Merry Christmas From Aquarists Online
December 24, 2007
From Peter and John Cunningham

We Wish Everyone
A Very Enjoyable Christmas
&
A Happy New Year
We will be back in the New Year. See you then!
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Christmas Is Coming – Remember The People Who Are Not So Fortunate
December 23, 2007
Christmas is a fantastic time of year. Watching my sons excitement grow from day to day is a joy to behold.
It’s a magical time, a family time yet at the same time an upsetting time.
It’s not upsetting in the sense of cost, what you may (or may not) receive – it is upsetting in relation to all the people all over the world who are not as fortunate as my family is.
My son for example wrote a Chistmas list over a page long which covered all the things he hopes to get from Father Christmas as I am sure children from all over the world do.
There are a lot of children who would love to just receive one present, there are people who will be spending Christmas alone, there are families who cannot afford a turkey etc etc etc.
We really are fortunate and it is this time of year when we need to think about people who are less fortunate than outselves.
Personally I give money to charity and do a Christmas box full of presents which is sent to children via a charity so that they will receive at least one present at Christmas.
I do not send Christmas cards to people outside of the family – instead I give money to charity.
I am very thankful for what I have, the life which I am able to provide for my family yet I also do feel for the people who through no fault of their own are not as fortunate as me. Please do not misunderstand me I am not saying that I am better than other people as I am a firm believer that all people are equal – no one is better than me and no one is worse than me – we are all the same.
So enjoy your Christmas – have a great day – yet think of the people who are not as fortunate as yourself.
Perhaps receive one less present this year and give one to someone who otherwise might have had nothing.
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Do You Think You Will Receive Anything Aquarium Related For Christmas?
December 22, 2007
With Christmas now only a few days away there are a lot of people planning for the day, a lot of children (and parents!) starting to get excited.
I know Joshua is!
He has done his Christmas list which has been sent, received a lovely letter from Santa, the Christmas trees are up and now we are planning for the big day to arrive.
It really is a great day for both children and adults to enjoy.
But what about your corals, fish etc?
Are you going to buy them a little Christmas present?
How about some food, some additives – of course they don’t know it’s Christmas but it makes a great excuse to purchase something doesn’t it.
What about you?
Is there anything you are hoping to get for Christmas?
Some new equipment, a book, perhaps even your very first aquarium – who knows.
Personally I am hoping that Becky (the better half!) will perhaps have got me a new refractometer – I have dropped enough hints about it – but I will probably end up getting more socks.
Be great to hear what you are hoping for and after the big day what you actually received.
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What Is An Artificial Reef Aquarium, and What Is Classed As A Modern Reef Aquarium?
December 21, 2007
These two questions have been asked and, on consideration, are really interlinked. Answering one leads to the answer for the other. So I’ve chosen to do it that way, together. There is no general classification for aquariums as asked (as far as I am aware) so this text is just personal opinion.
Firstly, I suppose it is true to say that, strictly speaking, all reefs in aquariums are artificial. The only genuine reef is the wild one wholly created by Mother Nature out in the sea or ocean. However, things to my mind have become a little more complicated.
Accepting that all aquarium reefs are ‘artificial’ in the strict sense, I prefer to go a little deeper.
[Read more]
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Aquarium Photography
December 20, 2007
Richard over at GreatReefTanks.com has done a great post called ‘Creating A Better Reef Photo’ which is the first post in a series detailing how to take good photos of the life which is in your [tag-tec]saltwater aquarium[/tag-tec].
To date he has written part 1 which covers composistion and part 2 which covers exposure and I am sure there will be some more great ones to come.
This life can be corals, fish, invertebrates, anything you like really.
[Read more]
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Stress, A Potential Killer
December 19, 2007
With a successful marine aquarium, be it a fish only aquarium or reef aquarium, the term ‘stress’ seems inappropriate. Beautiful fish gliding about, corals swaying in the currents, shrimps on their eternal quest for another morsel to eat. Aquarists sit and watch the living picture with a sense just the opposite to stress.
In the human world stress is well known. The so-called rat-race, people getting to work, then being overworked, then sitting in traffic jams on the way home again – and all the rest. Stress is recognised medically as a problem, and it can lead to complications if not dealt with.
The marine aquarium world is not different. There is a difference in cause, but the affect on the afflicted can be no less catastrophic.
On the wild reef natural stress is part of the daily routine. Fish can be chased by and perhaps escape from predators. Predators create the need to hide for security. In breeding periods there is competition. There may be brushes with disease. Life on the wild reef can generally cope.
[Read more]
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Aquarium Maintenance Software
December 18, 2007
Due to an unforseen database issue the content of this post has been lost. This article has been re-written and therefore replaces this one. The new article can be located at:
http://www.aquaristsonline.com/blog/general/aquarium-software-to-assist-you-with-your-aquarium-maintenance/
Both John and I record our water parameters, maintenance activities etc in a little book which we complete after each water test, when items are due for replacement etc.
Over time this gives us a very good representation as to what is happening in the aquarium, any trends which can be identified, trouble which can be potentially averted prior to it happening etc.
This is the way we do it and a lot of other aquarists all over the world do it this way as well.
Of course there are some people who do not record any information at all. The water is simply tested to check if everything is ok. If it is then it is simply forgotten about, if it isn’t then steps are hopefully put in place to locate and rectify the issue.
As with anything there are other ways in which you can record the information. One of which is via the use of computer software.
[Read more]
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