Archive for May, 2009
The Warner Marine Calcium Reactor is a Beast
*Picture Courtesy of Jon Warner and Reef2Reef I’ve recently found some pictures of a huge calcium reactor made by Warner Marine. This thing is a beast, and is so rightfully named the King Kong Calcium Reactor. The King Kong dwarfs all others. It is reported to have five chambers, is 30″ tall, and has a [...]
Species Profile: Opistognathus rosenblatti (Bluespot Jawfish)
Beautiful, exotic, unique, finicky, heart breaking. These are just a handful of words that describe the bluespot jawfish (Opistognathus rosenblatti). The bluespot jawfish, also called blue spotted jawfish, is found on the eastern coast of the Pacific Ocean and in particular the Gulf of California (Sea of Cortez). The waters in this area are somewhat [...]
New Deltec Skimmers
It looks as though Deltec is back at it. They are introducing three new models each having an internal and an external version. Additionally, Deltec has developed their own pumps and “spent months getting the right amount of air for the lowest possible power consumption”. These skimmers were purposely designed for larger systems and for [...]
Hawaii – Waikiki Aquarium and Maui Ocean Center
In June of 2007 I had the privilege of going to Hawaii for my honeymoon. Our primary destination was Maui, but we got to spend a day in Oahu. While in Hawaii, my understanding new wife let us go to see two public aquariums: the Maui Ocean Center and the world renown Waikiki Aquarium. The [...]
Sandbeds in Aquariums
Ever since people started bringing the ocean into their living rooms, sand has played a major part of the aquarium setup. In the early days of aquarium keeping, the substrate of choice was gravel, crushed shells/coral, and playground sand. These types persisted for several years, but eventually gave way to more realistic sand types. Obviously [...]
Water Changes
“The solution to the pollution is dilution!” This is one of my favorite sayings and it describes the effectiveness of a water change so precisely. So what is it all about? Why are water changes so important in saltwater aquarium keeping? To begin, water changes are the most effective form of filtration. They indiscriminately remove [...]
Vendor Review: Aquarium Specialty
Aquarium Specialty (www.aquariumspecialty.com) is one of my personal favorite online retailers and I’ve had an overwhelmingly positive experience with them on every single order placed. My relationship with them began much like many of you would start a relationship with a retailer…by a single test order. I was looking to purchase a ZEOvit startup kit [...]
Product Review: Hydor Koralia Powerheads
© 2009 Drs. Foster and Smith, Inc. For many years, the aquarium industry was limited to a small assortment of powerheads. On one hand, you had the cheap pumps that put out a couple hundred gallons per hour (gph) through a tiny opening. At the opposite end of the spectrum, you had pumps that put [...]
Aquarium Clubs
If you are ever looking for a good source of aquarium knowledge and experience, the best place to look is your local aquarium club. Most of these clubs are located online, but serve a specific metropolitan area. For example, Texas (my home state) is host to several major aquarium websites like the Marine Aquarium and [...]
Species Profile: Tridacna Crocea
In the home aquarium, T. crocea clams need to be provided intense lighting from metal halides or T5HO, and need to be placed up high on the rocky structures. Also take care not to put the clam in direct flow from powerheads. Being in a strong, unidirectional flow can cause the clam to close and [...]
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