Frogfish Friend

 HI FRIENDS!!! It might look like my caps lock got stuck, but I am just excited. I get to talk to you about the nitrogen cycle today :)  To start, here is a link to BRS about cycling a reef tank.   Here is a link to R2R talking about the nitrogen cycle. If you have never checked out either pages, I urge you to give them a visit. BRS is a great source of information for the hobby and R2R is one of the more active forums that discuss more complex mechanisms in the hobby.  A quote from K-Philly in the R2R link sums up the nitrogen cycle really well; "From a general standpoint, it is in the most basic sense a culturing and promotion of particular groups of bacteria that target inorganic wastes or organic wastes, to to utilize them for growth. This utilization in turn, benefits the hobbyist by providing a natural way to expel these toxins from their aquatic systems."   This is in short why live rock and sand are so important as the backbone for filtration. Nitrogen is converte

 Hi friends! You know what I have a love hate relationship with (mostly hate)? The so called "designer" corals.  For those of you new to the hobby, these designer corals are given special catchy names and the prices are then marked up. For example (in the picture to the right) you will see a nice colorful Zoanthid. This particular coral is known as a "white zombie". And it sells for over $150 per head! The green and blue zoas behind it are known as "radioactive dragon eye" green variety (because there is also a red version).  Basically, this is just a way for people to mark up products. Normally it goes along the lines of "Indonesian electric zing". Or the location it is supposedly from plus something fun sounding.  The only positive note I can say about it is it helps us differentiate specific morphs and mutations. So if I am in the market for a green coral it can make it a little easier to stay consistent.  In addition to their absurd names, co

 Hi friends! Today I would like to introduce you to a person that helped me deep dive (get it?) into the reef tank hobby. Randy Holmes-Farley is a chemist by trade that is very active on reef tank forms (primarily Reef 2 reef). He has been in the reef tank hobby for a little over 30 years and has helped advance the hobby to where it is today. He has a BA in chemistry and biology as well as a PhD in chemistry. He breaks down a lot of water chemistry and parameter topics into something easy to understand and use.  Water chemistry is a fundamental part of excelling in the reef tank hobby. There is a difference from having your tank functioning and surviving to thriving and glowing. An understanding of water chemistry will help you know what the coral and fish will need and how to keep things stable and safe. If your alkalinity is low, for example, your coral may have stunted growth. Knowing how much of what to add (I use ashe water for alk drops because of him as well), how slowly, and wh

   Hi friends!  Many of you may not know this, but the reef tank hobby goes through waves of trends (get it?). A few years ago scollys' were the big expensive coral going around. Not long after that bounce mushrooms were a bit hit. Rockflower anemones' had a short time in the lime light. And of course how can we forget about all of the designer zoanthids.  A lot of the trendy coral that makes its way into the hobby also depend on oversea regulation. Indonesia (where most coral is shipped from) placed heavy regulations on ocean harvesting and trade over the last year in part due to covid and in part due to over fishing.  My big bold prediction for 2022 is that there will be a wave of "desk" tanks as the next trend. This would help move the hobby forward in many ways.  1. It would take focus away from office betta tanks that are not suitable for fish. Fish need a lot more space than most people believe. A betta fish is recommended to have at least 5 gallon

 Hi friends! I would like to talk about filtration in the reef tank hobby. These are the main three: 1. Mechanical 2. Chemical 3. Biological Mechanical filtration in this hobby is typically a filter sock, sponge, and filter floss . There is also more advance equipment such as roller mats. The idea behind mechanical filtration is to strain matter from the water. So as water flows through a sock, larger particles (typically 100-200 microns) stay inside. It is best to change and wash these every 3-7 days depending on how much is being fed to the tank. Mechanical filtration is typically easy to use, easy to clean and maintain, and very efficient if changed regularly. Chemical filtration is typically GFO (granular ferric oxide) or activated carbon. GFO is used to control phosphates and silicates. This may seem tempting to many new reefers that have an algae outbreak. But chances are this will mask a problem until it "explodes". Carbon, on the other hand, is safe to use. It hel

One of the most important parts of reef keeping is clean and consistent water parameters. Water is something that has a little bit of a learning curve but gets easier with practice. Here is a link to a good salt mix if you need some ideas. To start, I STRONGLY recommend using RODI water. RODI water is filtered water. An example is in the picture to the left. A standard 4 stage filter will normally be sufficient. This may seem unnecessary to a lot of people. But something to consider... We are responsible for the health of the coral. We need to know exactly what we put into the tank. Otherwise one mistake can destroy everything we work so hard to care for. In order to do that we must strip everything from the water in the form of filtration. We add everything the coral and fish need to survive through the salt mix. It contains the salt and major and minor trace elements. Once filtered, it is important to verify the water comes to 0 PPM with a TDS (total dissolved solid) meter . This is