Some aquarium fish can be very finicky eaters. This presents lots of challenges for their keepers. In the case of picky marine zooplanktivores, the keeper might have to use exclusively live foods (copepods, brine shrimp, etc.). Live foods are great in that they typically are highly nutritious, don’t introduce a bunch of wastes (such as …
Product Info
It takes a lot of guts to try a new technique, change the setting on a pump or light, alter a water change schedule, etc. Understandably, these changes aren’t carried out with at least a little bit of stress; after all, we pour lots of heart, soul, blood, sweat, tears and cold hard cash into our aquarium systems. Really, what it all boils down to is that we are putting the lives of our beloved pets on the line. So, it takes even more guts, and trust, to take a chance on a new product. Aquarists generally like to research products thoroughly before using them, much less purchasing them. However, it can be rather difficult to find good information about a prospective product, even online–if the info exists at all. Product descriptions, by design, offer plenty of hype but offer little in the way of detailed explanation of how a product works. And in all fairness, the conventional product description is simply too short and refined to allow for that level of elaboration. This is why AlgaeBarn is dedicated to providing its customers with plentiful, honest, relevant, in-depth product information. Our writing team has worked well into many nights conducting that “extra” research so that you don’t have to! Our blog catalogue contains as much content as the average double-volume work of nonfiction, all of which speaks directly to the common needs and questions of our clientele–no hype. Best of all, with so much professionally penned info under your belt, you’ll never have to feel like you’re taking any chances with your valuable aquarium livestock when using our products for the first time. In this section, you will learn all about AlgaeBarn products, the impact they will have on your animals and whether or not they are right for you and your tank!
ELOS Fresco Foods: Convenient Reef Nutrition
It’s Summertime. Nice outside, for now. You’ve got things to do. And none of that involves hanging out in your living room all day. At least for now… your reef tank is not something that you have time to dote on. Still, while you’re determined to have your fun in the sun, you understand and …
The Nitrogen Cycle: Part One (Ammonia Oxidizers)
The nitrogen cycle is as important to our aquaria as it is in global biogeochemical processes. Since it truly is a cycle, there is no actual “starting point” or “ending point.” However, in terms of understanding and indeed promoting nitrogen cycling in our captive systems, It is best thought of “beginning” with the most toxic …
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Using the Aquarium Cycle Kit
One of the more fundamental tasks one must undertake when maintaining a saltwater aquarium is controlling the nitrogenous waste cycle. Most critical is the elimination of ammonia and nitrite, which are both highly toxic and can “crash” a tank in very short time. Fortunately, this job is naturally (and quite effectively) handled by various microbes. …
Quarantining Your Mandarin Fish
If you have even worked at the retail or wholesale end of the aquarium fish industry–even for just a week–you are probably keenly aware of the threats posed by viral, bacterial, and especially parasitic diseases. Between fish collectors, breeders, distributors, stores, etc., your new fish may have crossed paths with hundreds or even thousands of …
A Look at the CADE Frag Series Tanks
There are more than a few All-In-One aquarium manufacturers out there. Some of them make pretty decent tanks. A much smaller handful of companies make decent large tanks. Of these, none truly measure up to CADE. Particularly when you look closely at their design, the top-quality materials with which they are fabricated and their reasonable …
Building and Maintaining a Peninsula Tank
Unlike other types of animal enclosures (bird cages, rabbit hutches, etc. ), an aquarium is a piece of exhibitry. Often, the keeper will go through a considerable amount of work and expense to build an attractive aquarium system that showcases not just the aquascape but also the cabinetry. In recent days, any home aquarist can …
Advanced Refugium Lighting
Planted refugia are used to cultivate macroalgae. And that’s about the only thing that has stayed the same over the years. As time goes on and the saltwater aquarium hobby becomes more and more sophisticated, these set-ups are becoming increasingly complicated, specialized, and technologically advanced. They are designated for many different types of uses (nutrient …
Why Nano Brine is the Ultimate Live Artemia Product
Aside from the assorted little bugs early aquarists may have scooped out of nearby ponds, the first widely used live aquarium food was brine shrimp (Artemia spp.). For sure, the first widely distributed live food was brine shrimp. Even today, despite the growing commercial importance of copepods and rotifers (especially for aquaculture use), one could …
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Upgrading to the ULTIMATE Ecopack
Pods. Phyto. At AlgaeBarn, these are the bread and butter of the reef aquarium diet. And for sure, these two items form the base of most freshwater and marine food chains. Just consider OceanMagik, which is a blend of four distinctly different species of phytoplankton. Or EcoPods, which is a mixed-species (four, to be exact) …
Upgrading to the ULTIMATE Refugium Starter Pack
You might be setting up a brand-new reef tank. Maybe you’re doing some upgrades to an existing aquarium. Either way, you’ll have a lot of individual concerns to address. First and foremost, “Is this system capable of managing a large(r) bioload?” And then, “How will I deal with all of the nitrate that my biofilter …
Why CADE Aluminum Aquarium Stands are the Best
If you’ve been keeping aquariums for a long time, you’ve almost certainly owned a pressboard stand at some point. And if you had that stand for very long, there’s a chance you saw it lose its trustworthiness over time. Particularly if these cheaply made stands are exposed to moisture for extended periods, they gradually warp, …
Do Corals Really Eat Plankton?
It’s hard to say for sure which came first for reef aquarists–the emergence of high-quality coral foods, or the realization that corals actually, really, truly do eat them. Though aquarists are generally a skeptical bunch, the initial apprehension to feeding corals is pretty understandable; in all fairness, many such foods sold in the recent past …
The Pincushion Sea Urchin: A Beginner’s Best
Seldom are sea urchins described as “difficult” or “sensitive” aquarium animals. Yet, they can be quite touchy. Seemingly small insults (such as a slightly reduced salinity following a water change) can send them plummeting fast. And, sea urchins don’t seem to recover well from sickness, shock or injury. Sometimes, it seems that just looking at …
What Do I Need for a Saltwater Fish Tank?
Whether scouting for your first aquarium, or “graduating” from a freshwater aquarium, there is something about a saltwater aquarium that is mesmerizing. For many lifelong aquarists, that feeling of captivating awe never goes away. Thankfully, the intimidating task of learning how to actually build and maintain a saltwater aquarium system does go away. In fact, …
Why Larval Pods are Better for Seeding (Even If You Can’t See Them)
Copepods (pods) are essentially required for any reef aquarium. They perform three important ecological tasks: (1) Graze on benthic microalgae, (2) scavenge detritus, and (3) serve as food for diverse zooplanktivores. They are so ubiquitous in nature, and even in captivity, that they commonly invade new tanks as hitchhikers on live rock, corals, etc. While …
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When to Choose Poseidon’s Feast
Back in “the day,” to acquire a seed culture of copepods, aquarists would typically have to resort to scooping a couple cups of gravel from the bottom of a fellow aquarist’s tank. In these cases, you could only hope to have nabbed a few viable pods–and not any pests (like juvenile aiptasia anemones)! If you …
4 Great Saltwater Aquarium Substrates
Sure, maybe substrates are the last thing we dream about when we’re planning our next big tank build. Maybe some of us quite frankly don’t put much thought into it at all. But in the end, when you’re snapping those full tank shots for Facebook, you might be surprised how much the color and even …
Pom Pom Macro as a Replacement for Chaeto?
It appears that the chaeto macroalgae (Chaetomorpha spp.) has become what Caulerpa was around the turn of the millennium: The predominate go-to refugium macro. And it really can be great for this purpose. That being said, it has (like Caulerpa) its own set of advantages and disadvantages. In reviewing both the pros and cons of …
CADE Reef 1800 S2: Ultimate Aquarium System, Ultimate Value
Over the last three years, the aquarium industry has witnessed huge advancements in so-called All-In-One aquarium system design and technology. There are actually a number of manufacturers that fairly deserve credit for this development, and we applaud all of them. However, one of them in particular–CADE Aquariums of Melbourne, Australia–really caught our eye last year. …
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