Frogfish Friend

 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 often. This

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. The

  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