Fishtank Supplies

You might ask (at least I do), "Why dont you see all this filter gear on the reefs in the wild?" Well, you kind of do. Next time youre underwater, take a look around. There really is a lot of water per unit of livestock, and lots of circulation and aeration. Notice the predominant forms of life around you; corals, sponges, bivalves... What mode of food gathering do they employ? Theyre mainly filter feeders, sieving out plankton, gametes, wastes, suspended inorganic material... thats why the waters so clear. Stuck in and amongst (and inside other life) are algae, some big, others micro

Easily mistaken for Florida spotted gar.

Shortnosed gar, Lepisosteus platostomus
The shortnosed gar can be identified by its short snout, and by the lack of teeth rows in the upper jaw like the alligator gar, and the lack of spots on its body.

Long-nosed gar, Lepisosteus osseus
The long-nosed gar is, as the name suggests, identified by its long slender snout, and also by its slender body.

Alligator gar, Atractosteus spatula
The alligator gar has

approach can work satisfactory for the toughest of reef organisms. As far as creating and maintaining optimized water quality, air and power-head driven systems are low-scorers. Such "nitrate-factories" are better adapted for use as low oxygen denitrators by increasing substrate depth and removing their airlift tubes. They attain their highest and best use when employed in a totally separate sump or refugium where periodic cleaning and other disruption does not disrupt a

Actually, keeping track of powerhead cleanings is another good reason to keep a log book, since better performers models can be forgotten about and neglected too easily. It is not until you give them a thorough cleaning that one notices the difference in output. If you get stuck with a poor unit, you are going to be diving into the aquarium routinely to get the pumps working again. Pick wisely the first time around and have peace of mind so you can sit back, relax, and enjoy your display instead of cursing at it.

And as much fun as it is to collect the coolest coral fragments out there and show them off to your friends, there WILL come a time when you are hauling all of those same frags out of the tank and into temporary storage when your six year old cracks the side of the display tank with a pool ball or some other calamity occurs.

2) Study! Spend time on the internet, in books and watching nature shows on reefs BEFORE you get your animals. Understand the anim

30g Oceanic Cubes - What Lights Do You Have?
Just wondering what lights folks are running on 30 or 50g Oceanic's? If you have pics, please post them. Thanks..

Refugium reverse photo period, could it actually fuel daytime algae?
I was just reading some articles about PH and whatnot (Randy Holmes Farley stuff) and started to think about CO2. If algae gives off Co2 at night time when it isn't photosynthesizing, then the chaeto ball in my fuge is doing just that during the day w.

Goby in my 100?
I want to see about getting a good sand sifting goby in my 100 gallon tank, most of you probably know what is in it but for those who don't: Volitan lionfish, catshark, snowflake eel, copperbanded butterfly and Imperator Angelfish. http://www.reeffront.

DIY Hood and Canopy Projects
Getting tired of that old hood or canopy on your tank? Maybe you want to upgrade your lighting, but don't want to spend a lot of money. You....