Old Metaframe Aquarium Hoods

Their reasons? They worked. Not much was commonly known as to why. Now we "know" that the aforementioned beneficial bacteria thrive in such settings with their chemical food (ammonia, nitrite, oxygen, and CO2 as a source of carbon) flowing oh-so conveniently by the nooks and crannies living space provided by the "holey" substrate.

Even today, with the advent of macro-algae, reef, "Berlin" and other "live-rock" systems in use providing the same habitat, circulation and buffering advantages, undergravel filtration remains the predominant method of

Run the pumps for another 15 minutes in this mixture. Disassemble and scrub and rinse all the individual parts before placing the pumps back in the tank. After all of this, your powerheads should look and run just like brand new.

Conclusions

Powerheads are usually the silent workhorses of our aquariums. Good ones perform their function of powering filters or providing circulation while requiring little maintenance other than a good cleanin

Some anaerobic denitrification does occur in every system; but not enough to offset the forward accumulation of nitrate. There are filter module products that portend to promote these microbes and their beneficial activities. Like dating, I urge you to be careful in their selection and use. Many (dates and denitrators) are "high-maintenance" units requiring daily fooling-with. All have the potential defect of other anaerobic production toxifying your system. Finally, in my opinion, theyre just not worth the hassle, c

A Whisper Air pump powers the airstones. The Skilter cartridges are changed every other week and the airstones every other month.

Each tank also has a mechanical filter backup. There is a Marineland Penguin 160 on one, and a Millennium 2000 on the other. Cartridges on both of these are changed weekly.

Water, and a Lot More: Tom uses tap water to make up his synthetic seawater! He tried one of the in-line water purifiers but found there was no noticeable difference whether or not he used it or not, so he

What absolutely the temperature is, is not as important as that it remain stable. Got big money? Spend a bit more on a hydrometer with an internal thermometer as a "standard". Have little money? Utilize two cheapies inside the system.

Substrate, Other Non-Living Decor:

Now lets see, where are we? Youve got the tank and filtration all checked out for leakage, the lighting situated, air and heating tuned in; youre ready for gravel (if youre using it), rock and other non-living decoration installation!

You want my advice? Refer to Section 5) C) Cleaning Coral and Decor and prete

Why Do My Fish Hide All The Time?
Fish that hide all the time are a baffling and frustrating problem for the owner. Here are suggestions for how to coax your fish out into the open where you....