by xeniaforever | Nov 22, 2016 | DIY, Home Decor
Mmm, Thanksgiving, a day of food, food, and more food. While most of us have our traditional menu down pat (for us, it’s turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy, cranberry sauce, roasted veggies, and pie), the holiday can be a good time to try out something... by ReefBum | Aug 12, 2016 | DIY, Equipment, Opinion, Reef, Science
It has been nearly a year since I reviewed my Royal Exclusiv Dreambox and I wanted to provide an updated review to pass along some new insights and observations.  I had been using my Dreambox for about a month and a half when I did the first review so at that point my system was brand new. As a reminder, the sump is 74 US gallons and measures 59″L x 23-1/2″W x 13-3/4″T. Along with the sump I purchased a Bubble King Double Cone 250 skimmer, which included a RD3 Speedy pump, two Red Dragon 3 Speedy return pumps and two Royal Exclusiv Media Reactors, one with a 2L capacity and the other with a 5L capacity. My overall impression of the sump has not changed. You get what you by Saltwater Smarts | May 22, 2016 | Corals, DIY, Fish, Opinion, Reef, Science, Tanks
Kauai, Hawaii coastline taken during a helicopter tourI have been lucky in my life to have had the opportunity to dive in some of the prettiest and most diverse underwater habitats on earth. Without exception, the nicest dive sites are far from civilization, which stands to reason. But today I want to talk about the places that are in trouble biologically speaking. The outer Hawaiian IslandsLast year, I went to some of the outer Hawaiian Islands for a nice vacation and, of course, to dive. My wife and I went to Hawaii on our wedding anniversary 44 years ago, and I dove then too, so I had an opportunity to assess the place decades later. The diving then was good, plenty of varied life with a smattering of sharks. by ReefBum | May 21, 2016 | DIY, Equipment, Reef, Science, Tanks
There are a lot of variables that can impact the health of a reef tank and temperature is something that should be watched carefully during the warm summer months. A chiller is the best way to keep things cool but they are high ticket items. Budget conscious reef keepers do have options such as using a fan across the top of the tank to promote evaporation, which cools the water. This is exactly what I did when I first entered the hobby fresh out of college with minimal coin. The fans certainly worked but I needed more punch and pondered other cheap alternatives. I came up with what I thought was a bright idea at the time…..find an old water cooler and turn it into a by Marcin Smok | May 10, 2016 | Corals, DIY, Equipment, Eye Candy, Fish, Funny, Opinion, Photography, Reef, Tanks, Too Cute
All images by author It seems that everyone and everything on Earth follows the same principle- to survive, evolve, and finally morph into something better, more sophisticated, far superior. A cloud of galactic dust that aligned, through a nearly-impossible... by Austin Lefevre | Feb 13, 2016 | DIY, Equipment, Industry, Science
At one point or another all reef keepers have dreamt of this device. A constant alkalinity controller that keeps carbonate hardness (KH) rock solid. David Cheng made this dream a reality by building his own...
