Category: General Information

  • Dealing with an aquarium during a power failure

    Dealing with an aquarium during a power failure

    Guess who was dealing with an aquarium during a power failure again within the last few weeks? Yup, this guy here with the keyboard and the blog. Surprised you didn’t guess that. Grab a beverage, I’ll tell you the story. Wicked weather we’ve been having We have had some strange storms here, in Pennsylvania, lately.…

  • What do you do with your quarantine tank when it is empty?

    What do you do with your quarantine tank when it is empty?

    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…

  • The definitive guide to moving an aquarium safely

    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…

  • How to make saltwater from reef salt mix

    How to make saltwater from reef salt mix

    Have you ever looked at a saltwater tank at a city aquarium, or even a dentist’s office and thought, “I wish I could have one of those!” but don’t even know where to begin? For example, where do they even get the saltwater for that reef tank from? To make saltwater for fish, mix o.5…

  • Why does an aquarium need a biological filter?

    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…

  • The Definitive Guide to Reef Aquarium Live Rock

    The Definitive Guide to Reef Aquarium Live Rock

    What is live rock? What is live rock? Where should I start? The term itself is a bit awkward, which leads to some of the confusion. Technically speaking, live rock is not alive. Equally technically speaking, it very much is a rock. The living part of the rock is not the rock itself, but rather…

  • Getting your aquarium ready for vacation

    Getting your aquarium ready for vacation

    Schools will be out for summer here, pretty soon, and the warm weather goes hand-in-hand with vacation. I’m gearing up here to take a few days off. If you’re relatively new to the hobby, you may be wondering…what do you do with your tank when you go on vacation? Well, if you have a reef…

  • 6 Reasons why I love the saltwater aquarium hobby

    6 Reasons why I love the saltwater aquarium hobby

    Do you love the saltwater aquarium hobby as much as I do? I hope so. Over the years, I’ve obsessed about different aspects of the hobby, but I absolutely love it. Here is why I love it–when you get to the bottom, leave a comment and let me know why you love it. 1. There…

  • A big disaster? Or a chance to start over?

    A big disaster? Or a chance to start over?

    The recent Nor’easter took out power to my house. The power went out on Friday, while I was away on business travel, and as of Sunday, the power was still out. The temperature outside was 36 degrees Fahrenheit. The temperature inside the house dropped to 48 degrees by Sunday morning. This is me, in sunny…

  • 3 Biggest aquarium mistakes of the holiday season

    3 Biggest aquarium mistakes of the holiday season

    ‘Tis the season for new gadgets, gear, gift cards and fishes, corals and other invertebrates. I love this time of year–from a personal and family perspective, but also from my personal aquarium perspective–because this is the time of year to think about what I want to do to change up or add to my tank.…