by AquaNerd | Nov 18, 2013 | Corals, Fish, Invertebrates, Photography, Science
As an aquarium hobbyist who is also fairly passionate about photography, I am always looking to capture those unique moments when I’m at a fish store or some other venue where fish, corals, and invertebrates take center stage. Often times, I’ll have my camera in hand and I can snap off a few decent shots here and there. More often though, I’ll be without my DSLR and have to rely on my smartphone, which isn’t exactly the most ideal option. The phone of choice for me has been the iPhone, with the 5s being my most current option. For those of you familiar, this phone can actually take decent pictures. Unfortunately, the pitfall for the on-board camera, like with most cameras, is blue LEDs. Thankfully, I stumbled upon this cheap little hack that can get you photos that are closer to what we see with the human eye. by AquaNerd | Nov 7, 2013 | Corals, DIY, Equipment, Fish, Industry, Science, Tanks
For years, all-in-one aquariums have been limited to small volumes and insufficient out-of-the-box features. Most of tanks that saw mainstream success stayed around 30-gallons or less, with just about all of them coming with inadequate filtration for a fully functional reef aquarium. Even adding extra equipment proved to be difficult, as the rear chambers of these tanks were often too small and the built-in lid limited what you could put in the back. Innovative Marine changed all that when they introduced their NUVO line of aquariums. The sleek, open-top aquariums had huge rear chambers for additional equipment, and they even made solid performing protein skimmers and media reactors that could easily fit. After a couple of very successful years, IM has expanded their initial lineup to include the all new Shallow Reef (SR) series, which was designed specifically from a hobbyist standpoint. The new SR tanks come in three beefy sizes of 60, 80 and 120 gallons by Admin | Oct 21, 2013 | Corals, Fish, Tanks
Aquascaping is a challenge in itself. The ability to place rocks in an aquarium in a way that looks appealing, that provides plenty of surface area for the planting of corals, that offers hiding spots for the fish, and that doesn't look unnatural -- it's almost too much to consider. If all else fails, I'd strongly urge you to find a female to add her perspective because for some reason they have an incredible knack for this task. Ask your spouse, your significant other, or even a female friend for their input... trust me. You want to avoid a man-made pile (brickwork looking), as well as straight horizontal lines since these aren't common in nature. With your counterpart chiming in, you may only need to make a couple of tiny changes to get a great looking reef.Once the aquascape has been perfected with nooks, crannies, tunnels, overhangs and interesting structures, it is possible that all your hard work can come crashing down by AquaNerd | Oct 21, 2013 | Equipment, Invertebrates, Tanks
In recent months, I’ve been toiling away at the nano aquarium, following a rigorous water change and maintenance schedule, and stocking it mostly with a few high end Zoanthids. The goal for this aquarium has been simplicity, since my work and personal schedules are both so hectic. Unfortunately, I couldn’t resist adding a rose bubble tip anemone, which isn’t exactly a difficult invertebrate even for a nano aquarium, but coupled with the type of equipment in the tank, housing the RBTA could (and did) lead to disaster. From the anemone’s introduction, I knew that it could wander all over the tank at will. I was also very aware that it could crawl into my VorTech MP10w water pump. Still, I pressed on. As a precaution, I did reduce the speed of the pump to just a fraction of what it normally operates at. I waited a few days, let the anemone settle in, then ramped up the speed of the pump. Of course, I monitored the anemone’s actions, mostly looking for any sort of movement. The anemone stayed in place, not moving an inch…until one random evening by AquaNerd | Oct 18, 2013 | Corals, Eye Candy
How much would you drop on a mushroom coral? Ten bucks? How about $20? Is fifty bucks pushing the limit? What if I told you there was one out there being sold for a four figure price tag? You heard me right, a mushroom coral in the thousands of dollars. At Reef-A-Palooza this past weekend, one vendor had an absolutely jawdropping mushroom coral on display with a reported price tag of somewhere near $5000. The ultra high end mushroom coral, called the Jawbreaker mushroom, is undoubtedly a keystone piece from the wildly colorful and unique collection from Sexy Corals
