Coral Health
Tips For Keeping Your Aquarium Cool in Hot Weather
Jun 1st
Whether you have a freshwater or saltwater aquarium, rising temperatures in the summer time can be a cause of concern. Aquariums shouldn’t be allowed to get hotter than 83°F, or dissolved oxygen levels in the water will start to diminish. This triggers a competition between fish and invertebrates for oxygen leading to a very stressful situation, and possibly even death, for your aquarium inhabitants. Detailed below are some tips to help keep your aquarium cool when temperatures rise. More >
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Loading ...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 >
(+2 rating, 2 votes) 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 ...LED Fact or Fiction – Our Solana Ecoxotic Panorama Display 1 Year Later
Jan 7th
Over the last couple years, I’ve heard much debate over the use of LED lighting for reef aquariums. Has the technology really advanced to the point where LED is a viable option for lighting a reef aquarium, or is it just a fad that has no real substance? Most of the opinions on the subject are heavily influenced dependent on which side you are looking at the technology from. I have been told many times that LED cannot sustain photosynthetic corals. Some believe the light production is not of adequate quality to keep a reef tank long term. Not surprisingly, this has mainly come from manufacturers of traditional lighting sources (T5, PC, Metal Halide), and some have been highly critical of the LED technology. On the other hand, the manufacturers 
that have invested in LED technology are adamant about the quality and validity of LED lighting. Those on each side of the fence are understandably trying to defend their own interests in the debate between traditional vs. LED lights for use on reef aquaria. More >
(+3 rating, 3 votes) Loading ...Real Reef – Alternative Live Rock for an Eco-friendly Tank
Dec 24th
Live rock has always been a controversial topic within the aquarium hobby. Rock harvested from oceanic reefs has been a staple for reef enthusiasts for many years. It’s hard to replicate the look of a coral reef in a closed environment without the use of natural live rock. The problem is, it takes a lot longer for the live rock beds to recover than it does for dealers to harvest it. Removing natural rock reduces the amount of locations for new corals to settle and develop, so collection threatens the existing coral reefs as corals have less suitable area to colonize. More >
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