+ years and during a good chunk of that time I tested calcium, alkalinity, nitrate, pH and salinity on a regular basis and that was about it. I hardly, if ever, tested for magnesium or phosphate and my SPS were healthy and happy.…
$500 for a frag? Well, today there are a number of frags out there fetching this price but years ago this sort of price point was not as common. An exception was the $500 Efflo.
According to reeffarmers, the original owner of this Acropora efflorescens did not want to part with the coral since it had turned a beautiful purple color under his care.…
A Butterflyfish in a reef tank? Surely you jest. You see them all the time in videos and photos of natural reefs but fish in this family are typically housed in fish only with live rock (FOWLR) tanks due to their propensity to nip at corals.…
Live rock is a great way to quickly bring a new reef tank online since it typically comes teaming with life, including beneficial nitrifying bacteria. This type of bacteria is vital and provides natural biological filtration, helping to break down organic waste from critters such as fish.…
A few weeks ago I provided an overview of the GHL KH Director and touched on some reasons why I went with that unit versus others in the marketplace. A primary factor was my positive experience with another GHL product, the Doser 2.1.…
A number of folks who own Pax Bellum ARID algae reactors have been asking for a how to video on installing a calcium reactor injection assembly, which sends excess C02 from a calcium reactor to the ARID.…
Over the many years I have been keeping reef tanks I have learned that it is critically important to have stable, rock solid parameters, especially alkalinity. Like other reefers, I had no other choice but to use a hobby grade test kit to measure alkalinity.…
Taste can very subjective when it comes to selecting eye-catching SPS corals for a reef tank. For me, I am an old school reefer and today I tend to stay away from the over-priced corals with a lot of hype and buzz.…