Ask The Expert

Hi Juan,

The purpose of the calcium reactor is to replace alkalinity and calcium in the water. Based on the current livestock list provided, you don't have anything taking these up much, if at all. You'd have to test the water weekly (at least) to determine the consumption rate. What is your end goal with this tank? Is it going to be fish and soft corals, or is it going to be a reef tank with a variety of stony corals? If the latter, you'll be glad you have a calcium reactor.

This year I set up a new reef that is 400g. It has a lot of tiny frags just starting to grow. By ...

Every aquarium needs a solid foundation. When installed in a home, a business, or a public venue, the vessel must be fully supported to avoid catastrophic failure resulting in flooding and loss of livestock. On very rare occasions, I’ve seen an aquarium placed directly on the floor, but even in that case, the flooring had to be adequately strong to support that weight.



Factoring in the weight of the aquarium, the water, sand and rockwork, an aquarium stand has to be built to keep the tank in position. What is shouldn’t do is rock back and forth when a person walks around the aquarium. It shouldn’t rack front to back or left to right when a person leans against it, either inadvertently or while working in the system.
...

I have read countless threads on discussion forums asking for assistance with water quality issues. Considering how many forums are available to hobbyists everywhere, it wouldn’t be difficult to imagine that hundreds of queries are posted on a daily basis just in the United States. With the availability of search engines, the information is readily available having been answered time and time again. Why is it so hard to master this particular area of our hobby? Are our personal circumstances so uniquely different from everyone else’s? ...

Mangroves are way cool. They are under appreciated and lacking in attention for nearly all circuits of the aquarium hobby. Historically mangroves only made an appearance in the reef hobby as a source of filtration, often growing in sumps as a way to remove nitrogen compounds. Oddly enough as the years have gone by a general consensus has formed believing that mangroves in general are a very poor choice for filtration. They grow slow, and they appear to remove little nutrient from the water, especially when compared to many species of fast growing macro algae.
...

Acropora sp. - {a-cro-POH-rah; alternate: a-CROP-o-rah} - a species of calcium-based coral that causes frustration and loss of expendable income but brings joy and exuberance to the more detail-oriented caregivers.

At our club meeting recently, I pointed out how keeping Acropora sp. is often considered the pinnacle of reef keeping. Hobbyists yearn for a full-blown tank that holds these colored sticks that grow into such interesting and unique shapes. The question isn't 'if' you can keep them, but rather 'how long' can you keep them alive to the point of enjoying some thriving colonies. Since they come in blue, green, red, orange, purple, yellow, brown and more, a living Acropora-laden reef can be ...

Stop Being Cheap!




Saving money. This is a difficult topic to breach, and I'm sure I'll offend some people in the process but I've been moved to speak up on this very important subject more than once. Not only to improve how others perceive you, but also for the sake hobbyists everywhere and the hobby itself.
...