ShareSea Cucumbers: Nature’s Calcium Reactor? By Shane Graber Research shows that sea cucumbers account for a remarkable half of total nighttime calcium carbonate dissolution for coral reefs. In other words, as cukes sift and process sand through its digestive system, they dissolve a lot of CaCO3 and recycle calcium and carbonate back into the water [...]
ShareWe covered the first Halcurias anemone that appeared at live aquaria a couple weeks ago, and as there is more and more of these puppy’s popping up in the trade, here is a reminder why they a freaking awesome. One glimpse at the picture above should make you agree that this is an anemone that [...]
ShareThe human mind typically favors symmetry when it comes to determining what’s beautiful. Well, this latest two faced clam challenges that completely, as it’s patterns are nowhere near symmetrical. Back in November of last year, we saw what we thought to be a one-of-a-kind two face Tridacna maxima clam from ReefKoi Corals. The mantle from [...]
ShareReef Aquarium Wedding Cake By: Brandon Klaus Reef Tank Wedding Cake You know you’re an ultimate aquarium junkie when your wedding cake can double as a fully functioning reef tank, complete with LED lighting. Reef2Reef member “drainbramage” recently shared images of such a cake from the wedding of fellow Reef2Reef-er “Scubajay”, whose wife is obviously [...]
ShareMany aquarists ask whether it is acceptable to use tap water for their reef aquaria. The answer obviously depends on what is in their tap water. We have all heard of aquarists who use only tap water and are seemingly very successful. We’ve also heard the opposite, such as folks that had significant problems until [...]
ShareHere’s a great resource that shows a large selection of aquarium types back to back for easy comparison. It can be found on NorthSide Aquatics website. There is also a site for commonly available stands – here. The site also lists aquarium and stand dimensions, so you can easily match a tank and stand, or [...]
ShareElemental Analysis of Skimmate: What Does a Protein Skimmer Actually Remove from Aquarium Water? by Ken S. Feldman, Advanced Aquarist Recent efforts primarily by Hatcher and colleagues (Mopper, 2007; De la Rosa, 2008) using sophisticated mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy techniques have revealed that authentic ocean TOC is comprised of tens of thousands [...]
ShareSaltwater Chemistry Basics pH – ideal level 8.3-8.4 (Multitest pH and Alkalinity Test kit) Scale of 0-14 – Low numbers are acidic, high numbers are basic pH is determined by the number of hydronium ions (H3O+) Hydronium (H3O+) is formed by the dissociation of standard water molecules H2O. In the process of dissociation, a hydrogen [...]
ShareDomino Damsel (Dascyllus trimaculatus): The domino damsel is one of the most popular saltwater fish. It is an extremely hardy, inexpensive fish that grows to about 3.5″. It does best in water that is 72-78 degrees F with a pH of 8.1-8.4. When choosing a domino damsel, you should be sure that its tankmates are [...]
ShareFirefish Goby, Nemateleotris magnifica: is a feisty little fish that grows to about 3″. It does well in reef tanks with lots of live rock so that it can run and hide if threatened. Most of the time it is seen flitting about the tank, actively flicking its dorsal fin up and down. Firefish gobies [...]