Aquarium Maintenance
Understanding the Role of Iodine in a Reef Aquarium
May 17th
Iodine is one of the most misunderstood, and misused, elements in the marine aquarium. Iodine is both essential, and toxic, so understanding your aquariums needs, and proper use, is critical when using Iodine supplements.
What is Iodine?
That is a complex question. In nature, the element Iodine can take many forms, and is one of a group of elements called essential elements. Many are unstable, or play only minor roles in what is relevant to maintaining your aquarium. The forms of Iodine that are most relevant and form the vast majority of Iodine present in the ocean are Iodide (I), and Iodate (IO3)
Iodide is an inorganic form of Iodine. Concentrations of this form increase with depth in the ocean, and it is considered the most biologically available form of Iodine. It is also the safest form of Iodine to use in the aquarium, and most of the Iodine supplements use this form. More >
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Loading ...Do-it-Yourself – Making an Aquarium Pest Trap
May 13th
Many aquarists encounter some sort of nuisance animals at some point. Whether it is snails in freshwater or shrimp, worms or the errant troublemaking fish in saltwater, trying to remove the offender can be difficult. While there are traps galore available for sale, you can also make your own at home if you need a quick trap. This kind of trap is effective on things like Mantis Shrimp, Pistol Shrimp, freshwater snails and other small inverts and can be made from items you probably already have in your home. More >
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...Natural Nitrate and Phosphate Control in Marine Aquariums – Part 2 – Biopellets
Apr 4th
In Part 1 of this article, I talked about Carbon Dosing, and the principals and some of the products on the market that are being used in this method of natural nitrate and phosphate control. You can read the first article for all the details, but for a quick review of what carbon dosing is all about, here are the basics.
By providing (dosing) a usable carbon source, the aquarist can increase the uptake of Nitrate and Phosphate by bacteria in the aquarium, and reduce the overall level of Nitrate and Phosphate in the aquarium to desired levels. Maintaining this low nutrient system, improves the overall health of the system, eliminates nuisance algae, and promotes brilliant coloration in corals. Another benefit to this increased bacteria population, also referred to as bacterioplankton, is that it serves as a supplemental food source for corals and filter feeding invertebrates. Carbon sources that are used for dosing have traditionally been vodka, vinegar, sugar or commercially available products like Brightwell Aquatics Reef Bio Fuel, or Red Sea’s NO4-Px. While effective, these sources of carbon must be added on regular basis (every day in most cases) and dosage levels are achieved largely on a trial and error basis. More >
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...How to Move Your Aquarium
Mar 25th
One of the most common questions we receive is about moving an aquarium, whether it is across the room or across the country. Larger tanks and larger fish are certainly more difficult than smaller ones and the larger the distance you are traveling, the more involved the process becomes (although I have used some of these methods when moving my saltwater tank from one room to another when the room it was in was being re-carpeted). For long distances, try checking with your local fish store. Some may be able to help you arrange to have your livestock packed up and shipped via Fedex Overnight or another service. If you are doing the move on your own, there are several tricks and techniques you can use to make things easier on you and your livestock. More >
(+1 rating, 1 votes) Loading ...Natural Nitrate and Phosphate Control in Marine Aquariums – Part 1 – Carbon Dosing Basics
Mar 7th
In the never ending fight against excess nutrients in the home aquarium, many products have come along in recent years to help aquarist win the battle. Chief among the nutrients with which all aquarium owners struggle (especially the reef aquarium owner), are nitrates and phosphates. These nutrients fuel algae growth, and in the case of nitrate, can jeopardize animal health as well. In the reef aquarium, nitrates and phosphates are a serious problem, and controlling these nutrient levels are vital to the health of the living coral and invertebrates in these systems.
Phosphate absorption media, macroalgae refugiums, deep sand beds, and frequent water changes have been the methods used by most to maintain low nutrient levels in aquariums over the years. More recently, aggressive biological methods for combating nitrates and phosphates have become increasingly popular, and several Carbon dosing methods to remove nitrates and phosphates have been developed. More >
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