Featured
Jellyfish
July 2, 2009 · Leave a Comment
Jellyfish are usually recognized as those squishy things with trailing bits. There are few people with any in depth knowledge, particularly among aquarists. However, they are one of the oldest species in the seas and oceans. Some jellyfish can be big, some small. Some have short stubby tentacles and others very long ones. Some can be dangerous, a fact well known to Australians. Most contact with jellyfish is when a visit is made to a public aquarium where special tanks are often set up. Using specific lighting the jellyfish... [Read the full story]
Care
Why Should Alkalinity Be Higher In The Aquarium?
June 28, 2009 · Leave a Comment
The marine aquarium can be so beautiful if the aquarist does straightforward routine maintenance as required, and doing this maintenance includes attention to the all important seawater quality. Seawater quality is maintained by routine changes of sufficient quantity, and at the same time tests are completed to ensure that the required standards are met. These tests include specific gravity (SG), pH, nitrate and for a reef could include calcium and similar. Some aquarists continue to test for ammonia and nitrite after the... [Read the full story]
Conservation
How To Cut Your Coral
April 26, 2009 · Leave a Comment
It’s enough to make an aquarist shudder, a beautiful reef with corals that are healthy and expanded, fancy cutting one? Er, not really, no. The fact is that corals that are healthy are going to grow. Growth is of course absolutely normal and occurs with whatever the type of coral, soft or hard, and whatever species it is. A captive coral reef that is successful will need attention in time, in addition to the usual but very important routine maintenance. Growth of corals can change seawater flow, reducing it for some corals... [Read the full story]
Equipment
Cool It
April 25, 2009 · Leave a Comment
The most popular lighting for reef aquariums, or to be more specific SPS reef aquariums, continues to be metal halide. This is because metal halides emit a very intense light that has considerable seawater penetration strength as far as aquariums are concerned. Metal halide bulbs are also available in the Kelvin range desired by reef aquarists. There are two major disadvantages to metal halide lighting systems, the first is cost as they are electricity hungry. The second is heat emission which could be a problem in itself... [Read the full story]
Livestock
The Dusky Dwarf
June 30, 2009 · Leave a Comment
There are so many fish that could tempt an aquarist but many of them have an attribute or two that means they cannot be chosen. One of the most beautiful fish types are the angels, for example the emperor angel (Pomacanthus imperator) and the queen angel (Holacanthus ciliaris). These are certainly beautiful but cannot be kept by many aquarists because they grow too large. So the aquarist with a smaller aquarium has to ignore angelfish? Well, no fortunately not. There are some angelfish that are suited to smaller systems... [Read the full story]
DIY
Acrylic Aquariums - Do It Yourself
March 24, 2009 · 1 Comment
Aquarists have a choice of aquarium construction material. There’s glass which is probably the most popular, then acrylic. Aquariums can also be constructed from plywood with a suitable lining. Glass is the material usually targeted when DIY is involved. However, is it possible to use acrylic? The answer is ‘of course, provided there is sufficient information to do it properly.’ So the link given will permit this ‘do it properly’ to be achieved. The link is to an expert website where the subject is understood thoroughly. Here’s... [Read the full story]
Problems
A Question About Algae
May 31, 2009 · 2 Comments
Algae could be the aquarist’s friend and at the same time an enemy, it all depends on what type it is. A question arose recently about algae and my immediate reaction was ‘Oh no, not again, algae!’’ In fact it wasn’t so bad. The question came from a beginner aquarist who openly admitted that she didn’t have much experience. In fact, she had done precisely four routine seawater changes with her new aquarium. The aquarium, a fish only, was not overstocked, if anything it was understocked. She was a little fed up;... [Read the full story]
Aquarists Online Services
Water Quality
Why Should Alkalinity Be Higher In The Aquarium?
The marine aquarium can be so beautiful if the aquarist does straightforward routine maintenance as required, and doing this maintenance includes attention to the all important... [Read more]
Recent Articles
Aquarium Filtration
The Move to Natural Methods
Many modern marine aquariums use ‘natural’ methods as much as possible. This has been achieved by the advances in knowledge that have been made over the last few years. Some... [Read more]
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