Frogfish Friend

 

 Hi friends! I get asked a lot of questions every week about my reef tank. One of the more common questions I get asked is along the lines of: "How do I get to the next level in reef keeping?".  I LOVE vague questions like that. Everyone's reef tank experience is different and everyone learns at different paces. So this is a hard question to blindly answer for everyone. But if I were to give a general blanket statement, I would recommend everyone brush up on their biology and chemistry. Learning the basics of these two sciences can greatly expand what you know and connect all of the dots.    There is a lot of overlap for the two, so it helps to know a little of everything. First, if you have not checked out my posts about cycling a tank, check them out here:  Cycling a tank  Ways to cycle a tank Its the nitrogen cycle! These links will help you understand a little more about the biology process going on inside of the tank and why things such as live rock a...

 Hi friends!   I have a question for you today! What if coral became the new "betta"?  What do I mean by this? Well, betta fish are sold in small cups in stores across the country. This is because they sell them so fast (they claim). It leads people to believe they do not need a bigger home too. Along with this, companies market small containers and wild gadgets that really do not promote the health of the fish.  So what if we changed betta for coral? At first I was not sure what that would do... But now I actually think it would be an amazing achievement.  See, coral do not need a certain size container to live in. As long as they have light and good water they should be able to grow healthy. I think this alone would reduce the ethical issues around bettas in a cup. Coral in a cup!  The downside to this is I do not see it taking off. Everyone likes a fish because it swims around and "does stuff". It is active and bright and catches people's attention. Cora...

 Hi friends!  As many of you may be learning, there are a lot of ways to accomplish something in the hobby. It typically comes down to what kind of care and maintenance you are willing to do and fit into your routine.  So tell me... What is your favorite way to cycle a tank? My personal favorite is to blind feed an empty tank. In my opinion, this is the most ethical approach to starting a cycle. All you simply have to do is drop 1-3 pellets into the tank every other day. Then you wait for it to decompose which breaks down into ammonia.  Another way to start a cycle is with a fish. The idea is similar. But instead of the food breaking down, the fish eats it and breaks it down directly to ammonia.  In my opinion, that is a cruel way to start a cycle. You are putting a fish in a dangerous environment. The ammonia burns the fish's gills and reduces its lifespan greatly. It is still a really common cycle method which is troublesome. There is virtually no gain from do...

  Hi friends :) Here is a chance to own your very own FFF gifts for the holiday season! Act fast! Clownfish in Zoanthid 8x10 Canvas Print   Clownfish in Zoanthid Tile Coaster Clownfish in Zoanthid Mugs These are my three favorite items from the shop.  The canvas print is great for when I am away from the tanks. It makes my desk look nice and brings a lot of color to my day. The tile coaster is great when you are busy working in a tank and splash water everywhere. Or for resting your drinks on! Finally, as an avid coffee drinker I strongly recommend these mugs with a cute clown fish. It goes perfectly with the tile coasters!

This is a quick link to my HubPages account.     I am also posting great reef tank information there, so dont miss out! Check out these articles I have already posted: "Introducing a clownfish pair" "Coral Reef Tank Water Basics" "Coral Reef Tank Basics" 

 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...

 Hi friends! One of the most common questions asked in the hobby is "How do I get rid of X Algae".  Unfortunately that is a really hard question to answer blindly. There can be a lot of reasons for an algae bloom and every tank is unique. So treating each tank can be its own challenge. Just remember to do things slowly and carefully. Nothing should be resolved in a day or even a week.  Fortunately a lot of simple tank manors and husbandry will go a long way. If you want to get algae under control you need to work really hard on a good foundation. This means properly cycling a tank, giving time for bacteria to populate the rock and sand, regular water changes, and much more.  One of the easiest ways to reduce algae is to cut back on fish and coral feedings. Most fish have fairly small stomachs and eat a lot less than people believe. Clownfish, for example, have a stomach about the size of their eyes. So maybe two pellets is enough! Also, coral do not need to be fed of...

Hi friends!  Today we will look at something a little different. The ugly side of my tanks! Normally I give my tanks a grace period of 1-6 months before I post them for the world to see. This gives it time to break out of the ugly phase after it has been cycled. (On that note, I always start with already cycled live rock to help the process) The first picture above is when the tank was roughly one month old. It has a standard white led light and a sponge filter. I had no vision of where the tank would go. I stuck with mostly LPS (long polyp stony coral) in this tank. It is considered a mixed reef because there are a few different softies and SPS. But the majority of the tank is LPS. This second picture is roughly around month 4-5. As you can see I added a lot of critters to the tank. Mostly the two clownfish and the anemone. In month 2 the green zoas began to grow off of the plug onto the rock. Once this happens growth becomes exponential as it has a lot of surface area to spread. ...

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...

 Hi friends!  Today I am going over Aqua Illumination's current lineup of lighting. Their flagship products, the AI Prime and the Hydra 32 HD , are one of the most popular in the hobby and for good reason.  There are very few differences between the two products. The Hydra 32HD is essentially 2 AI Primes housed in one body. The AI Prime has 16 LEDs per puck while the Hydra has 32. The only other difference I could notice is the blue and UV channels on the primes are a little bit weaker. As in, when I had all of the lighting programmed to the same intensity and color, the Primes needed the blue and UV higher in order to reach the same effects. All in all, it was not a big deal and does not change the rating on the product.   Coral growth- 10/10 Coral coloration -10/10 Ease of use - 7/10 Quality - 9/10 Price. - 7/10 Total: 43/50 I rate these lights really high. It grows coral really well if you program it to the proper spectrum. The coral look absolutely beautiful unde...

Hi friends! I asked a betta breeder two questions.  1. "What are improvements you would like to see in the industry?" 2. "How do we make the hobby as simple as possible for new tank keepers?" Saltwater and freshwater fish tanks have different equipment and care but they have a lot of over lap in in the industry. Betta fish have a bit of a sore spot in the fish tank community. This is mainly because a lot of people do not understand the care requirements for the fish. Unfortunately this is the case in a lot of the hobby. Newcomers are interested in buying a little colorful fish in a cup. Then often times they do not have the proper equipment to care for the animal. Margaret's response reflects a lot of these issues.  "One improvement I would like to see? Easy. Properly displayed fish. Betta fish need at least a 5 gallon tank with a heater and filter. Most fish stores keep them in a cup and leave them on a shelf. That is also how you make the hobby simple. Pe...

Hi friends! I hope you are all doing wonderful today. I would like to offer some words to the companies that create products in the hobby. Overall, I am fairly upset at the prices for the quality of most products. I think it is absurd that they charge so much for equipment that is fairly cheap. I think one of the better products to look at is LED lighting. It has grown very fast in the last five years. Take a look at the Hydra 32 HD . It is $400! That is not including the equipment to hang it either. That can range from $80-200 in addition. Focusing on the hang on equipment, it is typically of nice quality. It is sturdy and mostly clean looking. They started adding on nicer qualities such as clips so the cord does not dangle over the tank. But that $200 hanging arm cost me $20 at Menards. It was just a bracket and some parts to put it together. And they look very similar.   The LEDs themselves are not much better. LEDs are fairly cheap to make. It is surrounded by a cheap plastic b...

 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. Nitrog...

 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 slowl...

   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 lea...

 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...

  Welcome readers! I am excited to show you my slice of the ocean. I would like to introduce you to my good friends Creme and Brulee, the clownfish. They are both Ocellaris clownfish with special markings and patterns. They are "Designer" clownfish. Brulee is the larger of the two and has orange on her face. She is known as a "Mocha Storm" clownfish. Creme is all black and white, and he is known as a "Black Storm" clownfish. These two live in a mature 29 Gallon saltwater fish tank. In the hobby we would refer to this type of tank as a "Mixed Reef" because it has a wide variety of coral and invertebrate. This tank has a flourishing ecosystem from the smallest of algae and copepods to the larger fish and coral colonies.  Creme and Brulee are the only fish in this system. The lower fish population makes it easier to control the biodiversity from the top of the chain down. Nutrient import and export are important factors to consider in order to k...