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Ph In The Marine Aquarium

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 20:54:02 -0400

The quality of the seawater in the aquarium is of paramount importance. There are basic parameters that need to be correct and stable, and one of these is pH. There isn’t going to be any scientific mumbo jumbo here, but the foundations of pH need t
Source: Aquarists Online

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Tags: care, aquarium maintenance, aquarium water, water quality, water-parameters, water-testing

The Hydrometer

Sun, 15 Jun 2008 21:11:15 -0400

Aquarists can use a small arsenal of tests to assure themselves that the seawater quality in their fish only aquariums or reef aquariums is high enough. One of these tests is carried out using a hydrometer. The hydrometer measures the Specific Gravit
Source: Aquarists Online

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Tags: aquarium, equipment, care, aquarium maintenance, aquarium water, saltwater-aquarium

Natural Seawater - Is It Recommended?

Sat, 14 Jun 2008 21:14:11 -0400

Mother Nature provides the habitat for the livestock that we aquarists keep in our fish only aquariums or reef aquariums, and this, of course, is the wild reef. Mother Nature is also the provider of the other obvious essential, and that is seawater.
Source: Aquarists Online

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Tags: general, saltwater, care, seawater, aquarium maintenance, aquarium water, water changes

The Website - A Bit Of A Disaster!

Thu, 12 Jun 2008 19:42:46 -0400

I was having a look at one or two older articles and texts recently when I noticed that the ’read more’ facility brought me back to where I had started. Hmm, thought I. The ‘read more’ facility appears on some texts, and is at the end of the
Source: Aquarists Online

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Flying Will Cost More

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 21:39:37 -0400

‘What on earth is he bleating on about now?’ I can hear it said. ‘I thought this was a marine aquarist’s site.’ Well, it is a marine aquarist’s site. Also flying will cost more, and it will have an impact on marine aquaris
Source: Aquarists Online

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Tags: general, aquarium, equipment, care, coral reef, aquarium maintenance, coral propagation

Addition To My Deep Sand Bed

Tue, 10 Jun 2008 22:38:28 -0400

My soft coral reef has been running in excess of 5½ years. 3½ years ago I decided to add a DSB (deep sand bed). I know the above periods are correct as I keep a notebook. The aquarium was running without any problem, the decision to incorporate a D
Source: Aquarists Online

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Tags: equipment, aquarium filter, aquarium filtration, aquarium maintenance, dsb, deep-sand-bed

Power Supply Loss - The Main Danger

Mon, 9 Jun 2008 19:28:20 -0400

On most occasions when urgent attention is required the aquarist can provide it. There is one occasion however when he/she often cannot, or at least not directly. This occasion is the loss of the electricity supply. The chance of this happening is qu
Source: Aquarists Online

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Tags: general, aquarium, equipment, care, aquarium maintenance, reef-tank, saltwater-aquarium

Summer Heat and your Reef Tank.

Mon, 9 Jun 2008 11:27:24 -0400

In the Northeast U.S. the past few days we’re getting our tank cooling methods and techniques tested. I don’t know if this is considered a heat wave, though it’s certainly close. Here a heat wave is three consecutive days over 90&
Source: Project Reef Tank

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Tags: diy

What Does A Beginner Need?

Sun, 8 Jun 2008 21:20:54 -0400

This isn’t going to be a list of what is considered to be essential in the way of equipment, or a list of compatible fish, or anything down those lines. This is going back to absolute basics, the very beginning, before the dawn of individual experi
Source: Aquarists Online

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Phew! What A Smell

Sun, 8 Jun 2008 00:32:18 -0400

Every time I sit and gaze at the aquarium, the gazing interlude is preceded by a visual glance at the main equipment - heaters, skimmer and the like. I also do this just before I feed, it only takes seconds and becomes second nature. So there was I,
Source: Aquarists Online

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Tags: aquarium, algae, care, aquarium maintenance, water quality, water tests

Virtual Tank Tour: Oceanus Inland Reef

Fri, 6 Jun 2008 02:23:41 -0400

This week I had the opportunity to visit a fellow reefer Michele Wronski to pick up a pair of tank-raised clownfish. Michelle runs a non-profit organization called Oceanis the Inland Reef which focuses on community education on marine life and coral
Source: Project Reef Tank

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Shaping To Circumstance?

Thu, 5 Jun 2008 21:00:38 -0400

The beauty and diversity of a wild reef is well known. Fish and corals have adjusted to their niche. What about the captive reef? The aquarist does his/her best to meet the needs of the corals (and fish) to try and ensure their health and longevity.
Source: Aquarists Online

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Tags: corals, aquarium lighting, coral reef, soft coral, hard coral, reef-tank, aquarium-coral

Are You A Scuba Diver?

Wed, 4 Jun 2008 20:29:08 -0400

Scuba divers are those strangely garbed people who flip-flop in an ungainly manner down the beach toward the sea, or roll into the sea from the side of a boat. Once in the sea it is a different matter. Within safety parameters the diver is free to ex
Source: Aquarists Online

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Tags: general, scuba diving, scuba diver, coral reef, natural reef

Nitrate - The Ongoing Problem

Tue, 3 Jun 2008 21:19:29 -0400

I answer numbers of questions concerning various aspects of marine aquarium keeping. Looking at the subjects of all these questions it seems one of the biggest problems that is faced by aquarists is excessive nitrate (NO3). If it is not a problem the
Source: Aquarists Online

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Tags: problems, care, aquarium maintenance, nitrate, water quality, phosphate

Here’s A Place For A Spot Of Aquarium DIY!

Mon, 2 Jun 2008 21:00:12 -0400

There’s a lot of aquarists around who like DIY. Not surprising really - anything can be built in this hobby from a stand and canopy to various devices, such as protein skimmers, calcium reactors, sand beds etc., even the aquarium itself. One of the
Source: Aquarists Online

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Tags: diy, aquarium, home-aquarium, marine-aquarium, reef-tank, saltwater-aquarium, fish-tank

It’s All Costing More

Sun, 1 Jun 2008 20:11:11 -0400

Nearly everyone is feeling the increase in cost, the cost of energy that is. Much of the world’s energy is derived from oil, and the price of oil is very noticeably going up. This is possibly going to continue for a longish period until some kind o
Source: Aquarists Online

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Tags: general, equipment, care, aquarium lighting, aquarium heater, aquarium maintenance, aquarium water

A Match Made in Heaven

Sun, 1 Jun 2008 03:22:43 -0400

Last night I visited a fellow member of the Boston Reefers Society, Chris. It was a small get together to drink some scotch and swap fish stories, so to speak. Chris has a 92 gallon corner FOWLR tank in which he’s got a big lionfish, a monster
Source: Project Reef Tank

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Tags: virtual tank tour

Is This The Most Popular Hobby In The World?

Sat, 31 May 2008 11:31:11 -0400

There are many hobbies that people enjoy. Some people have a hobby that is a consuming passion, others its just something that is an enjoyable way to pass the time. There are lots of different hobbies, some depending on the area of the world the hobb
Source: Aquarists Online

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Tags: general, aquarium, home-aquarium, marine-aquarium, reef-tank, saltwater-aquarium, fish-tank

Locating A Marine Aquarium

Fri, 30 May 2008 20:10:16 -0400

A marine aquarium, be it fish only aquarium or a marine reef aquarium, is very attractive. Therefore it is quite understandable that the aquarist wishes to place it in an area with the most visual impact. The aquarium could go nearly anywhere in the
Source: Aquarists Online

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Tags: general, aquarium, home-aquarium, marine-aquarium, reef-tank, saltwater-aquarium, fish-tank

Vornado Clip-on Fan for Tank Cooling

Fri, 30 May 2008 18:10:30 -0400

Here in Massachusetts we get some crazy heat spikes, and we had one a few days ago bringing the tank temperature up near 84 degrees. That served as a hard reminder that something needs to be done to help keep the heat down from the two 250W MH lamps
Source: Project Reef Tank

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Arrrrgh - Technology!

Thu, 29 May 2008 13:38:04 -0400

You may (or may not) have noticed that the site has been down recently. For this I sincerely apologise. The reason for this is that we chose to move the website to another hosting company. All the data, databases, code etc was moved without an issue
Source: Aquarists Online

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Tags: general

I’ve Got Bio-Balls, Will I Be Ok?

Tue, 27 May 2008 20:43:17 -0400

No, no, you’ve got the wrong end of the stick! It’s not some horrible problem at all, but to do with aquariums. Marine aquariums need bio-filtration, and this is provided by bacteria. The bacteria of course need a place to live and to avail ones
Source: Aquarists Online

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Tags: aquarium filter, aquarium filtration, nitrogen cycle, nitrate, live-rock, deep-sand-bed

Florida Fish - But They Don’t Live There

Mon, 26 May 2008 20:41:17 -0400

Wild coral reefs are wonderful places to view, either by snorkel or scuba dive. Reef formations with various corals, and lots of varied fish. But there’s a problem - or a potential problem anyway. Some of the fish don’t belong on some reefs. All
Source: Aquarists Online

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Reverse Durso to Quiet a Noisy Drain

Mon, 26 May 2008 06:30:30 -0400

A common situation with reef tanks is the drain plumbing dropping down into the sump, creating loud splashing noise as well as spray caused by water hitting water. Generally, noise and splashing can be eliminated by submerging the drain pipe below th
Source: Project Reef Tank

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Do Fish Drink?

Sat, 24 May 2008 20:36:55 -0400

As far as I know all life needs water to survive. Doesn’t matter if it is a cactus in a desert or a tree in a rain forest, it needs H2O. What about fish though? They’re surrounded by the stuff, absolutely gallons of it. Fish are life forms of cou
Source: Aquarists Online

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Tags: general, marine reef, coral reef, saltwater-aquarium, marine-fish, reef-fish, coral-fish

Caulerpa

Fri, 23 May 2008 18:45:05 -0400

Mention the word ‘algae’ to a marine aquarist and the aquarist’s face might turn white, before he or she spins round to look at their aquarium and ask, in a panicky voice, ‘Where?’ We are all aware of that concern: nuisance algae!
Source: Aquarists Online

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Tags: algae, aquarium lighting, aquarium filtration, refugium, caulerpa, deep-sand-bed

Angels Of…?

Thu, 22 May 2008 18:34:45 -0400

Here’s a question for anyone who reads this. I have a feeling I have come across this before but just cannot tie it down, and being unable to do so means I cannot answer the question. The creatures seem to be attracted to light and they are very sm
Source: Aquarists Online

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The Mantis Shrimp

Wed, 21 May 2008 22:36:00 -0400

Mantis shrimps are not the shrimps normally chosen by a marine aquarist to live in their display aquarium, and for good reason. They are very efficient predators. Aquarists are much happier with cleaner shrimps etc. Sometimes a mantis shrimp gets int
Source: Aquarists Online

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Tags: invertebrates, pistol shrimp, marine-aquarium, reef-tank, shrimps, cleaner-shrimp

Introducing - Aquarists Online MarketPlace

Tue, 20 May 2008 19:03:23 -0400

We’ve been hard at work again! Both John and I have had a good hard look at the site attempting to identify areas where we can improve. We feel that we provide content which is both informative and interesting to all of our readers - hopefully
Source: Aquarists Online

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The Pistol Shrimp

Mon, 19 May 2008 19:46:51 -0400

Shrimps are very well known to the marine aquarist. Perhaps the most well known are the cleaner shrimps, which are so interesting and ‘friendly’ - they climb around on the aquarist’s submerged hand without a care, though they’re actually look
Source: Aquarists Online

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Tags: aquarium, invertebrates, reef-tank, saltwater-aquarium, mantis shrimp, shrimps

If A Fish Dies Should You Remove It From The Aquarium

Sun, 18 May 2008 22:05:30 -0400

Quick post this evening I’m afraid as I am limited for time. Again today’s post comes from a question I was asked a while ago. ‘If A Fish Dies Should You Remove It From The Aquarium’ To me you should only remove a deceased fis
Source: Aquarists Online

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Tags: fish, aquarium, care, saltwater-aquarium, live-rock, aquarium-fish, aquarium-livestock

Have You Ever Looked At Your Aquarium In Natural Daylight?

Sat, 17 May 2008 21:27:35 -0400

My aquarium is lit by metal halides therefore the light provided is quite bright. I use 14K lighting as well as supplemental actinics. Normally the aquarium does not receive any natural daylight as blinds have been installed to prevent this, however
Source: Aquarists Online

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Tags: general, aquarium, equipment, aquarium lighting, reef-tank, live-rock, metal-halide

We’ve Hit 1000 Subscribers To Our Newsletter!

Mon, 12 May 2008 18:32:52 -0400

Our monthly newsletter was sent out a short while ago and I noticed that we have hit what we call a milestone. We have 1000 subscribers! Actually there are 1002 but whos counting - well me actually! To a lot of websites online this is probably not a
Source: Aquarists Online

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Warmer Weather

Fri, 16 May 2008 11:24:09 -0400

In my neck of the woods its been a glorious day, sun shining and warm. Work has been going on in the garden after I’d finished my aquarium maintenance (I start that job early so I don’t miss out on the good weather). Later in the afternoon I walk
Source: Aquarists Online

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Tags: care, aquarium chiller, aquarium maintenance, aquarium-temperature

How Do You Know When You May Need A Calcium Reactor?

Thu, 15 May 2008 17:38:14 -0400

A calcium reactor is a device which is used to provide much needed calcium as well as other elements dependant upon the media used. They work by slowly passing water through the media and recirculating it via a small pump. CO2 is slowly applied to th
Source: Aquarists Online

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Tags: care, aquarium maintenance, water quality, calcium reactor, kalkwasser, aquarium-additives

Does A Sump Have To Be An Aquarium?

Wed, 14 May 2008 23:11:53 -0400

This is a question I was asked the other day by a colleague of mine who is considering starting a soft coral aquarium and is currently in the planning and research stage. I have been helping him out as much as I can and offering advice as and when re
Source: Aquarists Online

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Tags: general, equipment, aquarium lighting, sump, aquarium filter, refugium, deep-sand-bed

Let It Grow!

Tue, 13 May 2008 21:12:03 -0400

A captive reef system is great to build, all the way from choosing the aquarium to actually building the reef. Different ways can be tried to see which is the most pleasing with practicality in mind, and eventually it is done. Fish are introduced ove
Source: Aquarists Online

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Tags: general, equipment, care, aquarium maintenance, marine-aquarium, saltwater-aquarium

Can Tonga Live Rock Provide Enough Filtration?

Sun, 11 May 2008 20:13:51 -0400

Live rock as has been said time and time again is a phenomenal filtration medium. There are various different types of live rock available all of which provide the required filtration to the aquarium if enough is placed into the aquarium. There is on
Source: Aquarists Online

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Tags: care, aquarium filter, aquarium filtration, refugium, live-rock, deep-sand-bed

I Admit, I Use Discipline, I Think That’s What It Is

Sat, 10 May 2008 20:36:35 -0400

I’m retired and have been for seven years, from the age of 60. It’s quite probable that when I was at work they would have said I’d retired before that! I had the good fortune to be more or less my own boss, though I was employed, and I can cle
Source: Aquarists Online

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Tags: general, equipment, care, aquarium maintenance, marine-aquarium, reef-tank, marine-tank

The So-Called Old Tank Syndrome

Fri, 9 May 2008 20:57:27 -0400

New tank syndrome is well documented, in fact there is an article on it on this website (http://www.aquaristsonline.com/articles). It is where the aquarist has been impatient and has added livestock either in too much quantity in the first place, or
Source: Aquarists Online

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Tags: general, new tank syndrome, old tank syndrome, home-aquarium, marine-aquarium, reef-tank, saltwater-aquarium

Don’t Leave Your Glass Too Long Before You Clean It!

Thu, 8 May 2008 19:20:07 -0400

With my day job I have the requirement to travel from time to time. The past week or so has been one of those occasions. I knew that I was going to be travelling but I did not know at the time exactly how long I would be travelling for. Before I left
Source: Aquarists Online

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Tags: general, aquarium, algae, care, aquarium maintenance, saltwater-aquarium, aquarium-cleaning

Building A Captive Reef - Just Need Rocks?

Tue, 6 May 2008 20:00:38 -0400

It can take quite a while getting a reef system together. There are quite a few decisions that need to be made. The first and obvious one is the aquarium. What size is it going to be, the biggest that will fit or a smaller one that will be cheaper to
Source: Aquarists Online

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Tags: general, aquarium, aquarium filtration, aquascaping, reef-tank, saltwater-aquarium, live-rock

If You Upgrade To A Bigger Tank How Do You Transfer The Corals And Fish?

Mon, 5 May 2008 19:39:23 -0400

This exercise is very similar to moving an aquarium from house to house, but escapes some of the disruption and the need for transport. This leads to another plus in that virtually anything that is strong enough and seawater safe could be used as a t
Source: Aquarists Online

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Do You Have To Have Metal Halide Lighting For Hard Corals?

Sun, 4 May 2008 20:22:19 -0400

Many reef aquarists see hard corals as the height of achievement and the closest thing to a real coral reef in captivity. This isn’t quite true of course, as parts of coral reefs are dominated by soft corals. Nevertheless, a hard coral reef can be
Source: Aquarists Online

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Tags: equipment, aquarium lighting, metal-halide, hard corals, sps-corals

Is There Such A Thing As The Best Aquarium Filter?

Sat, 3 May 2008 19:28:17 -0400

Filtration in the marine aquarium supports the number one requirement, and that is water quality. Whether the system is a fish only aquarium or reef aquarium, water quality is paramount. The next most important requirement is lighting for a reef aqua
Source: Aquarists Online

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A Year Ago!

Fri, 2 May 2008 21:46:17 -0400

I’m always going on in the newsletter about how the time flies between the one I’m writing and the next. It’s true too, though time is constant of course it does seem to disappear at a phenomenal rate. Now the start of May is here this website
Source: Aquarists Online

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Coral Transplant

Thu, 1 May 2008 22:24:47 -0400

I love to just sit and look at my reef when I have the time. Its so peaceful and relaxing. I note the fish doing their thing, the corals swaying in the currents. My eyes automatically pick up any points of special note - it isn’t that I’m robotic
Source: Aquarists Online

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Tags: coral reef, coral propagation, marine-aquarium, reef-tank, coral conservation, coral-frag

VIA

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 19:01:31 -0400

What’s this? It sounds like a technical abbreviation such as PAR, PUR, DOM, DSB and the rest. They are all relevant to a marine aquarium whether it be a reef or fish only system. No, this isn’t technical at all. No mumbo-jumbo. However, it is dir
Source: Aquarists Online

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Tags: general, aquarium, coral reef, home-aquarium, marine-aquarium, saltwater-aquarium, coral conservation

Life Span Of Tropical Marine Fish

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 19:12:53 -0400

We look after our fish very well, don’t we. Whether it is a fish only aquarium or reef aquarium, a lot of thought goes into choice, taking into account compatibility, size and character. All in all, the fish should be healthy and happy. The marine
Source: Aquarists Online

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Tags: fish, aquarium, marine-aquarium, saltwater-aquarium, marine-fish, aquarium-fish, reef-fish

The Banggai Cardinal

Sun, 27 Apr 2008 19:58:27 -0400

The Banggai Cardinal, proper name Pterapogon kauderni, is a relatively new fish for the salt water aquarium. The fish in the aquarium is fairly sedentary, but has lovely colouring with black vertical striping on a silver body. The tail is long and fo
Source: Aquarists Online

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Tags: fish, aquarium, coral reef, marine-aquarium, marine-fish, aquarium-fish, reef-fish