List of Coral Reef Tank Pictures

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"Designer" coral prices and names: RANT POST WARNING

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 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...
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The 5 Best animals for your tank

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5. Peppermint Shrimp The peppermint shrimp is a wonderful creature to have in a tank. It has a fairly high bio load and can be known to nip at coral and smaller fish. But it serves the purpose of cleaning detritus as well as aptasia. They prefer to hide in caves and they are really active at night. 4. Emerald Crab Emerald crabs are the only crab I keep in my tank now a days. There are people who claim they will nip at coral. But from my experience I have not seen any go rouge. They are very busy members of the clean up crew. They pinch at algae throughout the day and help keep the tank clean. One of the main reasons reefers keep them in the tank is for their bubble algae control. Typically you will notice clean sleek rocks near where they hide.  3. Cerith Snail These are my favorite snails and they are great for beginners. They breed very easily in a healthy tank, which promotes a healthier ecosystem. They bury themselves under the sand (a sand bed is required) and clean almost eve...
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SPS Vs LPS Coral comparison

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 Hi Friends! Today I am going over how we categorize coral in the hobby. The three main groups we use are: 1. SPS (Small polyp stony coral) 2. LPS (Large polyp stony coral)  3. Softy   I will go over each of these categories in their own posts for more specific care and details. Things change often in the hobby and one of the more typical changes is how a coral is named and classified. These are not hard rules. Instead it is a tool to assist people in the hobby. SPS coral are what a lot of people imagine when they think about a coral reef. It is typically seen as a "reef builder" and it makes up a lot of the structure on the reef. The small polyps sit over a calcium carbonate skeleton. As the polyps stretch and expand towards the light they secrete the materials to grow their skeleton and tissue. Here are two examples close up. Below is a green Acro with small polyps. Above is a red Monti.   Typically the calcium carbonate skeleton grows first, followed closely by th...
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