What Does A Beginner Need?
June 8, 2008
This isn’t going to be a list of what is considered to be essential in the way of equipment, or a list of compatible fish, or anything down those lines.
This is going back to absolute basics, the very beginning, before the dawn of individual experience.
This is what was considered when the idea of this website first arose. How can the complete beginner best be assisted? Or those who, though started, still have problems?
To obtain an answer to the question, consideration was given to what the basic problem is that a beginner faces. For example, picking an aquarium is easy, and if it is from a reputable manufacturer then it will be properly constructed. It isn’t necessarily individual pieces of equipment that present a problem, though explanations are needed.
It is the explanations themselves that are often the problem. The beginner without any marine experience needs straightforward answers. So there lies the answer to the question: the beginner needs simplicity.
I recall opening a book many years ago and seeing something that made me close it again! I haven’t the book any more, but it could have been like this:
W = H - S = 8000 - 0.5
A - B - C A - B - C
The above is in fact a part of a simple lighting calculation, useless on its own. There are others that are far more complicated. A beginner, however, looking at the above would be likely to ‘turn off’ and go elsewhere.
What the beginner requires is simple down-to-earth advice.
Go on the internet and ask a question and there are likely to be well intentioned answers and opinions, but ones that differ, and so the struggling beginner is still left with problems on which way to go.
So it seems best to offer ‘guidelines’, sure footholds to trust along the way. Also to give straightforward explanations where these are needed. This is the premise that the website is based on.
Keeping to the above, there are ‘Guides’ to walk with along the path. There are Articles to explain ‘what’ and ’why.’
It seems to be working - the feedback mainly by Email and also by on-site comment has been very good. We did have a complaint, and that was that a ‘Guide’ had not downloaded. This was because there was a computer hitch. When downloaded the aquarist was delighted.
This could sound a little like self-congratulation, but it isn’t. We’re delighted of course, but are always aware that anything can be improved somehow.
On the basis that the website is intended to be a ‘simple help’, it has been expanded and now includes the facility to look at the top marine equipment suppliers so that a choice can be made. There is also a ’Social’ section. We have not lost the original concept however.
When I started keeping marines there wasn’t an internet - home computers were also unheard of, though they were not that far away. How wonderful if there had been an internet, what a resource it is!
As always, we are open to suggestions (not too rude!) about how we can develop bearing in mind the concept of simplicity.
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Tags: aquarium, fish-tank, home-aquarium, marine-aquarium, reef-tank, saltwater-aquariumHere’s A Place For A Spot Of Aquarium DIY!
June 2, 2008
There’s a lot of aquarists around who like DIY. Not surprising really - anything can be built in this hobby from a stand and canopy to various devices, such as protein skimmers, calcium reactors, sand beds etc., even the aquarium itself.
One of the biggest problems is the pre-work. By this I mean working out what is required in material. Then of course there’s the procedure of actually building it.
Here’s a website that brings all that pre-work on many items together, so that the aquarist doesn’t need to. Plus a ‘how to proceed’ section.
For example, if a stand is to be built, then type in the length, width and height of the aquarium it will support, advise what the aquarium will be constructed of (glass, acrylic etc) and the rest will be done. Advice is given on aquarium glass thickness, and a cutting list for timber provided. Then there is a ‘follow this procedure’ advisory.
There are quite a few items that could be of interest to the aquarist who is into DIY.
Just go to the website given below. On the left hand side scroll down to ‘DIY’ and expand the section. Then pick and away it goes.
Tags: aquarium, DIY, fish-tank, home-aquarium, marine-aquarium, reef-tank, saltwater-aquarium
Is This The Most Popular Hobby In The World?
May 31, 2008
There are many hobbies that people enjoy. Some people have a hobby that is a consuming passion, others its just something that is an enjoyable way to pass the time.
There are lots of different hobbies, some depending on the area of the world the hobbyist lives in. For example, gardening. This is a very large group, but it is mainly restricted - but not wholly - to temperate areas. Growing flowers in a desert is difficult! There are cacti of course and they have their own following.
The hobbies that are available vary from large numbers of participants to small. Stamp collectors may enthuse greatly, but their numbers are comparatively low. Amateur photographers run into much greater numbers, but those numbers are not that large. So it goes on: scuba divers, kite flyers, hang gliders, sailing, painting, art collecting, athletics, cooking, DIY, written competitions - well, you get the idea, the list could be very long.
None of the hobbies I can think of seem to equal the popularity of marine aquarium keeping. Maybe I have the wrong idea of the numbers involved in some other hobbies, or perhaps I have missed a massively popular one.
Look at the marine aquarium hobby. Some are interested in fish only aquariums, others in pure reefs and others, probably the most, in mixed reefs. It doesn’t matter whether the hobbyist is rich or of more modest means, all can participate.
Then there are the internet forums and other websites that have sprung up, and there are large numbers of them.
I receive Emails from around the world on various aspects of marine aquarium keeping.
Then consider industry. It was not that long ago that manufacturers had little interest in the hobby. If there are few hobbyists, there isn’t a viable market. But look at it now, there are manufacturers producing equipment in competition with one another, and additives to allegedly enhance the aquarium environment etc. It is a vibrant industry and, again, would only be viable with a large enough customer base.
Marine aquariums can exist anywhere in the world, hot or cold. All that is required is the equipment to maintain the seawater at the required temperature, be this heaters or seawater chillers, and have other equipment and of course livestock availability. This marine hobby is worldwide.
I suspect that hobbyists are the most numerous in the US and the EU. In those two the hobby really is very big. However, other countries, large or small, have representatives, perhaps just a few up to a good number.
So this hobby of ours could be the biggest in the world. In a relatively short period it has grown from diminutive with just a few determined and often struggling followers, the pioneers, to the position it holds today.
This wonderful hobby grows because it is so interesting and educational, and the marine aquarium creation so beautiful. It is also addictive!
Tags: aquarium, fish-tank, home-aquarium, marine-aquarium, reef-tank, saltwater-aquarium
Locating A Marine Aquarium
May 30, 2008
A marine aquarium, be it fish only aquarium or a marine reef aquarium, is very attractive. Therefore it is quite understandable that the aquarist wishes to place it in an area with the most visual impact. The aquarium could go nearly anywhere in the house without too much difficulty.
Marine aquariums are in fact sometimes placed in bathrooms and kitchens as well as other more obvious areas in the house. There’s nothing wrong with this, provided proper consideration is given to the welfare of the fishes and other livestock.
The very first consideration is the size of the aquarium which will indicate the weight. Before the system is even designed, the location should be carefully considered. In addition to whether the aquarium will fit the chosen area properly, there must be an electrical supply that is accessible with the aquarium in place, and the aquarium must be easily accessible for maintenance. Any sump that is going to be used has to be taken into consideration.
If the aquarium is small there could be a temptation to place it on a piece of household furniture. Great caution is needed as much furniture today is not particularly strong. Seawater is heavy, for example the seawater in a net 100 litre aquarium (circa 26.5 US gallons) will weigh around 100 kg (circa 220.5 lbs). Then there’s the weight of the rocks, sand and the aquarium itself to add on. This size of aquarium is not considered big, but I wouldn’t like to trust a piece of home furniture with it, or a smaller aquarium for that matter. It is better to use a proper aquarium stand which will be strong enough.
Another consideration applies to larger aquariums. They will need proper stands, or have supports made individually for them if décor is important, and, in addition, the floor must be strong enough. Solid floors may well be fine, but a suspended floor may need to be checked for suitability, and strengthened if necessary.
It is best not to site an aquarium next to electrical equipment, such as a TV etc. The location may be excellent for visual effect, but seawater next to electrical equipment is not a good idea, as electricity and seawater are not a friendly mix! There could well be dangerous problems, particularly during maintenance of the aquarium.
An aquarium is best sited away from an area of heavy foot traffic, to afford a level of peace to the inhabitants. Some reasonable traffic is not a problem as it does not seem to adversely affect the fish, but constant heavy traffic, such as children, is excessively disturbing.
Similarly, do not place an aquarium against or close to a central heating radiator or an air conditioning outlet vent. In the first case a hot radiator may heat the seawater and in the second cool it (causing heaters to switch on thus costing more). Also, a radiator or outlet vent may need servicing at some point.
Aquarium lighting nowadays is advanced and can provide sufficient spectrum and power for the aquarist’s needs. So there is no requirement for the aquarium to receive any sunlight. Allowing the aquarium to receive sunlight could be detrimental, in that excessive algae growth could be caused (subject perhaps to other additional conditions) and if the sunlight was available for long enough the seawater could be heated. It would not be a good idea, for example, to site an aquarium under a large glass area in the roof or in a garden glasshouse.
Choosing a good location is a really good idea when the weight of the stocked aquarium is considered. Moving it ’as is’ is impossible. Breaking down a stocked aquarium, particularly a reef, to move the system is not fun when it could have been avoided in the first place.
Tags: aquarium, fish-tank, home-aquarium, marine-aquarium, reef-tank, saltwater-aquarium
The So-Called Old Tank Syndrome
May 9, 2008
New tank syndrome is well documented, in fact there is an article on it on this website (http://www.aquaristsonline.com/articles). It is where the aquarist has been impatient and has added livestock either in too much quantity in the first place, or has added livestock in ones or twos but has left insufficient time between additions. In other words, the bio-filtration has been unable to cope as it has not had the time to adjust to the bigger load. This problem doesn’t happen so much nowadays possibly because of better education, the widespread use of live rock, and highly efficient protein skimmers.
Old tank syndrome is a totally different kettle of fish (so to speak!). The aquarium could have been running for years, so the bio-filtration will be well matured and fully geared up to the load it needs to handle. The equipment has been in use for a long time and has never given trouble. The aquarist has noticed that it just doesn’t look as good as it used to.
Often the aquarist cannot fathom out why this should be, and this is understandable. Routine seawater changes and general maintenance are done. The livestock is fed as usual and looks healthy enough.
The problem could well be with the aquarist him/herself. When the aquarium first started all was excitement, it was new, there was something happening all the time. It could have been the bio-filtration maturing, the addition of the first fish and then ongoing fish, the corals going in and settling and all the rest. Watching a captive reef settle and develop is terrific.
There lies one possible reason. There comes a point when the system is fully stocked and the aquarist, who has done the proper research, knows that to increase stock would be incorrect. The corals have grown over a period and been successful, so there isn’t a need for anything else to be added. It has been like this for a long time.
So the aquarist does maintenance week in, week out. Doesn’t complain of course, as maintenance is a responsibility, don’t do the maintenance - give up the hobby. There is pleasure generally in seeing the reef, but something is missing, and that’s the excitement and sparkle of it.
Taking things further, the success of the system can actually be a factor in old tank syndrome. Corals have grown, and done so sufficiently to alter the seawater flow patterns in the display aquarium. Consequently, some corals do not have sufficient flow and are showing the result of it. If the system uses piped seawater flow, such as from canister filters, a return pump in the sump and the like, the pipe internal diameter may have been reduced by deposits. This in turn reduces the amount of seawater that is being moved. There are consequences.
Though general maintenance is done, is the aquarist as punctual with new lights as before? Or what about activated carbon changes? Or what about cleaning the decorative sand bed? Or what about feeding the deep sand bed (DSB) (if it needs it)? Or what about regular cleaning of the protein skimmer? The list can be extended.
So old tank syndrome is not a danger of some disease or other malady possibly appearing after x number of years. It is a reduction in attention from the aquarist because the aquarium has become ‘just there’ rather than exciting.
There’s no need. A little bit of attention, such as some checks into possibly required cleaning and some careful cutting (“fragging”) of corals and the like should return the aquarium to its previous glory. When the aquarium perks up, so should the aquarist.
Tags: home-aquarium, marine-aquarium, new tank syndrome, old tank syndrome, reef-tank, saltwater-aquarium
A Year Ago!
May 2, 2008
I’m always going on in the newsletter about how the time flies between the one I’m writing and the next. It’s true too, though time is constant of course it does seem to disappear at a phenomenal rate.
Now the start of May is here this website has been running for a year. Again, it is hard to believe.
It seems such a short time ago that the concept of the website arose - a source where beginner marine aquarists (and more experienced ones) could come and answer their queries, obtaining straightforward simply put information.
Individual texts (blogs if you like) have gone on being submitted under different categories at a rate of very nearly one a day, so using my mathematical genius there must be around 365 - I haven’t counted them! The most useful ones in our view have been put into the Articles list. All of them are divided into different categories to make any search easier.
The electronic books that can be downloaded continue to go out in a steady flow. These too were prepared to lead an aquarist on the sometimes confusing path to a successful reef or fish only aquarium. They are certainly comprehensive and cover everything from the absolute beginning to maintenance after it is all done. They’re good - but we would say that wouldn’t we! Fortunately, many purchasers of the books have confirmed the point, which makes the considerable effort of producing them in the first place worthwhile.
The website doesn’t look as it did when it first began. It is now very comprehensive in the home page area from blogs to articles etc. Then there is the latest addition, the ’social area.’ This includes a forum and a chat room. Aquarists can have their own accounts and view videos etc, and additionally put up their own blogs, videos and photographs etc. There is more to the social area than that too.
It could well be that a further enhancement will appear before long. New aquarists need equipment and other supplies at competitive prices from a reliable source. So do aquarists who have set their aquariums up. So a possible ’shop’ is being looked into. That would be the icing on the cake in a way - how to set up an aquarium put simply, and reliable equipment at competitive prices when the knowledge is gained. We’ll have to wait and see how things progress.
All the website enhancements are done by Peter, who is as committed as I am in the drive to provide a really comprehensive service without any mumbo-jumbo techno speak.
I cannot guarantee it as the internet is a big place, but I haven’t seen a website such as this one before. Peter created it and should be proud.
We are both delighted at the comments that have been received, they have been positive overall. The numbers using the website are very high. We both hope that the information provided continues to be of use over the next year. Above all else, we hope that there are happy successful marine aquarists who are really enjoying the hobby.
Tags: aquarists, aquarium, home-aquarium, marine-aquarium, reef-tank, saltwater-aquarium
VIA
April 29, 2008
What’s this? It sounds like a technical abbreviation such as PAR, PUR,
DOM, DSB and the rest. They are all relevant to a marine aquarium whether it be a reef or fish only system.
No, this isn’t technical at all. No mumbo-jumbo. However, it is directly to do with the aquarist and his/her aquarium. Very much so. The reef aquarium in this case, and it doesn’t matter if it is a hard coral reef, soft coral reef, or a mixed reef.
We’ve all heard of global warming. I know, I know, but please don’t switch off! This is to do with global warming, but there isn’t going to be any doom and gloom and techno- babble. Well, to be truthful a little gloom just to set the picture.
Reefs are at risk from global warming. Nothing new there. The corals we all care for so responsibly in our temperature controlled systems are at great risk from a temperature increase in the wild. Maybe not tomorrow or the day after, but if science is correct the time is going to arrive. Bleaching corals, dissolving soft corals, acidification and the rest. Not much to sing about really. It will apparently happen over a quite lengthy period in human terms, but a short period in nature’s terms. That’s the end of the gloom, hopefully the picture is clear enough. We’ve all heard it enough times anyway.
The marine hobby has advanced in leaps and bounds. Aquariums that used to house dead rocks and bleached coral skeletons with a few fish and maybe a shrimp or two, are now captive living reefs supporting a host of life forms. This proves the tremendous advance in husbandry techniques. There are of course fish, hard and/or soft corals, shrimps, algae and the myriads of tiny life forms that inhabit the reef rocks and sand. The trend is towards natural methods, hence the DSB (deep sand bed), algae filtration etc in addition to live rock. The captive living reef has been achieved by the maintenance of high quality seawater and the provision of high quality lighting, plus adequacy in other areas such as feeding.
Once an aquarist has, say, around a year of experience and can very honestly state that their aquarium is settled and successful there isn’t any reason that an exercise into ‘fragging’ cannot be undertaken. Many aquarists do this and are to be applauded. It is simply creating new corals from a mother hard or soft coral. It is straightforward and more than likely to be successful provided a little research is undertaken before starting. The techniques are well known and simple, and the research will take little time.
A major advantage of ‘fragging’ is that corals are produced that appear to be more hardy than those in the wild. It also reduces the pressures on wild stocks.
If the practice was done by sufficient numbers of aquarists then there wouldn’t need to be the heavy imports that are currently necessary. I don’t believe that imports would stop, but they would reduce very considerably. Commercial concerns are already involved.
But this is not all about the practice of ‘fragging.’ It is about the aquarist.
It is fairly well known that ’seed banks’ exist of very many land based plants. One such bank is in the UK, Europe. There are others. These banks are there to protect a species should there be a problem that threatens their numbers or even existence.
If enough aquarists undertook the practice of ‘fragging’ the hobby could be nearly self sustaining. But take it further - how many aquarists are there in the world who maintain reef aquariums? There are thousands.
All these aquarists keep corals on their reefs, hard and soft. There isn’t any global warming danger within these aquariums - they are temperature controlled with heaters and/or chillers. The corals grow very well.
So what in effect have we got? A seed bank, or in this case a coral bank. Whatever happens in the wild in the medium and long term, disaster or not, many of the corals will still be with us. They grow and produce more without too much difficulty for the aquarist. In fact, often they grow so well they have to be reduced by ‘thinning‘ - so more corals appear. Provided the marine hobby continues to exist, and I cannot see why it should not, many corals types will never be lost.
Public institutions usually are the main keepers and protectors of wild species, except in the case of marine corals (and fish). I haven’t any figures, but the numbers kept by all the marine aquarists around the world must greatly outnumber those in public aquariums.
So back to VIA then. You’ve no doubt heard of VIP, standing for Very Important Person. VIA stands for Very Important Aquarist.
Tags: aquarium, coral conservation, Coral Reef, home-aquarium, marine-aquarium, saltwater-aquarium
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