One common question I get is this: What do you do with your quarantine tank in between fish or corals, when it is empty? It’s a great question–and it shows some progressive thinking. As responsible aquarium owners, we set up and use a quarantine tank and proper quarantine techniques and procedures to: Observe our new purchases to ensure they are healthy Give them time to acclimate to our care and fatten up before being added …
The definitive guide to moving an aquarium safely
Introduction The true test of friendship is to ask your friends for help moving an aquarium…and see how many of them stick around to hear when you’re planning your move. Over the years, I have had to move my aquarium many times. From my parents’ house into my first apartment From apartment to apartment (multiple times) From my apartment to my first house From that house to my next house…and so on I’ve moved my …
Bird’s nest coral care guide
The Bird’s nest Coral is a Small Polyp Stony coral (shortened to “SPS” by many aquarium owners) with thin yellow, purple or pink branches that grow into a densely intertwined mass resembling the nest of a bird. As far as SPS corals go, the bird’s nest coral is one of the easiest, but that doesn’t mean this species is suitable to the uninitiated reef tank. Caring for any coral, especially an SPS coral is a moderately …
Tomato clownfish
The Tomato Clownfish is one of the most popular saltwater fish. The world loves a clown and every reef tank deserves one. But, since it is best to only keep one clownfish species in a tank, how should you decide if this is there right species for you? This guide covers what it takes to care for a tomato clownfish in a reef tank and shares the pros and cons to expect if you do. …
Soft Corals: How to care for soft corals in a saltwater aquarium
The term soft coral is used broadly and relatively unscientifically (is that even a word?) to lump a bunch of related and unrelated coral species into a simple bucket, defined primarily by what they are (soft, with the absence of a major stony external skeleton) and what they are not (they are not mushrooms or zoanthids). The reason any of this is important and worth reading about is that many of these amazing animals (yes, they …
Why does an aquarium need a biological filter?
Why does an aquarium need a biological filter? The biological filter is the solution to this wast management problem in your tank. Your fish and corals eat, drink pee and poop in the water in your tank. Also, the left-over food in the tank doesn’t ever get cleaned up and the only time you ‘take out the trash’ is when you perform a partial water change. Sorry if that sounds a bit gross (I slightly …
Coral Beauty Angelfish: Centropyge bispinosus
Introduction to keeping the Coral Beauty Angelfish The Coral Beauty Angelfish is a very popular saltwater fish among all hobbyist aquarists, because of its beautiful colors and hardiness. Its colors may vary depending on where it was found in the wild, but common colorations include red, orange, or yellow bodies, with edges, fins, and tails of darker blue or purple shades. Here are links to answers to a few of the most frequently asked questions: Is a …
