by Saltwater Smarts | Oct 5, 2015 | DIY, Fish, Science
What do supermodels, the Vietnam War, and the right front fender of a 1955 Oldsmobile have to do with marine aquariums? Absolutely nothing—that is, of course, unless you’re hobby pioneer Paul “Paul B” Baldassano and you’ve just published a book on your six decades of aquarium keeping.Well, he is and he just did! Paul’s new tome, titled The Avant-Garde Marine Aquarist: A 60-Year History of Fishkeeping and produced in collaboration with your friends here at Saltwater Smarts, is anything but your typical aquarium reference book. With his signature tongue-in-cheek style, familiar to anyone who follows his posts here or on other sites around the web, Paul offers his unique, eye-of-the-beholder, and possibly hallucinogen-inspired thoughts on: His earliest encounter with marine organisms (hint: it wasn’t in the ocean) The history of our hobby How to buy fish in good health and keep them that way Fish biology, including his revolutionary insights on fish immunity Methods for maintaining healthy aquarium water How to manage algae, pests, and common diseases How to succeed with certain hard-to-keep species How he would set up a tank from scratch today A whole host of easy-to-construct, cost-cutting DIY projects And much, much more! A section of Paul B’s 44 year old reef aquarium Paul, a resident of Long Island, New York, has been immersed in aquarium keeping since the 1950s. In fact, his current 6-foot-long, 100-gallon reef tank has been in operation longer than many of today’s hobbyists have been alive—44 years as of this writing. Much of Paul’s remarkable long-term success can be attributed to his ever-curious, self-reliant, innovative nature, which has led him to create a wide range of ingenious inventions and DIY projects to make the aquarium-keeping experience easier and cheaper by Justin Credabel | Aug 2, 2015 | Corals, DIY, Equipment, Industry, ReefGen, Science, Tanks, Technology
Space in the coral troughs is always at a premium at the ReefGen coral farm, and we all agree that water flow is one of the most important aspects of coral care. When one of my troughs has an area of inadequate flow, such as this Acropora grow out system, it starts... by xeniaforever | Jul 30, 2015 | Conservation, DIY, Home Decor, Science, Sustainability, Too Cute
My children are fascinated with sea turtles. Those enormous reptiles that drift peacefully for thousands of miles on the ocean currents, observing the world with gentle eyes, have captured their... by xeniaforever | Jul 24, 2015 | DIY, Home Decor
Fall asleep to the soft murmur of waves touching the shore, and awake refreshed. If you can’t make it to the ocean this summer, bring a bit of that calm expanse to your bedroom or guest room with soothing decor that captures the imagination.… by xeniaforever | Jul 23, 2015 | DIY, Home Decor, Too Cute
If your kids are anything like mine, they LOVE bringing home treasures. Encourage them to just collect 2 or 3 little things (instead of half the beach) with this easy craft, which can become a souvenir of that lovely afternoon by the seashore.… by xeniaforever | Jul 16, 2015 | Conservation, DIY, Fish, Reefs in Art, Science, Sustainability, Too Cute
Ah, summer! The season when kids can do really messy art projects (like this cool hand- and footprint ocean scene) OUTSIDE and get hosed off before coming back in. I really like the lobster and the jellyfish, and I think a huge school of different-colored fish would...
