Blue Planet Aquarium

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

They work the same way as a fluorescent tube but the surface area of the tube has been increased slightly and more phosphors added. They require more electricity than regular fluorescents but the payoff is huge! They produce nearly four times the light-output per watt than regular fluorescents and in our experience, degrade slower and last longer. They come close to the output of metal halide bulbs with relatively-precise color temperature production, though metal halide bulbs produce a far bro

.. water having to pile up over overflows, shooting out of discharges... with no chance to provide some sort of muffling manifold on their ends...

2) Vent them! Provide tees attached to overflow lines (higher than the tank) and discharges (to slow down the water, coalesce air...) to aid the water along gently. The former has been done for many decades but is popularly credited to a "Durso" designation (www.dursostandpipes.com/) and can be p

At this point you can safely install your first cool water livestock.

Water Changes:

Should be done more frequently and with larger volumes, a minimum of twenty five percent change out per month.

Metal Poisoning:

I dont know why cold water systems seem to suffer more from this type of toxicity more than tropical, but aquarists seem to introduce metal; contaminants in decor, substrat

We change the bulbs, and the animals and algae spring back to life! That simply doesnt happen as often in the reef aquariums we maintain which use metal halide and/or Power Compact lamps. Therefore, for reef aquariums that employ VHO lamps, we recommend changing these bulbs two to three times a year in order to maintain the overall health of the environment.

The other problem we have encountered with VHO lighting is that for some

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....

The Mad Reefer, Bloomington, Illinois
Does anyone know how to contact the owners of the Mad Reefer? I realized that it closed, but they have (had?) a fish tank of mine on consignment. I am looking to either reclaim the fish tank or see if it sold. Even if you just have the previous owners' names, that would be great. Thanks!.