A reef aquarium or reef tank is an aquarium containing live corals and other animals associated with coral reefs. It is considered to be one of the most difficult aquarium setups to create and maintain. In recent years, advancements in our knowledge of the reef, coupled with more refined reef maintenance techniques, the reef tank has become much more accessible to the hobbyist. read full article…
Fish Advice Category
Tegastes acroporanus, also known as the Red Acro Bug for the red coloration on its body and its prey, Acropora, are copepods in the family Tegastidae. They are parasitic on the hard coral reef building corals in the genus Acropora, and feed on these corals exclusively. Though it has been found on all types of Acropora, it seems to be less predominant on species with large, “hairy” polyps such as the species A. millepora. read full article…
A protein skimmer or foam fractionator is a device used mostly in saltwater aquaria to remove organic compounds from the water before they break down into nitrogenous waste. It is a common piece of equipment in modern saltwater fish tanks and reef tanks. Protein skimming is the only form of filtration that physically removes organic compounds before they begin to decompose, lightening the load on the biological filter and improving the water’s redox potential. read full article…
The term painted fish refers to ornamental aquarium fishes which have been artificially coloured to appeal to consumers. This artificial colouring, also known as juicing, is achieved by a number of methods, such as injecting the fish with a hypodermic syringe containing bright fluorescent colour dye, dipping the fish into a dye solution, or feeding the fish dyed food. read full article…
The nitrogen cycle is the biogeochemical cycle that describes the transformations of nitrogen and nitrogen-containing compounds in nature. read full article…
A Nature Aquarium is a concept of marketing aquaria as art. The basic idea, making and designing an aquarium as an artistic media, was originated by Takashi Amano. One Nature Aquarium website states, “The art and purpose of the Nature Aquarium, is through the study of the intricacy of Nature, to flawlessly capture and refine the space, composition, color and all that expresses the designs and layouts found in Nature.” read full article…
A nano reef is a reef tank of less than 30 gallons. The exact limit that distinguishes a nano reef from a regular reef is somewhat ill-defined (some claim that anything less than 40 gallons would qualify), but 30 gallons seems to be the generally accepted limit. read full article…
A marine aquarium is an aquarium that keeps marine plants and animals in a contained environment. Marine aquaria are further subdivided into fish only (FO), fish only with live rock (FOWLR), or reef aquariums. Marine fishkeeping is different from its freshwater counterpart because of its complexity; the marine environment is more difficult to maintain, requiring more equipment and time from the hobbyist, and the aquarium inhabitants are often more expensive to acquire. Saltwater aquarium enthusiasts are also major contributors to the vast scientific knowledge shared within the hobby. read full article…
A Macquarium is an aquarium made from the shell of an Apple Macintosh computer. The term was coined by computer writer Andy Ihnatko as a joke (a jibe at the outdatedness of the Macintosh 512K) but Macquaria have actually been built both by Ihnatko, himself, and by many of his fans and some are even commercially available. read full article…
Live rock is a term used in aquaria to describe rock from the ocean introduced into a salt water aquarium, which confers to the closed marine system muliple benefits desired by the salt water marine hobbyist. The name sometimes leads to misunderstandings as “live rock” is itself not actually alive, but is made simply from the calcium carbonate skeletons of long dead corals, or other calcareous organisms, which in the cean form the majority of coral reefs. When taken from the ocean it is usually encrusted with Coralline and inhabited by a multitude of marine organisms. The many forms of micro and macroscopic marine life that live on and inside of the rock, and which acts as an ideal habitat, give it name “live rock.” read full article…