Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.
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Controlling High Temperature in Reef Aquariums
Controlling High Temperature in Reef Aquariums Reef aquarists are focused on providing their fish and invertebrates with the best of care. Much effort is spent maintaining water quality, lighting and water movement. Ideal water temperature is an area of debate, but most reef aquariums are kept between 76-83F. Reef keepers often find their water temperature…
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Marine Fish Nutrition
Nutrition for Marine Fish – The Science Behind Fish Food Good nutrition is essential for keeping marine fish healthy and vibrant. We feed our fish a variety of fresh, frozen and prepared foods in hopes that it will cover all the “nutritional bases” and keep the fish in good shape. Many of us, in the…
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Tap Water: Friend or Foe to the Reef Keeper?
Tap water: Friend or Foe to the Reef Keeper? For many aquarists tap water is just “water.” You add it to the tank and never give it another thought. But for the reef aquarist tap water is the lifeblood of the aquarium. The purity of the water we use to mix our saltwater or just…
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Secrets of Coral Fragging: How to Frag Corals Successfully
Are you new to the hobby and want to learn how to frag corals successfully? Are you an advanced aquarist and you’re looking for a few of the secrets of coral fragging and want to have better success fragging your own corals. Is your local aquarium club hosting a coral frag swap and you want to…
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New Tank Syndrome
Have you heard about something called, New Tank Syndrome? It’s a term that can strike fear in the studious budding new aquarium hobbyist and is the unfortunate downfall of many who didn’t know it existed. Let’s dig into what we know and don’t know about this unfortunate phenomenon that affects new saltwater aquarium owners. Starting…
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Aquarium Water Testing – It’s easier than you think!
Aquarium Water Testing – It’s easier than you think! Concerned that aquarium water testing will be too complicated? Do you wonder if you need a chemistry degree to do your own aquarium water testing? Don’t despair. Aquarium water testing is easier than you think! Every marine aquarist knows good water quality is essential for keeping…
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Saltwater aquarium reactors and contactors
Saltwater aquarium reactors and contactors If you’ve spent any time online exploring reef discussion groups, shopping online or hanging out at a good reef shop, you’ve heard about or seen alien-looking devices called “aquarium reactors” or “contactors.” Depending on your temperament, your first response to reactors might be “COOL! I want one…or two!” or “Looks complicated and…
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Phytoplankton Strains and Uses in a Saltwater Tank
Phytoplankton Strains and Uses in a Saltwater Tank What are Phytoplankton? Phytoplankton are teeny-tiny (microscopic) plant-like organisms. The name phytoplankton comes from the Greek for “plant drifters” because these photosynthetic creatures typically drift about in the ocean, absorbing sunlight and turning it into delicious sugars. In turn, filter feeding invertebrates, like the sponges, clams and corals in…
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Why it is a bad idea to add more than one fish to your tank at a time
Why it is a bad idea to add more than one fish to your tank at a time [pullquote cite=”” type=”right”]Adding too many fish to your aquarium too quickly can end up in disaster.[/pullquote] I was six years old when I set up my first aquarium. It was actually a tank for a red-ear slider…
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Update: Daylight Savings Challenge
Daylight savings was several weeks ago (on March 7th). In the spirit of daylight savings, I wrote the Daylight Savings Challenge for Saltwater Aquarium Hobbyists post. In the challenge, I let you know that I was going to reduce the amount of time I run my aquarium lights and was challenging you to do the…
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