Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.
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Clean up crew: is it worth it?
The job of a clean up crew (CUC), in a saltwater aquarium, is to keep the tank clean by eating the leftover food, algae, and detritus in your tank. A clean up crew typically consists of a mixture of crabs, snails, and the occasional shrimp. But the use of clean up crews is controversial in…
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I bet you aren’t testing for THIS in your aquarium
I bet you aren’t testing for THIS in your aquarium… Countless articles herald the virtues of testing your aquarium water on a routine basis. I know I have even written my own version of that time-tested advice. When you are cycling your tank, it is important to test for ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates. On a routine…
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A serious problem in our hobby: how do you know what to believe?
I’m fired up again–get ready for a rant. Don’t know why I’m fired up, but I am. I’m frustrated with all the nonsense that’s out there in the discussion forums. It’s a shame, it can be confusing to the uninitiated and it is a disservice to the hobby. Why is it that we aquarium hobbyists…
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The NEW Aquasun LED Light from ZOOMED
ZOOMED Laboratories just added an LED light fixture to their line of aquarium lights–the AQUASUN(R) LED light fixture. The fixtures are equipped with high-output white and blue LED lights. The image below shows the white and blue lights on together–white and blue can be operated independently with different switches. The white lights sip a modest…
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Practical Coral Farming: Book Review
A quick thanks to Miguel Tolosa for sending me a copy of Practical Coral Farming, Second Edition, with a forward by Marc Levenson. This quick read covers the basics for those of you who might be interested in setting up your own coral farming operation as a business. As the title suggests, this 140 page book…
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Dealing with aggression between fish in a marine aquarium
Aggression Between Fish in a Marine Aquarium Unfortunately, aggression between fish in a marine aquarium is a common problem. Let’s face it, a coral reef can be a tough place to make a living, and the fish we keep in our homes have evolved to survive in that fish-eat-fish world. When we pluck them off…
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Another ‘Learning Experience’ with my tank
Well, I had another ‘Learning Experience’ with my tank the past few weeks. It all started (I think…) with my return pump. There’s no sense in hiding it, time to come clean… I got lazy. Seriously. I have a Mag 7 return pump in my sump, and I use the pre-filter sponge attachment. Well, you…
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The Truth about Sand in a Saltwater Aquarium
Think you know all about sand for your saltwater aquarium? I thought I did, until I learned the truth about sand by listening to the ReefThreads podcast. In their podcast 124, Gary and Christine (the usual hosts, if you don’t listen to the podcast) had a guest on named Boomer, who sounded like he knew…
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Aquarium Safety Tip: Make a List
I was listening to the Reef Threads Podcast on my way to work and was intrigued by a story Christine and Gary were sharing about a hobbyist who became really sick from palytoxin. Apparently the hobbyist was literally cooking live rock on the stove. Just to be clear to anyone reading this–cooking live rock is…
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Evolving the saltwater aquarium industry: what would Google Do?
It’s no secret that Google, and the internet more broadly, have transformed (and even dismantled) entire industries. As I look at some of the pain points we face in the aquarium hobby, I can’t help but look to Google as a model for evolving the saltwater aquarium industry. My inspiration for this post was a…
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