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.
There are only a few things about the reef keeping hobby I dread and one of them is moving a tank. Oh boy…..what a pain! One of my most memorable tank moves was when my wife and I left the big city lights of New York City for the leafy suburbs of Westchester, New York.…
One of my favorite corals of all time is the Acropora Lokani. This deepwater beauty has sturdy main branches that run horizontal with thin, small branches that shoot up. It is a smooth skin SPS with polyps at the end of its branches.…
When I first started keeping reef tanks 20+ years ago I dosed a two-part solution for calcium and alkalinity supplementation. I figured out what I needed to add and dumped each solution in manually at different times during the day.…
Many folks out there use DIY algae reactors for nutrient control and it can certainly be a money saving option. However, there are risks involved. Ok, full disclosure, I do sell Pax Bellum ARID algae reactors and I do use one on my 187 gallon reef tank. Â …
When I first started in this hobby many years ago I frequented a few local fish stores to pick the owners’ brains to better understand how they achieved success with their tanks. They acted like a coach, helping to guide me through any issues or problems I had with the tank, and also served as a source of inspiration.…
During all my years keeping reef tanks I have always stuck by what has worked for me and resisted change. For instance, I have had great results using metal halide lighting for my SPS dominated tanks and have resisted jumping on the LED bandwagon despite the success of others using this type of light.…
One of the great things about this hobby are the nicknames given to designer, high end Acropora. The Icefire Enchinata, ORA Pearlberry, Strawberry Shortcake, Tyree Red Dragon and Tyree Pink Lemonade are a few examples of corals with eclectic names.…
During my twenty plus years keeping reef tanks I have usually had a pair of clownfish in my display. I just love them. Not only are they colorful, but they can exhibit some really cool behavior when they host a coral and/or mate and lay eggs.…
A while ago I provided a how to guide on how to use a DSLR for Facebook Live, a tutorial specifically for Canon EOS DSLRs. Over the last few months I have learned some new things to simplify this process so I wanted to update the guide.…
I was down in Florida on vacation for a few days and I had an opportunity to visit a LFS in Orlando, Florida and cherry pick some Haitian live rock for my reef tank reboot. Â It was nothing short of the mother lode of live rock!…