Articles

REEFERS’ RULES According to @ReefGeezer I found this information on an old CD that I was getting ready to discard. Yep… I still have one computer with a CD- ROM! The file creation date was in May of 2004. I thought the information might be useful and decided to dust it off and share it. I did...

Neptune Apex and CoralVue Hydros: Personal Opinion and Experience @Nanojoe Personal opinion and Personal experience // Disclaimer The scope for this article is to dive a little deeper and, in turn, hopefully help the hobbyist on how they should invest their hard-earned cash from a hobbyist...

In an industry that is always looking over it's shoulder, its refreshing news when we hear about new locations opening up and beginning to supply livestock to an evolving trade. Even more exciting when it's a country that has never before exported to the ornamental aquarium trade and we start...

Introduction: This article covers the planning and preparation that I refer to as "The Big Picture Approach". Volume one of this three-part series specifically covers big picture planning and the tools that everyone should know before tackling a new aquarium and mitigating problems early on...

Unfortunately, I do not have pictures with results because this was back when I was 15 years old, with no social media accounts, and no knowledge of reef forums. Worst yet, I never had a phone until I became 18 (I'm 20 now). However, I did some experiments back in the day and it all started with...

Introduction This article highlights on a 4-step streamlined process that in my experience has proven to be beneficial in preventing fish disease outbreaks. Sourcing healthy livestock is always the first acceptable approach in finding long term success in this hobby. However, these days even...

Cleaning Filter Socks With Pressure Washer Before you try this: Make sure your pressure washer is rated between 1500-2000 psi, I don’t recommend you try this with a pressure washer that is rated over 2000 psi as this will likely tear your sock apart. Step 1: Use your pressure washer to clean...

What is it that drives an average person to go and buy a glass box, fill it full of water, rock, and sand and turn it into a marine aquarium? Of course the aesthetics of seeing a tank in person, a reef tank for that matter, strikes in some of us some kind of primordial-DNA urge to have that in...

This article is my attempt to make considering getting into a saltwater marine aquarium as clear as possible, and then to try and explain what you’ll need to know to make it all work. Make no mistake, the saltwater aquarium hobby can be an expensive, annoying, time-consuming and frustrating...

Little in this hobby stirs up as much emotional debate as discussions on quarantining fish. Threads on prophylactic treatment, ich management, and immunity are regularly hashed out until people are burned out. Passions run high, and for good reason. Both sides of the debate feel their practices...

Note from the Editor: Not long ago, I asked on the forum for funny or crazy stories related to their reef aquarium. Below is a compilation of the posts received so far in the thread. Some will make you laugh and some will make you grimace, but they're all true. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ @SDK: I...

Note from the Editor: Starting a saltwater aquarium can be frustrating. There is a lot to learn, a steep learning curve, and many learn what they need to know after they needed to know it. Many experienced reefers look back on the days when they first started and shake their heads. There is so...

There are really two kinds of snorkeling that people do in the Keys. The most common is taking a charter boat out about 5-10 miles offshore to one of a dozen nice sections of the barrier reef that has large coral colonies and lots of tropical fish. These are very protected and the water varies...

From time to time I like to reflect on what I’ve been through during my reefkeeping years. From almost day one of this marvelous hobby, I was told, “You have to have patience” or “If you don’t have patience then you might as well stop." This got me thinking as of late. A good friend of mine...

Banggai cardinalfish. Photo is from the Reef2Reef archives, courtesy of @MarvinsReef, ©2019, All Rights Reserved. Banggai cardinalfish, Pterapogon kauderni, are native to a small area around Indonesia. They are very popular in the marine aquarium trade and considered endangered in the wild. A...

Photo courtesy of the Reef2Reef archives, ©2018, All Rights Reserved. 'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house Not a creature was stirring, not even a wrasse; The stockings were hung on the live rock with care, In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there; The fishes were...

Today's article is brought to us from R.L., who we profiled recently. He has more than 15 years of experience keeping reef tanks, and he also has the good fortune to live on the west coast of Florida on the Gulf of Mexico. In his own words, you can read about beachcombing and wild collecting...

This photo is from the Reef2Reef archives. In many cultures, those who are more experienced or older are revered. China even has an International Day of Elder Persons. In the western world, employees who have been with a company for a long time often have varied tangible benefits. Why? Because...