Tip of the Day – 1/27/2012
If you’re like most aquarium hobbyists, you probably have sump below your reef tank that houses an oversized protein skimmer and possibly a populated refugium. The refugium is full of macroalgae that requires some form of illumination to grow. This lighting serves its purpose well, and the macroalgae is growing beautifully, but that’s not the [...]
Tip of the Day – 1/26/2012
Have a frag tank but not sure if you want to tie it in with your display aquarium or run it as a completely separate system? Well, obviously there are advantages and disadvantages to both. If you plumb the frag tank into your main system, you will add volume to the overall setup and won’t [...]
Setting Them Straight, Fixing Bad Advice from Bad Fish Stores
The following is the first contribution from our most recent addition to the AquaNerd team, local fish store manager Daniel Leija. Daniel has been in charge of the saltwater section at a local store for as long as I can remember, and we’re excited to have him on board. Being a long-time employee at a [...]
Tip of the Day – 1/25/2012
Why is treating ailing fish with copper still one of the go-to methods for aquarium keepers these days? Copper-based medications are extremely harsh on fish, corals, and invertebrates alike. Sure, some fish can withstand coppper treatments in higher concentrations and for longer periods of time, but that doesn’t mean it’s any less harsh on the [...]
Tip of the Day – 1/24/2012
When handling metal halide bulbs, be sure to do so with gloved hands. If you handle a metal halide bulb with your bare hands, you are sure to deposit various oils onto the bulb, which could cause the bulb to unheat evenly as the gas temperatures rise. This uneven heating could cause the bulb to [...]
Tip of the Day – 1/23/2012
When painting your home or having a terminator come over to spray for bugs, be sure to keep your tank safe by covering the top and keeping the area well ventilated. Paint will obviously cause issues if spilled into the aquarium, and aerosolized pesticides can be sucked into your aquarium via devices like protein skimmers. [...]
Tip of the Day – 1/22/2012
If you are trying out a new fish food, be sure to turn off your protein skimmer prior to feeding. The reason being that the protein skimmer may react to the food almost as soon as it hits the water, often flooding the collection cup and dumping old skimmate back into the aquarium. If this [...]
Tip of the Day – 1/20/2012
Have multiple aquariums but are experiencing an issue in at least one of those tanks? If so, it’s best to avoid contaminating the other tanks with whatever pest, parasite, or nuisance algae by using completely different maintenance equipment on each setup. For example, when doing water changes, don’t reuse buckets or tubes, but have separate [...]
Tip of the Day – 1/18/2012
Want to ship corals to a friend a few states over but hate getting hit with those outrageous overnight shipping fees? Why not ship the corals without water? Wait…what did I just say? Doesn’t seem to make any sense does it? Well, surprisingly, many hobbyists have been successfully dry shipping corals for years. Just toss [...]
Tip of the Day – 1/17/2012
The plumbing hardware on aquarium overflow setups is very susceptible to salt creep buildup. The equipment is often located in an area of significant water splashing, and the left behind salt can block the air inlet on the drain line. This buildup can cause a very loud gurgling noise, which is obviously not conducive to [...]
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