Nano Reef Aquarium

There are some really important things that need checking at least once a week and some not so important when keeping a Reef Aquarium. Lets start with the important checks and maintenance. Feeding. Without any Food the Fish and Hard Corals wont stay alive for long. I would recommend setting out a feeding regime and sticking with it. Water Chemistry. Checking water parameters weekly is a really good habit. Keeping them within the recommended amounts by adjusting them accordingly with Buffers and Additives. This will save loads of stress to your Aquariums inhabitants. Inhabitants condition and health. By spending a few minutes having a really good luck into your aquarium per week can help determine problems and save outbreaks of Disease, Pests, and Algae. These can be early signals telling you that something is not quite right. Equipment. Checking that all Heaters, Power-heads, Pumps, Skimmer and Computers are functioning properly. Maybe they are ready for routine servicing and clean...

Many new Reef Keepers get confused and stuck when it comes to topping up water in their Reef Aquarium. It is really simple and easy to understand. It doesn't need to get confusing. Evaporation happens continuously, many new hobbyists start by adding Freshly mixed saltwater then end up with a really high salinity. You have to think of your water as two elements, in fact it is. Salt and Reverse osmosis water. Salt cannot evaporate because it is a solid and solids don't evaporate. Therefore as the water evaporates, the salt remains in the Aquarium, which in turn increases your salinity. From this you should have worked out that Top up/RO water should be added. If your Aquarium is left for a few days or more the salinity will rise rapidly, which is why it is important to top up daily if possible. When carrying out a water change, because you are removing the mixed salt water your are removing both elements, salt and RO water. All that is required now is a fresh saltwater ...

Many newcomers to this hobby make many mistakes, some fatal and expensive. This short article will highlight a few of these. From experience there is nothing worse than making a decision to purchase a Fish or Coral to find it will die in a short period of time. So you have got your Aquarium home, out of the box and filled with saltwater. In all excitement you cant wait to get some fish, so you dash to your local fish shop and buy a pair of percula clown fish. A few days later your pair becomes one, or even worse you lose the pair. Why? You haven't let your tank go through the Nitrogen cycle. You must do this and wait until Ammonia and nitrite are zero. Wait until Nitrates get to about 0.5ppm. Only then should you start adding livestock. Stocking too much. We all want a tank full of wonderful colours and life, but you can only keep as many fish as your tank volume will allow. Although this does not apply with Corals and Invertebrates. You can stock as much as your tank will allow...

Many new hobbyist get confused and in a mess with water chemistry. It is one of the most important things to get right when keeping a Saltwater Aquarium. In this article I am going to explain what should be measured, and in the correct order to check. Salinity has got to be the most important, for the simple reason with out it everything will die. You need to aim for a salinity of 1.025. I would recommend using a Refractometer. I would try and avoid using a swing arm hydrometer, these are inaccurate. The Refractometer will give really accurate results and compensate the reading with the temperature of the water, they are really simple to use. They can be a little pricey but they are worth every penny. Ammonia, Nitrite and nitrate. Check these in this order. You will really only need to check for Ammonia and Nitrite on a newly established Aquarium. These will go to zero after the Nitrogen Cycle. Then you really only need to check for Nitrate. Nitrate is the end product of the Nitroge...

We all want a stupidly big reef tank after starting reef keeping but what are the advantages and disadvantages of small and large reef tanks? Cost. The most obvious is cost, The larger tanks are more expensive and hobbyist have even gone to the extreme of Home extensions with a fish room full of equipment. If you have got it then go for it! many have not. Small reef tanks are reasonably priced and newcomers can come in at all levels. Simplicity. A small reef tank doesn't need all the fancy equipment and can be run easily provided good housekeeping is practised. But that said with fancy computers, reactors and sump. Everything can be run with very little fuss, in autopilot if you like, with weekly checks to make sure everything is running smoothly. Stability. Here is where larger reef tanks win. parameters are more stable and swings in water changes are minimum and happen in a much longer time. A slight problem with a small reef can send readings high really quickly. Stocking...

The ultimate quest for the Marine Reef Keeper is keeping water parameters as close to natural sea water as possible. One of the main concerns for hobbyist is keeping Nitrates to a minimum, if not totally eradicating them. You need to have a reasonable understanding of the nitrate cycle, here is a quick guide. Fish produce waste very similar to us, this contains ammonia. Ammonia is then converted to nitrite by a bacteria known as Nitrosomonas. The Nitrite is then converted into nitrate by another bacteria called Nitrobacter. The final piece of the cycle where the nitrates are consumed by plants and algae and of cause your regular water changes. The first and most important thing is regular small water changes. As a guide about 10% change weekly in a aquarium with a high biological load, highly stocked aquarium or high nitrates in the first place. If your aquarium as a small bio load and low nitrates it is recommended to do a 25% change every month to help replace depleted trace elements...

Becoming a Reef Hobbyist is quite an expensive hobby as discussed in previous articles, But there are many ways to doing things cheaper when on a tight budget. Searches on the Internet for a specific item can result in massive savings. Buying items second hand from other reefers on forums or from a local club will help considerably, even if the item is slightly damaged. DIY can soon sort these problems, for example a damaged cabinet or even the wrong finish that you don't like. Designing and building plays a real big part in this hobby and is a great way to gain achievement. Swapping Equipment or Corals is a good way to get something you need or want, this works both ways. You never know what you might come across. Buying coral frags and letting the frags grow into corals creates a real sense of achievement. The next obvious option is fragging your corals and trading for other corals, equipment or livestock. Using energy saving products like the new Led lighting ...