The two most hated things for a saltwater aquarium keeper are fish diseases and “bad” algae. Some hobbyists make an attempt to go all out against these threats by using an ultraviolet sterilizer. At least in some cases, a properly sized and properly installed sterilizer unit can indeed help to reduce the incidence of disease …
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Sea Urchins in the Reef Aquarium
My first sight of a real, live sea urchin was in an aquarium (a friend’s) rather than in the sea. This was in my youth (i.e. quite a long time ago) in the upper Midwest–a time and place when/where marine aquarium livestock was quite difficult to get your hands on. Back then, and especially there, …
Bubble Algae: How Bad Is It?
Every reef tank has some form of hardscape–a reef base. Unless they are obtained dry, these materials almost always have some form of algae on them, even bubble algae. And even if dry rock is used, tiny bits of algae can slip into the tank later by way of coral skeletons, frag plugs, etc. While …
What Does pH/Alkalinity Actually Mean?
“Some aquarists delight in testing the water for its pH. If you must do this (and believe me it is not necessary), then use the standard pH papers which give colour readings. If the pH reads as low as 7, then you can add a small amount of lime as lime water until the acidity …
Do Giant Clams Eat Phytoplankton?
Particularly for aquarium animals, the giant clams (Tridacna and Hippopus spp.) attain impressive sizes. They are, in fact, among the largest of all invertebrate animals. The group claims the most massive living marine bivalve mollusk species. Some giant clams really are gigantic; THE giant clam, T. gigas, can weigh in at well over 400 pounds …
A Sump AND a Refugium?
Our aquarium systems grow over time. It’s almost inevitable. It’s well-nigh organic. And we surely all hope that as they grow, they get better. One proven way to dramatically improve the functionality of an existing system is with the addition of a sump or refugium. The conventional overflow-with-sump/refugium plumbing design (we can call it a …