by Saltwater Smarts | Dec 24, 2015 | Fish, Reef, Science, Tanks, Travel
Caribbean Chris and I get lots of excellent, thought-provoking questions from Saltwater Smarts visitors that we believe might be of general interest to other salties out there. So we thought it would be worthwhile to begin posting some of them here in Q&A format. Of course, you’re always welcome to join the conversation by adding your thoughts in the comment section below or sending us your question.Question I was visiting an LFS in another part of the country while on a business trip. The store is highly rated on various social media sites, and I was impressed by the diversity and apparent health of the livestock in the first 10 or so display tanks that I viewed. Then, in the course of viewing the next 10 tanks, I saw three tanks that had at least one livestock specimen dead or clearly diseased in the tank (with other, apparently healthy livestock still in the tank). As a newbie, should this be a huge red flag for me that a store like this is not a great source of healthy fish?” – submitted by Robert Bruce Answer Thanks so much for your question, Robert. I think the situation you observed may be a red flag, which is why I list “healthy livestock” among my “Eight Traits of a Good LFS.” As I see it, the apparent health/physical condition of specimens offered for sale says a lot about a dealer’s level of concern not only for the well-being of the livestock, but also for customers’ future success. by Admin | Dec 23, 2015 | Travel
The fabulously lit Brighton Aquarium in the UK dates back to the Victorian period and is the oldest continually operating public aquarium in the world.… by Francis Yupangco | Dec 22, 2015 | Fish, Travel
Vince Covino, former owner and the brother of Ammon Covino (who was convicted of purchasing protected marine life and later on violating his parole) is no longer listed as the owner of Portland Aquarium, which will be closing in... by Barry Brown | Dec 20, 2015 | Fish, Reef, Science, Travel
Good morning from the windiest place on Earth! Like the rest of the planet our weather is messed up and not normal! We should be having rain every day but instead it’s been crazy windy with very little sun and honestly if the rains don’t come soon we will be headed into another year of drought! I left the house at 6:30 this morning (in the dark) and met my neighbor for an early morning mountain bike ride. by Francis Yupangco | Dec 4, 2015 | Fish, Travel
Tis the season for giving. And giving and giving. Or so it can seem. But there are lots of people, and animals too, in need and deserving of our help around this time of year. The Tennessee Aquarium is reaching out to the giving side in all of us by putting out its... by Saltwater Smarts | Nov 26, 2015 | Equipment, Opinion, Reef, Science, Tanks, Technology, Travel
While the title of this post puts me in mind of a song performed by Nick Rivers in the 1984 comedy film Top Secret, it’s a question many a novice has posed before setting up his or her first marine aquarium. How basic can it be? Or, put another way, what equipment is absolutely essential and what isn’t?This is a perfectly logical question because ours can be a highly equipment-intensive hobby, and the choices of gear and gadgets designed to make our lives easier can be downright mind-blowing. Add in all the online forum chatter about—and volatile disputes over—the latest-and-greatest hobby technology and methodology, and it’s no surprise that many beginners have a heck of a time distinguishing between the bare essentials and the “bells and whistles.” Complicating matters, of course, is the fact that opinions on what constitutes “essential equipment” can vary widely from one hobbyist to the next. I would humbly submit that the following items are all you really need for a bare-bones saltwater setup: (Note that you’ll also need various and sundry small-ticket items used for regular operation and maintenance, such as aquarium brushes, an algae magnet, etc. Plus, if you plan to keep a reef system, you’ll need to add some means of calcium/alkalinity supplementation to the list.) Some folks might say this list is grossly incomplete while others might contend you could get by without some of the items on it.
