It seems like every beginner aquarists’ dream nowadays. They set up the tank, cycle it, and want a pair of clownfish to start out with
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Saltwater Aquariums
In his book Ocean Gardens: The History of the Marine Aquarium, naturalist H. Noel Humphreys wrote, “The marine Aquarium is, as yet, a plaything, a mere toy; but it is destined to become a far more important means of advancing science, and ministering to popular instruction, amusement, and wonder, than is yet dreamt of.” This he wrote in 1857. That wasn’t a typo; apparently, saltwater aquarium keeping was already a thing, and had a history, prior to the American Civil War. It might boggle one’s mind to imagine the lengths these hobbyists must have went through to keep and study marine life in private fish tanks. Saltwater aquaria (if you prefer proper Latin) are quite impressive today. They certainly are a lot more advanced. Yet, you could say that some things have come full circle. Consider the renewed value we place on live foods (e.g. pods, phyto, etc.). Consider also the rekindled interest in biological filters; new developments in natural filtration (i.e. using refugium algae and/or various types of bacteria) are still coming to light. And perhaps most significantly, many aquarium species are now available as captive bred! In this section, you will learn how to build an advanced, modern saltwater aquarium system as well as how to establish a healthy, natural biological community.
135 Posts
How to Choose Healthy Saltwater Fish
One of the most exciting parts of fish keeping is going down to your local aquarium store, browsing through their selection of fish,
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Dealing With Aggressive Tank Mates
One of the most important aspects to think about when adding new fish to your aquarium is the aggression from your established
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The Marine Planted Tank: Creating Your Ocean Garden
You’ve successfully kept saltwater fish. Then you moved on to corals. Then, maybe you took on the slightly greater challenge of
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What is a Planted Marine Aquarium?
The cultivation of saltwater plants is nothing new. It has been fairly common for hobbyists to keep marine “plants” (more often
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Creating a Suitable Growing Space for Your Mangrove
As of late, a few varieties of mangrove have become more available to saltwater aquarium hobbyists. With this, it will likely be a bit
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Sponges in the Marine Aquarium
Coral reef aquaria, and the science of maintaining them, have advanced by leaps and bounds in the last decade. Much of this owes to
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Why You Need a Quarantine Tank
Most of us invest a lot into our aquarium systems. Not just financially, but also time, sweat, and dedication. The best means of
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Beginners Guide to Maintaining a Saltwater Aquarium
A major component of reefing and keeping saltwater aquariums that deters people from the hobby is the maintenance that is required to
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Enhancing Coral Nutrition with Purple Non-Sulfur Bacteria
Most people who are familiar with corals--whether admiring them in the wild or displaying them in a glass box--understand quite well
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Power Outage Preparedness
Some aspects of this hobby are often overlooked until problems actually arise. Marine aquariums require a lot of time and dedication,
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Quarantine and Dip Treatment Method
Anyone can agree that having a tank wiped out by disease is a terrible experience and having to treat a reef system for ich or marine
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Aquarium Water Testing for Beginners
An idea that I have heard often within the reef community is that you are not caring for corals or fish, but rather you are caring for
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A Quick Guide to LPS and SPS Corals
There comes a time in this hobby when many aquarists grow bored of their beginner corals and they become interested in small and large
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Nitrate Management in Your Saltwater Aquarium
When setting up new aquariums, most people worry about and focus on ammonia and nitrate management. Everyone knows that cycling a tank
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Uncommon Saltwater Diseases and Infections
All saltwater aquarists will deal with common diseases at the beginning of their tank keeping journey. These include the infamous Ich,
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Advanced Testing and Trace Elements
Starting out in the aquarium hobby, most people simply buy test strips (which I do not recommend whatsoever) or “master” liquid test
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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
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A Clean Start: The Benefits of Using Dry Base Rock
Considering that it serves as both aquascape material and biofilter medium, it’s safe to say that live rock is pretty important. We
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How to Set Up an Aquarium for a Green Mandarin Dragonet
I should have done this! I should have done that! Throughout your experience in the saltwater aquarium and reef hobby, you will be
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