Archive for June, 2010
The One Piece of Tank Maintenance That If You Aren’t Doing, Could Cost You Your Tank
If you have a reef ready tank with a built in overflow, make sure you check and clean your your down pipe breather tube regularly! (If you run a hang on the back overflow box, you’re insane)
I awoke at …
Read moreIn the Spirit Of Friday Night: Mandarins Mating
I picked up a male Green Mandarin last week and to my delight, he paired right up with my female and they mated last night.
The mandarin’s mating dance is quite the sight to see as the male darts around …
Read moreThe Most Important Thing To Do Once You Replace Your Bulbs
When bulbs age, they lose their brightness, (called PAR) and their spectrum of color shifts. No matter how good your eyes are, you can’t see these changes.
So when you put in fresh bulbs, the new bulbs have more PAR …
Read moreThe 6 Month Rule for Lighting
One of the biggest debates in the saltwater tank world is how often light bulbs should be replaced.
Some people say every year, some say not until it burns out, some say every 6 months.
Here is the answer broken …
Read moreBacteria in a Bottle: Functional or Fake?
Waiting for your new saltwater tank to cycle can be a real P.I.T.A. For roughly a month when you first start your tank, you can’t put anything in your tank: no fish, certainly no corals, no invertebrates. So you get …
Read moreBigger is Better…Including Downstairs
In the saltwater tank world, bigger is better. Everyone has heard that a bigger tank is easier to keep stable, so therefore you have more success with your tank. Your fish live longer, don’t get sick as often and your …
Read moreMonster Tank Build with Liquid Cooled Lighting
For me, I’m ok with a 90 gallon tank.
For Stephen Keen of Hydro Innovations…not so much. 440 gallons is the right size for him.
I caught up with him in the early stages of his tank build so he …
Read moreGlobal Warming…in My Tank Room?
Earlier in the year, I did a Mr. Saltwater Tank TV show on how to fix low pH issues in your tank.
One of the steps was to open your windows to let excess CO2 (carbon dioxide) in your house …
Read moreTank Personalities: It’s Not about the Skills
Moving between tank personalities is not a matter of a skill set. You can be brand new into the hobby of saltwater tank keeping, and be a reef enthusiast. Likewise, you could have years of experience, and be a tank …
Read moreAuto Top Offs (ATO) Biggest Secret
Running an Auto Top Off (ATO) is one of the easiest ways to keep your tank running smoothly. An ATO unit keeps a constant water level in your tank, which makes sure your protein skimmer runs correctly and keeps your …
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