Articles

Part 1 So we left off in the last section (HERE) by asking these questions. So where should you start? The very first issues you need to consider are: 1. How much of your time are you willing to commit to keeping a marine aquarium? 2. How much money are you willing to spend, both up front to...

In November of 2018, we published an article on some of the initial questions that aquarists ask before starting a saltwater tank. In case you're one of those people still hesitating about whether you want to have a reef tank, here we're going to try to explain some of the major differences...

This is a young (1 month) and handsome 13.5-gallon reef tank. Photo is from the Reef2Reef archives courtesy of @Robg139 ©2019, All Rights Reserved. Introduction This article has been a long time coming. This question is one that is frequently asked to search engines. What do you need to...

Introduction Below you will find a companion article to our recent one on snails for the reef aquarium. This one is on crabs, and it is, by no means, an exhaustive treatment of the subject, but rather an introduction to the ones most commonly found in the marine aquarium trade and ones you may...

Snails can be a very useful part of a reef tank, consuming algae, detritus and harmful microfauna that can make life difficult for your corals and fish. In a sense they act as a janitorial service for your tank, which is probably why teams of snails and other scavenging organisms are called the...

Note from the Editor: Keeping your tank clean is important for a saltwater system. It's not just important for the livestock, but it's also important for your viewing pleasure. We want you to feel happy when you look at your tank, not dread because the tank is dirty. What may feel overwhelming...

Starfish or sea stars / Why starfish are cool Blue Linckia sea star. This photo is courtesy of @DSC reef, ©2019 All Rights Reserved. Most people know what a typical starfish looks like, and that they live in the sea and that they are kind of cute. But that’s it. In this article I will try to...

A lovely full tank shot for inspiration. Photo is from the Reef2Reef archives, courtesy of @DLHDesign, ©2019 All Rights Reserved. Reef2Reef has a very busy forum. So busy, in fact, that if I post something in the morning, I have to do a big search for it in the afternoon to find my thread...

For inspiration, here is a beautiful 93-gallon cube tank belonging to @vetteguy53081. Photo is from the Reef2Reef archives, courtesy of @vetteguy53081, ©2019, All Rights Reserved. And now we come to Part 3, Powerhead Placement. Everyone is waiting anxiously to hear about powerhead placement...

This 400-gallon tank belongs to @maroun.c, a Reef2Reef staff member. It has a tank turnover of 21,000 gallons per hour. This photo is from the Reef2Reef archives, courtesy of @maroun.c, ©2019, All Rights Reserved. So, last time, in Part 1, we talked about water flow, why you need it in a reef...

This 180-gallon display tank has 15,000 gallons per hour total tank turnover. This tank belongs to, and the photo is courtesy of @fabutahoun, ©2019, All Rights Reserved. This is an article that I’ve been wanting to write (or get someone else to write) for quite a while. Tank turnover is...

The article below is a brief introduction to soft corals for beginner aquarists. This is, by no means, an exhaustive treatment of soft coral husbandry. Example of soft coral: mushroom coral. Photo is from the Reef2Reef archives, courtesy of @John3 ©2019, All Rights Reserved. Soft corals...

A photo for inspiration: a shot of Michael J. Cuttone's Reef2Reef January 2019 Reef of the Month. This photo is from the Reef2Reef archives, courtesy of Michael J. Cuttone, ©2019, All Rights Reserved. Some time ago, I asked forum members about their feeding routines. I was interested to see...

10,000L, 5-year-old, display tank at the Maritime Museum & Aquarium. A build thread for this tank is linked in my profile & at the bottom of this article. Photo is courtesy of @Sallstrom, ©2019, All Rights Reserved. Running a reef tank might be a walk in the park for some, but for others it’s...

This article is sponsored by @Triquatics Images are courtesy of @Triquatics. ©2019, All Rights Reserved. The Nitrogen Cycle, as it applies to the greater natural world, is a series of chemical reactions that support all life on earth. Through these reactions, non-reactive nitrogen gas (N) and...

15 Steps to Starting a Saltwater Aquarium: The Lasse Method Display Tank. Photos are all courtesy of Lasse Forsberg. ©2019, All Rights Reserved. INTRODUCTION There are many methods to start a saltwater aquarium--each major aquarium product manufacturer has its own. Common to most, however...

Note from the Editor: Some time ago, our resident electrical guru, @Brew12, wrote a good article on the forum at the beginning of a discussion thread about using ground probes for your aquarium. As soon as I saw the article, I recognized that this deserved top billing. So, here, below, is our...

Live rock. This photo is a royalty-free image courtesy of Adrianna Calvo from Pexels This is an article for beginners. Since I didn’t see a sticky or article on this topic, I decided to tackle it myself. There are lots of differing opinions on how to cure live rock, and I’m going to explore...

Beginner Series #2: How and Why Do Water Changes Work? What Happens If They Don't Work? Or How to Attain Majchrzak Status This article is to provide beginners with baseline knowledge of why and how water changes work and when they fail in restoring critical water parameters, so that dosing...

Clown Triggerfish, Balistoides conspicillum. Photo is from the Reef2Reef archives, courtesy of @Darryl, ©2019, All Rights Reserved. If you're new to online discussion forums or just new to Reef2Reef, this article is for you. Much of the information that I'm going to give you, here, is already...