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Beginners Education

Arguably, there are few “pastimes” as challenging and all-consuming as marine (and especially reef) aquarium keeping. Longtime hobbyists might forget the relative ease with which they likely got “into” reef aquaria--very possibly with a lot of freshwater aquarium keeping experience behind them. While it is true that the foods, equipment and methodologies of today are greatly improved from those of yesteryear, there is now so much more to learn from the get-go. Definitely a lot of choices to make! With the massive amounts of (often contradictory) information out there, beginner reef aquarists might feel more intimidated now than ever before.

That’s totally cool. You’ll get “there” soon enough. The most important thing is to move forward step-by-step, and to have fun along the way. The whole point of spending all that money and time on this (or any) hobby is to relax and maybe learn something, right? The vast majority of saltwater aquarists who throw the term “newbie” around don’t really mean it as a pejorative; if anything, they recall that period with nostalgia (and maybe even a bit of envy), for it is the fleeting beginner stage where aquarium keeping is especially exciting and the animals so incredibly fascinating.

No one here would suggest that a beginning aquarist should avoid challenges, but we certainly would advise one against making some of those beginner mistakes. In reef aquarium keeping, there is no bigger virtue than patience!

In this section, you will learn how to avoid some of the most common pitfalls for novice aquarists as well as how to build the foundation of knowledge you’ll need to master the art.

188 Posts

Increasing the Efficiency of Your Sump to Decrease Water Changes

Water changes are the most dreaded part of regular tank maintenance to most hobbyists. So much so, that many people start skipping
Read More about Increasing the Efficiency of Your Sump to Decrease Water Changes

pacifica

A Look at Seven Great Red Macroalgae For the Refugium

It's been a looong time since there was a "typical" refugium. And even if there was a typical sort of refugium today, it wouldn't look
Read More about A Look at Seven Great Red Macroalgae For the Refugium

Beautiful Zoanthid Polyps Growing side by side with algae

Using Phytoplankton to Control Bad Algae

Despite their lush appearance, natural coral reefs are extremely nutrient-poor environments. Not likely to be able to grow too much bad
Read More about Using Phytoplankton to Control Bad Algae

Clean Sea Lettuce direct from our Algae Farm, perfect for your refugium!

Stocking a Refugium

Marine aquaria have a peculiar way of growing (in terms of both size and complexity) over time. These “add-ons,” be they filtration
Read More about Stocking a Refugium

A beautiful peppermint shrimp ready to eat some aiptasia

Peppermint Shrimp: The Aiptasia Destroyers

Peppermint Shrimp (Lysmata boggessi) The Aiptasia Destroyers This time was going to be different, you said. You had just set up a new
Read More about Peppermint Shrimp: The Aiptasia Destroyers

A Look at the Aiptasia-Eating Filefish (Acreichthys Tomentosus)

Nuisance algae is such a common irritant to marine aquarists that any mention of the words “aquarium plague” can immediately bring to
Read More about A Look at the Aiptasia-Eating Filefish (Acreichthys Tomentosus)

The intricately patterned trochus snail

Utilizing the Trochus Snail (Trochus spp.)

Algae, of course, is not an inherently bad thing; without it, the natural world could not exist as we know it. However, there are many
Read More about Utilizing the Trochus Snail (Trochus spp.)

Dinoflagellate ceratium longpipe

Eliminating Nuisance Dinoflagellates with Ocean Magik Live Phytoplankton

Eliminating harmful and ugly dinoflagellates remains one of the most common—and challenging—tasks for the marine aquarist. Not only can
Read More about Eliminating Nuisance Dinoflagellates with Ocean Magik Live Phytoplankton

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