[{"date":1473206400,"excerpt":"ChessmanMark (Mark Hegenauer) hosted a club meeting when I was a member of the \u003ca href=\"http://www.hvreef.org/\"\u003eHudson Valley Reef Club\u003c/a\u003e in New York.","ref":"/tank-tours/chessmanmark-01-20-2008/","section":"tank-tours","title":"ChessmanMark (Mark Hegenauer) 90 Gallon Tank - 01-20-2008"},{"date":1473206400,"excerpt":"John Keller hosted a club meeting when I was a member of the \u003ca href=\"http://www.hvreef.org\"\u003eHudson Valley Reef Club \u003c/a\u003ein New York.","ref":"/tank-tours/midiman-john-keller-06-17-2006/","section":"tank-tours","title":"Midiman (John Keller) - 06-17-2006"},{"date":1473206400,"excerpt":"Sanjay Joshi with the help of his students maintains the amazing 500 gallon reef tank at Penn State University.","ref":"/tank-tours/pennstate-sanjay-07-22-2001/","section":"tank-tours","title":"Penn State (Sanjay Joshi) 500 Gallon Tank - 07-22-2001"},{"date":1473206400,"excerpt":"Peter Weis had an amazing 500 gallon reef tank and happened to be my next door neighbor when I lived in New York.","ref":"/tank-tours/peter-weis-06-22-2006/","section":"tank-tours","title":"Peter Weis 500 Gallon Tank - 06-22-2006"},{"date":1473206400,"excerpt":"Todd Sackett hosted a club meeting when I was a member of the \u003ca href=\"http://www.hvreef.org\"\u003eHudson Valley Reef Club\u003c/a\u003e in New York.","ref":"/tank-tours/po-vegas-reefer-08-18-2007/","section":"tank-tours","title":"Po-Vegas Reefer (Todd Sackett) - 08-18-2007"},{"date":1473206400,"excerpt":"Reef \u0026amp; Fin was a retail store located in Stamford, CT that I used to visit once a week. When you first eneteed the store was a large 500 gallon tank that was pure eye candy.","ref":"/tank-tours/reef-and-fin-01-08-2005/","section":"tank-tours","title":"Reef \u0026 Fin 500 Gallon Tank - 01-08-2005"},{"date":1473206400,"excerpt":"Scott Curran had a really nice LPS dominated aquarium.","ref":"/tank-tours/scott-curran-03-30-2008/","section":"tank-tours","title":"Scott Curran - 03-30-2008"},{"date":1473206400,"excerpt":"Bob Hodor had a beautiful LPS dominated display tank.","ref":"/tank-tours/seaham358-09-16-2006/","section":"tank-tours","title":"Seaham358 (Bob Hodor) - 09-16-2006"},{"date":1473206400,"excerpt":"Ted Ziff had one heck of a Xenia problem. Awesome tank if you love that coral.","ref":"/tank-tours/ted-ziff-07-22-2001/","section":"tank-tours","title":"Ted Ziff - 07-22-2001"},{"date":147312e4,"excerpt":"Atlantis Marine World is now known as Long Island Aquarium and Exhibition Center is a commercial tank located in Riverview, New York (Long Island) maintained by fellow hobbyist Joe Yaiullo","ref":"/tank-tours/atlantis-marine-world-05-10-2007/","section":"tank-tours","title":"Atlantis Marine World 20,000 Gallon Tank - 5-10-2007"},{"date":147312e4,"excerpt":"FishyChick (Louise Lynch) hosted a club meeting when I was a member of the \u003ca href=\"http://www.hvreef.org/\"\u003eHudson Valley Reef Club\u003c/a\u003e in New York.","ref":"/tank-tours/fishychick-louise-10-20-2007/","section":"tank-tours","title":"FishyChick (Louise Lynch) - 10-20-2007"},{"date":147312e4,"excerpt":"Jay Wager hosted a club meeting when I was a member of the \u003ca href=\"http://www.hvreef.org/\"\u003eHudson Valley Reef Club\u003c/a\u003e in New York.","ref":"/tank-tours/jay-wager-04-25-2009/","section":"tank-tours","title":"Jay Wager - 04-25-2009"},{"date":147312e4,"excerpt":"I was able to visit John Link\u0026rsquo;s (founder of \u003ca href=\"http://www.reefcentral.com/\"\u003eReefCentral.com\u003c/a\u003e) to see his amazing Acropora dominated tank and grab a few frags from him.","ref":"/tank-tours/john-link-03-01-2002/","section":"tank-tours","title":"John Link (Reef Central) - 03-01-2002"},{"date":147312e4,"excerpt":"Mack Messner\u0026rsquo;s beautiful acropora dominated tank.","ref":"/tank-tours/mack-messner-07-22-2001/","section":"tank-tours","title":"Mack Messner - 07-22-2001"},{"date":1473033600,"excerpt":"These pictures are from Tim, who used the alias \u0026ldquo;Bytor\u0026rdquo; on various reef fourms and IRC channels. These were taken from his 200 gallon reef tank in August 30th, 2003 located in Mt. Pleasant, PA.","ref":"/tank-tours/bytor-tim-200-gallon-08-30-2003/","section":"tank-tours","title":"Bytor (Tim) 200 Gallon Tank - 08-30-2003"},{"date":1473033600,"excerpt":"A mail order shipment of three Tridacna crocea clams from Clams Direct, showing the packaging, inspection process, and drip acclimation procedure used to safely introduce the clams to the tank.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/tridacnid-clam-gallery/356-mail-order-clam-acclimation/","section":"gallery","title":"Mail Order Clam Acclimation"},{"date":1461628800,"excerpt":"Collection of YouTube videos showcasing the 180 gallon in-wall display tank.","ref":"/gallery/tank-shots/180-gallon-in-wall-gallery/180-videos/","section":"gallery","title":"Display Tank Videos"},{"date":1461628800,"excerpt":"This is a Halloween urchin captured in the middle of a tug-of-war with a Xenia colony. It\u0026rsquo;s a short-spine multi-color urchin with striking Halloween-like colors. Tripneustes gratilla is known for its vibrant coloration and is a popular urchin in the reef hobby.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/odd-critter-gallery/78-urchin-gallery/354-tripneustes-gratilla/","section":"gallery","title":"Halloween Urchin - Tripneustes gratilla"},{"date":1461628800,"excerpt":"Ocean Nutrition Formula One is a general purpose marine flake food which states it has high protein content and claims to improve coloration and vitality of your fish. Key ingredients include fresh fish protein, fresh seafood, plankton, brine shrimp, minerals, vitamins, and carotenoids. I won this as part of a reef club raffle — fish seemed to enjoy it.","ref":"/foods/dry-food/flake/formula-one/","section":"foods","title":"Ocean Nutrition Formula One"},{"date":1461628800,"excerpt":"Ocean Nutrition Prime Reef Flake is another good quality flake food that many fish which already accept flake will go after very well. Key ingredients include fresh fish protein, salmon, squid, clams, plankton, and brine shrimp. Give the container a sniff — it might remind you of the smell of seafood.","ref":"/foods/dry-food/flake/prime-reef/","section":"foods","title":"Ocean Nutrition Prime Reef Flake"},{"date":1461628800,"excerpt":"Rumour has it that ORA Glo Pellets is what Vibra-Grow became — if true, it was one of the best pellet foods available and both products are now discontinued. This was a great food to feed via my automatic pellet feeder.","ref":"/foods/dry-food/pelletized/ora-glo/","section":"foods","title":"ORA Glo Pellets"},{"date":1461628800,"excerpt":"This Fungia was actually cut in half on a table saw as part of a coral propagation demonstration by Anthony Calfo. The coral completely healed and showed new growth and excellent polyp extension several months later.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/lps-corals/348-pink-fungia-danai/","section":"gallery","title":"Pink Disc Coral - Fungia danai"},{"date":1461628800,"excerpt":"This coral had its left side cut off using a tile saw at a local reef club meeting. The coral healed very well and showed no negative side effects to having a chunk cut off. Over a year later it grew significantly thicker but did not re-encrust around the edges.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/lps-corals/349-maze-brain/","section":"gallery","title":"Propagated Maze Brain"},{"date":1461628800,"excerpt":"SeaVeggies Mixed Green Flakes from Julian\u0026rsquo;s Two Little Fishes is essentially shredded nori — can\u0026rsquo;t really call it a flake food. Most fish which enjoy nori will enjoy this as well. Before this product was on the market I used to chop up nori myself so the smaller fish not willing to compete with the large tangs at the feeding clip could also enjoy some nori. The container contents look just like chopped nori — good seaweed without fillers found in common flake foods.","ref":"/foods/dry-food/dried/seaveggies-green/","section":"foods","title":"SeaVeggies - Mixed Green Flakes"},{"date":1461628800,"excerpt":"Xenia is known for being hard and easy to keep at the same time. It can be hard to get a colony established, but once established it is very easy to keep \u0026ndash; to the point it will take over the entire display. The author found it spread like wildfire and had to remove it completely.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/corals/68-soft-corals/353-xenia/","section":"gallery","title":"Xenia"},{"date":1461456e3,"excerpt":"This is the unit taken right out of the box. The tiles on the floor are 1 square foot in size. That should help you judge how big the unit actually is.","ref":"/hardware/water-movement/silentsurge/","section":"hardware","title":"4 Gallon Silent Surge Device By Lavoie Technology"},{"date":1461456e3,"excerpt":"To the left is a picture of the sump under construction on my dining room table. You can see the Rubbermaid sump used (25 gallons).","ref":"/gallery/tank-shots/180-gallon-living-room/oldsumps/","section":"gallery","title":"Failed Sump Attempts"},{"date":1461456e3,"excerpt":"This is the final sump design - a 55 gallon acrylic sump configuration. This is pretty close to my current sump configuration, showing the protein skimmer, heater, and other equipment.","ref":"/gallery/tank-shots/180-gallon-living-room/sumpshots/","section":"gallery","title":"Final Sump Design"},{"date":1461369600,"excerpt":"Linkia sea stars are among the few sea stars acceptable for reef aquariums. They are non-selective surface grazers from the Indo-Pacific and can survive on a diet of aquarium detritus and debris. However, they are known to ship very poorly with high mortality rates. Extra careful acclimation is recommended.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/odd-critter-gallery/50-seastar-gallery/340-linkia-laevigata/","section":"gallery","title":"Blue Linkia Sea Star - Linkia laevigata"},{"date":1461369600,"excerpt":"This is the notorious green brittle star - considered non-reef safe. With arms about 8 to 10 inches long, it spirals its arms around its body and lifts off the substrate to create a trap. When a shrimp or fish swims into the trap, the arms slam shut and long spike-like teeth dig into the prey. This one now lives in the sump after eating several peppermint shrimp.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/odd-critter-gallery/50-seastar-gallery/341-ophiarachna-incrassata/","section":"gallery","title":"Green Brittle Sea Star - Ophiarachna incrassata"},{"date":1461369600,"excerpt":"This is a typical serpent star fish sold in the aquarium trade. They are great scavengers feeding on uneaten food, detritus, and debris. Usually they stay hidden during the day with just the arms exposed, but when food is present they come running out. While direct feeding may not be needed if the tank is fed enough, these sea stars will readily accept small chunks of silversides.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/odd-critter-gallery/50-seastar-gallery/342-red-serpent-seastar/","section":"gallery","title":"Red Serpent Sea Star - Unknown sp."},{"date":1461369600,"excerpt":"This is a really neat sea star with a body about the size of a US penny but arms each close to 1 foot long - rare to find such long arms on a sea star. Like other brittle stars, it\u0026rsquo;s a scavenger that helps clean up detritus and leftover food.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/odd-critter-gallery/50-seastar-gallery/343-white-brittle-seastar/","section":"gallery","title":"White Brittle Sea Star - Unknown sp."},{"date":1461283200,"excerpt":"This actually is not a powerhead because by itself it does not move any water. This is a ¾ inch version of the SeaSwirl made by Aquarium Current\u0026rsquo;s, Inc.","ref":"/hardware/water-movement/seaswirl/","section":"hardware","title":"3/4 Inch SeaSwirl"},{"date":1461283200,"excerpt":"Pictured here is a rather odd snail called an Abalone - one of the most expensive snails in the hobby. They have an unusually strong bond with a surface, and trying to remove them even from the plastic bag is likely to damage the animal. They look like flattened snails with a very low profile. The holes in the top of the shell are respiratory pores connected to the gill chamber. Although they lack a brain, they do have a pumping heart usually located on the left side of the animal.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/odd-critter-gallery/45-snail-gallery/332-haliotis-asinina/","section":"gallery","title":"Abalone Snail - Haliotis asinina"},{"date":1461283200,"excerpt":"This is a grouping of Bumble Bee Snails when they were first introduced to the aquarium hobby. At first it was claimed they were \u0026lsquo;Reef Safe\u0026rsquo; which is partly true in that they likely will not bother corals. However they are predators, not detrivores. The shell shows a white or yellowish background with a few black bands which resembles the yellow and black pattern of wasps and bees.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/odd-critter-gallery/45-snail-gallery/338-engina-mendicaria/","section":"gallery","title":"Bumble Bee Snail - Engina mendicaria"},{"date":1461283200,"excerpt":"Pictures show Caulerpa peltata macroalgae grown in the sump, which required trimming and showed excellent growth under 100w+ lighting. After several weeks it went sexual (switched to reproductive mode), expelling its contents and dying out, which is typical for caulerpa species.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/odd-critter-gallery/43-algae-gallery/317-caulerpa-peltata/","section":"gallery","title":"Caulerpa Macroalgae - Caulerpa peltata"},{"date":1461283200,"excerpt":"This is an example of a Columbellid snail. They have a shell shape very similar to Nassarius snails but look and act very different. These snails are interesting additions to the reef tank, often coming in as hitchhikers on live rock. They play a role in the tank\u0026rsquo;s cleanup crew.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/odd-critter-gallery/45-snail-gallery/333-columbellid-sp/","section":"gallery","title":"Columbellid sp. Snails"},{"date":1461283200,"excerpt":"This is a very powerful powerhead made by Aquarium Products called the Gemini. It is a powerhead rated at 960 GPH and it sure does move a lot of water.","ref":"/hardware/water-movement/gemini/","section":"hardware","title":"Gemini Circulation Powerhead"},{"date":1461283200,"excerpt":"This Halimeda macroalgae sprouted from rocks after being in the system for 2 years. As a calcareous macroalgae, it can rapidly remove calcium from the water, making it unsuitable for tanks without calcium reactors despite its nutrient export potential.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/odd-critter-gallery/43-algae-gallery/316-halimeda-macroalgae/","section":"gallery","title":"Halimeda Macroalgae"},{"date":1461283200,"excerpt":"The branches of my Knobby Sea Rods were getting so long they started to sweep against SPS corals. Two long branches got about seven inches cut off and were propagated. Gorgonians respond very well to propagation.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/gorgonians/329-searodprop/","section":"gallery","title":"Knobby Sea Rod Propagation"},{"date":1461283200,"excerpt":"This is a closeup of a Margarita snail which is a very good diatom algae eater and does a very good job at reducing short turfs of hair algae on rocks. However, this snail doesn\u0026rsquo;t stay on the rocks and mainly stays on the glass. These snails stay fairly small - the snail pictured is about the size of a U.S. Nickel coin, and they\u0026rsquo;ve never been seen to get as big as a U.S. Quarter.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/odd-critter-gallery/45-snail-gallery/334-margarita-snail/","section":"gallery","title":"Margarita Snail - Unidentified sp."},{"date":1461283200,"excerpt":"I used to provide water motion in my tanks with four Maxijet 1000 powerheads made by Aquarium Systems. All of these powerheads were switched on and off to create wave movement via the WaveStrip.","ref":"/hardware/water-movement/mj10000/","section":"hardware","title":"MaxiJet 1000 Circulation Powerhead"},{"date":1461283200,"excerpt":"This image shows the typical volume of macroalgae pruned from the refugium each month as part of nutrient export maintenance, placed in a container for scale reference.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/odd-critter-gallery/43-algae-gallery/320-pruning/","section":"gallery","title":"Monthly Macroalgae Pruning"},{"date":1461283200,"excerpt":"Mushroom Attack.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/odd-critter-gallery/44-anemone-gallery/318-mushroom-attack/","section":"gallery","title":"Mushroom's Attack!"},{"date":1461283200,"excerpt":"A common tri-color blue leg hermit crab captured on camera just before it tried on a new shell. These funny-looking critters hide their skinny bodies in shells, which is why this photo of a \u0026rsquo;naked\u0026rsquo; hermit is unusual.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/odd-critter-gallery/47-crab-gallery/319-naked-hermit/","section":"gallery","title":"Naked Hermit Crab - Clibinarius tricolor"},{"date":1461283200,"excerpt":"This Sargassum macroalgae is very common in newer tanks but was rare when the hobby began, as live rock today typically comes pre-loaded with it. It grows into towering plant-like structures until reaching the water surface, requiring months of manual removal until limiting nutrients are depleted. While it\u0026rsquo;s great for nutrient export (doesn\u0026rsquo;t go sexual like caulerpa), it needs significant light levels such as Metal Halide, HPS, or Mercury Vapor lighting.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/odd-critter-gallery/43-algae-gallery/321-sargassum-macroalgae/","section":"gallery","title":"Sargassum Macroalgae"},{"date":1461283200,"excerpt":"Lysmata amboinensis is often confused with Lysmata grabhami due to similar appearance, but they have distinct color differences and come from different parts of the world. L. amboinensis is from the Indo-Pacific and has a white line running from the rostrum to the beginning of the tail fan, usually ending in a \u0026lsquo;T\u0026rsquo;. The tail fan on either side of the white line are red and usually has white blotches. L. grabhami from the Caribbean has a white line running all the way from the tip of the rostrum to the tip of the tail fan.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/odd-critter-gallery/48-shrimp-gallery/331-lysmata-amboinensis/","section":"gallery","title":"Scarlet Cleaner Shrimp - Lysmata amboinensis"},{"date":1461283200,"excerpt":"SPS (Stony Corals) are among the easiest of corals to propagate. This article covers the four main methods for mounting frags: wedging in rock crevices, using CrazyGlue Gel, marine epoxy putty, and fishing line. Key tip: keep frags in strong water flow to blow off the slime that develops after propagation.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/sps-corals/330-sps-propagation/","section":"gallery","title":"SPS Propagation"},{"date":1461283200,"excerpt":"On May 10th, 2000, the tank looked a little cloudy. After a few minutes of observation, a snail was seen at the water surface releasing sperm - a spawning event. Seeing snails reproduce in the home aquarium is always exciting and indicates good tank conditions. This is a sign that the tank environment is healthy enough to support the complete life cycle of these algae-eating snails.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/odd-critter-gallery/45-snail-gallery/335-tiger-trochus-snail-spaw/","section":"gallery","title":"Tiger Trochus Snail Spawning"},{"date":1461283200,"excerpt":"This is a nice close-up of the face on a Tiger Trochus snail. These snails are excellent algae eaters and are popular in the reef hobby. Tiger Trochus snails are known for their striking patterned shells and their ability to consume various types of algae, including diatoms and green algae. They are generally reef safe and make excellent members of a cleanup crew.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/odd-critter-gallery/45-snail-gallery/336-tiger-trochus/","section":"gallery","title":"Tiger Trochus Snails - Trochus sp."},{"date":1461283200,"excerpt":"Sand Eating Cucumbers play an important role in sand bed maintenance. They eat sand particles with minimal destruction to the fauna living in the sand. This tigertail eats sand and digests the bacteria off of it, leaving piles of clean sand behind. After digestion, the sand is ready to be recolonized by bacteria. Sand cukes tend to hide during the day and only come out at night.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/odd-critter-gallery/49-sand-cucumber-gallery/322-holothuria-impatiens/","section":"gallery","title":"Tigertail Sand Eating Cucumber - Holothuria impatiens"},{"date":1461283200,"excerpt":"Tube worms are members of the class Polychaeta of the phylum Annelida. The tube worms are relatively immobile and stay in one spot and wait for food to drift by. They build protective tubes from which they extend their colorful fan-like feeding tentacles. These are fascinating filter feeders that add color and interest to the reef tank.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/odd-critter-gallery/79-worm-gallery/323-sabellidae-sp/","section":"gallery","title":"Tube Worms - Sabellidae sp."},{"date":1461283200,"excerpt":"Pictured is the underside of a typical Mexican Turbo Snail. This one is rather small. Larger adult snails have shells several inches across. These snails are excellent algae grazers in reef tanks, known for their ability to consume large amounts of algae including macroalgae.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/odd-critter-gallery/45-snail-gallery/337-turbo-snail/","section":"gallery","title":"Turbo Snail - Unidentified sp."},{"date":1461283200,"excerpt":"This decorator crab is masters of camouflage - it\u0026rsquo;s nearly impossible to locate on the rock and some people have trouble even finding it in the picture. The crab decorates itself with pieces of its environment to blend in perfectly with its surroundings.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/odd-critter-gallery/47-crab-gallery/324-unidentified-decorator-crab/","section":"gallery","title":"Unidentified Decorator Crab"},{"date":1461283200,"excerpt":"This is an egg track photographed the day after a massive tank spawn. While the exact species is unknown, it may have been from one of the Trochus or Astraea snails in the tank. Finding snail eggs in a home aquarium is always exciting as it indicates successful breeding conditions. These egg cases will hopefully develop into baby snails that will join the cleanup crew.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/odd-critter-gallery/45-snail-gallery/339-unknown-eggs/","section":"gallery","title":"Unknown Species Snail Eggs"},{"date":1461283200,"excerpt":"This Valonia Bubble Algae is one of the largest single-cell organisms, typically growing as individuals but also observed in small clusters, attached to surfaces via strong rhizoids that make removal difficult.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/odd-critter-gallery/43-algae-gallery/325-valonia/","section":"gallery","title":"Valonia Bubble Algae"},{"date":1461196800,"excerpt":"This blue coralline algae species is a slow grower that exists primarily low in the tank near the sand bed level, where it\u0026rsquo;s often overgrown by faster-growing coralline types.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/odd-critter-gallery/43-algae-gallery/313-blue-coralline-algae/","section":"gallery","title":"Blue Coralline Algae"},{"date":1461196800,"excerpt":"The Blue Tuxedo Urchin is an excellent algae eater that helps control algae growth in the reef tank. It\u0026rsquo;s covered in spines but is generally considered reef safe. These urchins are popular in the hobby for their striking blue coloration and algae-eating capabilities.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/odd-critter-gallery/78-urchin-gallery/309-mespilia-globulis/","section":"gallery","title":"Blue Tuxedo Sea Urchin - Mespilia globulis"},{"date":1461196800,"excerpt":"This is one of the few animals that will eat Bryopsis, a toxic form of hair algae that all fish will stay away from and most snails will die from if they try to eat it. Elysia crispata is a specialized feeder that can help control Bryopsis outbreaks in the reef tank. These nudibranchs are striking with their ruffled appearance and vibrant colors.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/odd-critter-gallery/45-snail-gallery/314-elysia-crispata/","section":"gallery","title":"Bryopsis Eating Nudibranch - Elysia crispata"},{"date":1461196800,"excerpt":"This Chaetomorpha sp. macroalgae is by far the best for refugium nutrient exporting - it doesn\u0026rsquo;t go sexual, grows rapidly in dense clusters, lacks problematic holdfasts, and is enjoyed by tangs as an occasional treat.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/odd-critter-gallery/43-algae-gallery/311-chaetomorpha-sp/","section":"gallery","title":"Chaetomorpha sp. Macroalgae"},{"date":1461196800,"excerpt":"When I first started using Metal Halide lighting I used the pendant style pictured left. I found them to be poor reflectors. I then changed them out to PFO reflectors which worked much better for me.","ref":"/hardware/lighting-systems/pendant/","section":"hardware","title":"DMI Metal Halide Pendant"},{"date":1461196800,"excerpt":"Green emerald crabs are questionable additions to reef tanks. While primarily algae eaters, they have been known to capture small fish and pick at coral polyps. They typically don\u0026rsquo;t grow larger than 3 inches. The larger the tank, the safer they tend to be due to increased grazing area.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/odd-critter-gallery/47-crab-gallery/315-mithrax-sculptus/","section":"gallery","title":"Green Emerald Crab - Mithrax sculptus"},{"date":1461196800,"excerpt":"Pictured here is the PFO Dual 250w Metal Halide Ballast. It\u0026rsquo;s actually two separate ballast in a common enclosure.","ref":"/hardware/lighting-systems/pfo-ballast/","section":"hardware","title":"PFO Dual 250w Metal Halide Ballast"},{"date":1461196800,"excerpt":"This reddish and orange encrusting coralline algae has really started taking off in the past year, forming several very large patches that are considered prettier than typical purple coralline.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/odd-critter-gallery/43-algae-gallery/312-red-orange-coralline-algae/","section":"gallery","title":"Reddish and Orange Coralline Algae"},{"date":1461196800,"excerpt":"This is an example of a bristleworm, also known as a fireworm. They come in many different colors. These are harmless scavengers, not coral and clam eaters as commonly believed. Bristleworms are often misunderstood - while their bristles can irritate skin, they play an important role in the reef tank by scavenging detritus and leftover food.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/odd-critter-gallery/79-worm-gallery/310-pareurythue-sp/","section":"gallery","title":"Scavenging Fireworm - Pareurythue sp."},{"date":1461196800,"excerpt":"Unidentified Amphipod - small crustaceans commonly seen crawling on rocks at night, readily eaten by fish if caught.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/odd-critter-gallery/46-copepods-gallery/308-amphipods/","section":"gallery","title":"Unidentified Amphipods"},{"date":1461110400,"excerpt":"A temporary DIY lighting hood built for the 180 gallon tank during the initial setup phase. Shows the top of the hood with the light fixtures mounted.","ref":"/gallery/tank-shots/180-gallon-living-room/temp-hood/","section":"gallery","title":"DIY Temporary Lighting Hood"},{"date":1461110400,"excerpt":"I used to control my metal halide lights with the IceCap, Inc. digital timer. If you have been in this hobby for a while, I\u0026rsquo;m sure you have blown several timers.","ref":"/hardware/lighting-systems/icecaptimer/","section":"hardware","title":"IceCap Digital Timer"},{"date":1461110400,"excerpt":"Pictured left is one of my electronic ballast that I used to use for powering my Metal Halide lighting system. This ballast is specifically optimized to power a 250 watt Iwasaki 6500K bulb. IceCap, Inc.","ref":"/hardware/lighting-systems/icecapmhi/","section":"hardware","title":"IceCap Electronic Metal Halide Ballast for 250w Iwasaki Halide Bulbs"},{"date":1461110400,"excerpt":"This was my first electronic ballast used on my 55g tank when I first started in this hobby. I was so impressed with this unit I decided all my ballast were going to be electronic ones.","ref":"/hardware/lighting-systems/icecap430/","section":"hardware","title":"IceCap Model 430 Electronic VHO Ballast"},{"date":1461110400,"excerpt":"Pictured to the left are the fans I used to cool my Metal Halide lights. These are AC fans which are rated for 101 CFM. (Cubic Feet per Minute).","ref":"/hardware/lighting-systems/302-fans/","section":"hardware","title":"Metal Halide Cooling Fan"},{"date":1461024e3,"excerpt":"This was my first attempt at constructing a Nilsen Reactor. I converted an old Second Stage from a Calcium Reactor into a Nilsen Reactor. This unit held just over a gallon of water.","ref":"/hardware/reactors/calcium/nilsen/","section":"hardware","title":"DIY Nilsen Kalkwasser Reactor"},{"date":1461024e3,"excerpt":"\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThis is the ETS 800 Gemini skimmer used on my 180g reef tank when it was brand new.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n","ref":"/hardware/filtration/skimmer/ets-800-gemini-downdraft/299-skimmer-breakin/","section":"hardware","title":"Live Rock Curing with AETech ETS 800 Gemini Skimmer"},{"date":1461024e3,"excerpt":"\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eOver the years I had a few issues with my original beckett injector housings.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n","ref":"/hardware/filtration/skimmer/dual-beckett/298-dual-beckett-replacement/","section":"hardware","title":"Reef Science Dual Beckett Injector Replacements"},{"date":1461024e3,"excerpt":"\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThis shows the skimmer after being super sized!\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n","ref":"/hardware/filtration/skimmer/dual-beckett/296-dual-beckett-upgrade/","section":"hardware","title":"Reef Science Dual Beckett Injector Skimmer Extension"},{"date":1461024e3,"excerpt":"\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThis is waste collector which will hold the skimmate which exits the skimmer.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n","ref":"/hardware/filtration/skimmer/dual-beckett/297-waste-collector/","section":"hardware","title":"Waste Collector Container with Auto-Shutoff and Air Filter"},{"date":1461024e3,"excerpt":"Water motion in a reef tank is a critical element in a successful tank. Many tanks have been setup successfully without the use of a wavemaker device.","ref":"/hardware/water-movement/wavestrip/","section":"hardware","title":"WaveStrip WS-1 Wave Maker"},{"date":1460937600,"excerpt":"In my never ending quest to squeeze more water movement into my tank I originally tried to use dual return pumps (Iwaki MD70RLT and MAK4) from my sump to the display tank.","ref":"/hardware/water-movement/closedloop/","section":"hardware","title":"Closed Circulation Loop"},{"date":1460937600,"excerpt":"Pictured here is a custom made GFCI electrical box. GFCI stands for Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter. This device was fairly easy to make.","ref":"/hardware/cabinet/gfci/","section":"hardware","title":"Custom GFCI Electrical Box"},{"date":1460764800,"excerpt":"This Foxface Rabbit Fish is an active, fast-growing fish with venomous spines on its dorsal and anal fins. During its first week in the tank, it appeared skinny with visible bones but quickly gained weight once it developed an appetite. The fish changes color when stressed and tends to get outsmarted by tangs in the tank.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/fish-gallery/40-surgeonfish/lo-vulpinus/","section":"gallery","title":"Foxface Rabbit Fish - Lo vulpinus"},{"date":1460764800,"excerpt":"This Green Mandarin fish is one of the most beautiful but challenging species to keep, requiring a mature large reef tank with specific live food needs like amphipods and copepods. After nearly 3 years of care, the fish dried up on the tank divider but was re-hydrated and lived another 2 days before being found dead in May 2000.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/fish-gallery/39-mandarin/288-greem-synchiropus-splendidus/","section":"gallery","title":"Green Mandarin - Synchiropus splendidus"},{"date":1460764800,"excerpt":"This Lawnmower Algae Blenny was purchased as a typical hair algae eater but showed little interest in actively munching on rocks and tank glass, though it did eat prepared foods without issue. The fish disappeared without a trace during February 2002.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/fish-gallery/38-gobie/286-salarias-fasciatus/","section":"gallery","title":"Lawnmower Algae Blenny - Salarias fasciatus"},{"date":1460764800,"excerpt":"I added six juvenile Lyretail Anthias on June 29th, 2002. While initially losing one to MIA and another to death, the remaining four did well - three were aggressive eaters while one hid in the rocks and needed a special frozen slurry mix of fresh table shrimp and various frozen foods to eat properly. These fish act as dither fish, helping other fish feel safe to come out in the open tank.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/fish-gallery/75-anthias/287-pseudanthias-squamipinnis/","section":"gallery","title":"Lyretail Anthias - Pseudanthias squamipinnis"},{"date":1460764800,"excerpt":"This Red Sea Algae Blenny was purchased to help eat hair algae but showed little interest in it, preferring to wait to be fed instead. It did nip at clean glass and rocks, and was about 5 inches long before being found dead under the tank stand in March 2000 after jumping out the previous night.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/fish-gallery/38-gobie/290-aidablennius-sphynx/","section":"gallery","title":"Red Sea Algae Blenny - Aidablennius sphynx"},{"date":1460764800,"excerpt":"This Red Sea Blonde Naso tang is a very active fish constantly swimming, even at night. It has two streamers on its tail (close to 2 inches each) and distinctive forward and backward pointing \u0026lsquo;scalpels\u0026rsquo; on its face. While its body is about 6 inches long, the species can reach up to 20 inches in the wild.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/fish-gallery/40-surgeonfish/289-naso-lituratus/","section":"gallery","title":"Red Sea Blonde Naso - Naso lituratus"},{"date":1460764800,"excerpt":"This Striped Sailfin Tang is from the Indo-Pacific and Red Sea regions (though not a Red Sea Sailfin Tang specifically). It\u0026rsquo;s known for its large sail-like dorsal fin and matching anal fin, and was already eating Spirulina Flake Food when acquired. Within 5 minutes of acclimation it finished off any green macro algae in the tank, and within an hour was eating Spirulina Flakes. The fish changes colors based on its mood and is nearing its adult size of 6-7 inches.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/fish-gallery/40-surgeonfish/291-zambrasoma-veliferum/","section":"gallery","title":"Striped Sailfin Tang - Zambrasoma veliferum"},{"date":1460764800,"excerpt":"This Twospot Hogfish was an impulse purchase that immediately ate when offered food. The next day it was aggressively eating everything offered, including Spirulina flake food. While other fish expected cleaning services from it, this wrasse showed little interest in cleaning and instead slept directly on the sand bed near rocks without creating the typical silky cocoon of many wrasses. Unfortunately, it lasted only 2 days before being eaten by a Corkscrew Long Tentacle Anemone in the tank.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/fish-gallery/41-wrasse/292-bodianus-bimaculatus/","section":"gallery","title":"Twospot Hogfish (Twospot Wrasse) - Bodianus bimaculatus"},{"date":1460678400,"excerpt":"This Chevron Tang has a bright orange base body color with red and purple stripes and brilliant purple fins. It exhibits unique feeding behavior, scraping rocks and glass in a cross between head banging and kissing while flaring its lips. The fish was about 4 inches when first added and quickly accepted by other tangs in the tank.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/fish-gallery/40-surgeonfish/283-ctenochaetus-hawaiiensis/","section":"gallery","title":"Chevron Tang - Ctenochaetus hawaiiensis"},{"date":1460678400,"excerpt":"All reef tank water starts from the tap. And it is rare that tap water is good enough quality for a reef tank. My house had a deep artesian well so chlorine was not an issue.","ref":"/hardware/filtration/rawwater/","section":"hardware","title":"Raw Water to Saltwater"},{"date":1460678400,"excerpt":"My 180-gallon reef tank sand bed ranges from 2-3 inches thick with multiple sand layers. The infauna (worms, bacteria) process detritus and provide biological filtration. Sand should mix coarse and fine grains from multiple live sand sources.","ref":"/hardware/filtration/sand-filtration/","section":"hardware","title":"Sand Filtration"},{"date":1460678400,"excerpt":"This Sharknose Goby was about 1.5 inches long and proved difficult to spot and photograph, as it didn\u0026rsquo;t stay still long enough for crisp images. Despite being seen for only about 3 days, it\u0026rsquo;s known as a cleaner goby though it wasn\u0026rsquo;t observed performing cleaning services in this tank.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/fish-gallery/38-gobie/284-gobiosoma-evelynae/","section":"gallery","title":"Sharknose Goby - Gobiosoma evelynae"},{"date":1460592e3,"excerpt":"Date | Category | Item | Price | Vendor 10/28/1998 | Calcium | ESV B-Ionic Concentrate (2 Gallon) | $29.00 | Reefers 01/09/1999 | Salt | Instant Ocean 20 lbs bag.","ref":"/tank-cost/180-additives-costs/","section":"tank-cost","title":"Additives Costs for my 180g Living Room Reef Tank"},{"date":1460592e3,"excerpt":"A venturi is a device that uses a change in pressure to draw in air into a water stream to create air bubbles.","ref":"/hardware/filtration/skimmer/ets-800-gemini-downdraft/280-beckett/","section":"hardware","title":"AETech ETS 800 Beckett Modification"},{"date":1460592e3,"excerpt":"\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePictured to the left is my ETS 800 Gemini Skimmer that I used to use.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n","ref":"/hardware/filtration/skimmer/ets-800-gemini-downdraft/278-ets800/","section":"hardware","title":"AETech ETS 800 Gemini Skimmer"},{"date":1460592e3,"excerpt":"The price list below is for the dry goods cost of my tank. It does not cover any of the livestock or additives used.","ref":"/tank-cost/180-hardware-costs/","section":"tank-cost","title":"Hardware Costs for 180g Living Room Reef Tank"},{"date":1460592e3,"excerpt":"-How skimmers work A skimmer is one of the most important pieces of equipment when starting a new tank.","ref":"/hardware/filtration/skimmer/ets-800-gemini-downdraft/279-skimmerdetails/","section":"hardware","title":"How skimmers work"},{"date":1460592e3,"excerpt":"The price list below is for the cost of live \u0026ldquo;items\u0026rdquo;, this covers fish, inverts, live rock, live sand, or any or odd critters.","ref":"/tank-cost/180-livestock-cost/","section":"tank-cost","title":"Livestock Cost for my 180g Living Room Reef Tank"},{"date":1460592e3,"excerpt":"Purchased January 16th, 2000, this Pocillopora damicornus coral has very fine, hair-like polyps that give it a fuzzy appearance. It has shown significant growth over time, growing wider rather than taller, and has traveled through multiple hands before reaching the author\u0026rsquo;s tank.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/sps-corals/28-pocillopora/268-pocillopora-damicornus/","section":"gallery","title":"Pocillopora damicornus"},{"date":1460592e3,"excerpt":"Obtained October 11th, 1999, this Psammocora contigua colony is growing in the dark shadows of a Sea Rod Gorgonian from Jim Fox. It has shown slow but steady growth over time, constantly battling to survive against mushrooms that have been taking over the tank.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/sps-corals/71-psammocora/269-psammocora-contigua/","section":"gallery","title":"Psammocora contigua"},{"date":1460592e3,"excerpt":"This Pink Birds Nest Coral frag purchased January 16, 2000 showed strong growth with almost a dozen new tips starting, reaching nearly 3 inches tall and 5 inches wide after 6 months. However, it suddenly began releasing chunks of flesh with bare skeleton, requiring removal from the tank.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/sps-corals/30-seriatopora/270-seriatopora-sp/","section":"gallery","title":"Seriatopora sp."},{"date":1460592e3,"excerpt":"This unidentified SPS coral was a survivor from the original live rock cure process. Originally bleached and left in the cure tube for over a week with no lights or filtration, the author noticed fuzzy white growth and decided to see what would happen. Within days it started turning light brown and showing polyp expansion, and has since been doing rather well in the tank.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/sps-corals/72-other-sps/272-unidentified-sps-coral-1/","section":"gallery","title":"Unidentified SPS Coral #1"},{"date":1460592e3,"excerpt":"This unidentified SPS coral came as a hitchhiker on rocks from Tampa Bay Saltwater in the Caribbean. While it\u0026rsquo;s a slow grower, it has done well in the tank despite regular challenges with hair algae growing within its branches, requiring regular feeding of flake or frozen foods to maintain its health.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/sps-corals/72-other-sps/273-unidentified-sps-coral-2/","section":"gallery","title":"Unidentified SPS Coral #2"},{"date":1460592e3,"excerpt":"This wild Turbinaria reniformis colony was about 5 inches wide and 5 inches high when obtained for free in January 2000. After three months of attempting to remove hair algae that had established in the coral\u0026rsquo;s folds, the coral was declared a loss and removed from the tank to prevent further damage.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/sps-corals/72-other-sps/271-turbinaria-reniformis/","section":"gallery","title":"Yellow Scroll Coral - Turbinaria reniformis"},{"date":1460505600,"excerpt":"Obtained July 23rd, 2001 from Rich Knecht (aka RichK), this very bright Montipora scroll coral has a yellow base with green polyps. It showed excellent growth and coloration over time, eventually overgrowing nearby Porites and Green Montipora Digitata colonies.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/sps-corals/31-montipora/265-montipora-unidentifed-scroll-coral/","section":"gallery","title":"Montipora sp. Unidentifed Scroll Coral"},{"date":1460505600,"excerpt":"Obtained July 23rd, 2001 from Rich Knecht (aka RichK), this Orange Montipora capricornis has a nice bright orange color and was placed on the sand due to limited better locations. It showed impressive growth over the first four months and continued to do fantastic after four more months, though space became limited requiring shuffling of other items.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/sps-corals/31-montipora/266-orange-montipora-capricornis/","section":"gallery","title":"Orange Montipora capricornis"},{"date":1460505600,"excerpt":"This Orange Montipora digitata has been a fairly slow grower for montipora species. Obtained May 20th, 2000 from Rich Knecht, it gradually encrusted a nice base over its first three months and showed continued, though slow, growth over two years, requiring occasional fragging and often getting shaded by corals positioned higher on the rocks.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/sps-corals/31-montipora/267-orange-montipora-digitata/","section":"gallery","title":"Orange Montipora digitata"},{"date":1460505600,"excerpt":"This is a frag of Montipora digitata commonly called a Velvet Finger Coral from Jim Fox\u0026rsquo;s tank (aka MiNdErAsR).","ref":"/gallery/livestock/sps-corals/31-montipora/264-purple-montipora-digitata/","section":"gallery","title":"Purple Montipora digitata"},{"date":1460419200,"excerpt":"This Green Montipora Digitata was one of the author\u0026rsquo;s first SPS corals, purchased in June 1999. It started on a cement plug, was broken off and mounted with epoxy, and has shown excellent growth and coloration over the years, requiring frequent fragging to prevent it from overgrowing neighboring corals like gorgonians.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/sps-corals/31-montipora/263-montipora-digitata/","section":"gallery","title":"Green Montipora Digitata"},{"date":1460332800,"excerpt":"This is one of my first SPS corals I have attempted to keep. When mounted vertically it grows like a twig, but when mounted horizontally it grows more like a bush. This coral survived a total bleaching and took several months to regain its color.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/sps-corals/27-acropora/262-acropora-micropthalma/","section":"gallery","title":"Acropora micropthalma"},{"date":1460332800,"excerpt":"Given to me on December 12th, 1999 by Jim Fox (aka MiNdErAsR), this Hydnophora pilosa is an SPS coral one has to be careful with. It\u0026rsquo;s a quick grower that started in an encrusting form (unusual for this species) and has nick-named \u0026lsquo;Snail Killer\u0026rsquo; due to its ability to sting snails that fall into it.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/sps-corals/70-hydnophora/261-hydnophora-pilosa/","section":"gallery","title":"Horn Coral - Hydnophora pilosa"},{"date":1460332800,"excerpt":"Obtained March 11th, 2000 from Jim Fox (aka MiNdErAsR), this Yellow Scroll Coral fragment was about 1.5 inches tall and 1 inch wide. It was a fast grower that changed color in the tank (possibly due to different ballasts), was totally lost during January 2001 from hair algae overgrowth, but recovered and looked better than the original colony 9 months later. By February 2002 it was starting to overgrow nearby clams and was traded back to the LFS for dry goods.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/sps-corals/31-montipora/260-montipora-aequituberculata/","section":"gallery","title":"Montipora aequituberculata Scroll"},{"date":1460246400,"excerpt":"Pictured here is my first colony of a Solomon Aquacultured Acropora. It was a very dark green color showing signs of bright blue growing tips. In February 2001, this coral had to be fragged to save it as algae got a foothold in the center branches.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/sps-corals/27-acropora/250-acropora-loripes/","section":"gallery","title":"Acropora loripes"},{"date":1460246400,"excerpt":"This frag was given to me from Jim Fox (aka MiNdErAsR). It was an accidental frag made while removing another coral. The author happened to be in the right place at the right time and got this nice looking Acropora frag.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/sps-corals/27-acropora/251-acropora-nasuta/","section":"gallery","title":"Acropora nasuta"},{"date":1460246400,"excerpt":"This is a frag of Acropora samoensis just after being mounted. It started as a neon yellow color and darkened slightly over time, turning to a nice green shade. The coral bleached out in 2001 but removed branches encrusted a new base and has several new branches growing.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/sps-corals/27-acropora/252-acropora-samoensis/","section":"gallery","title":"Acropora samoensis"},{"date":1460246400,"excerpt":"This is a frag of Acropora tortuosa just after being mounted.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/sps-corals/27-acropora/259-acropora-tortuosa/","section":"gallery","title":"Acropora tortuosa"},{"date":1460246400,"excerpt":"\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAcquired on March 2nd, 2002 This is a real nice looking coral I picked up from John Link (owner of Reef Central).\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n","ref":"/gallery/livestock/sps-corals/27-acropora/257-blue-branched-acropora/","section":"gallery","title":"Blue Branched Acropora"},{"date":1460246400,"excerpt":"\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eObtained January 12th, 2002 from Greg Scheimer Greg happen to be dropping off a fairly large frag of this coral to the LFS I was at.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n","ref":"/gallery/livestock/sps-corals/27-acropora/255-bluetip-acropora-staghorn/","section":"gallery","title":"Bluetip Acropora Staghorn Coral"},{"date":1460246400,"excerpt":"Obtained December 8th, 2001 from John Link (owner of Reef Central). This coral was mounted in the dark after lights out and appeared to be a fast grower, encrusting a new base with what looked like 12 new branches starting in the first month.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/sps-corals/27-acropora/254-green-acropora-table/","section":"gallery","title":"Green Acropora Table Coral"},{"date":1460246400,"excerpt":"\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAcquired on March 2nd, 2002 I got this coral from John Link (Owner of Reef Central).\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n","ref":"/gallery/livestock/sps-corals/27-acropora/258-green-table-acropora-small-branches/","section":"gallery","title":"Green Table Acropora with Small Branches"},{"date":1460246400,"excerpt":"This coral was never documented early on because it seemed unlikely to make it. However, after changing lights from 400w 10kk Ushio to 250w 10kk HQI, it showed excellent growth. The original branches showed no new growth but the base encrusted and sent up new branches, successfully fending off encroaching green montipora.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/sps-corals/27-acropora/256-purple-tip-acropora/","section":"gallery","title":"Purple Tip Acropora"},{"date":1460246400,"excerpt":"Obtained October 20th, 2001 from John Link (owner of Reef Central). This unidentified blue Acropora has a blue base with brown polyps - not the ideal color combination but still a nice coral that isn\u0026rsquo;t getting enough light in its current tank position.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/sps-corals/27-acropora/253-unidentified-blue-acropora/","section":"gallery","title":"Unidentified Blue Acropora Coral"},{"date":1460246400,"excerpt":"This unidentified frag was given by Jim Fox (aka MiNdErAsR). It has nice bright blue growing tips. This coral was lost in December 2000, overgrown by Bryopsis.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/sps-corals/27-acropora/249-acropora01/","section":"gallery","title":"Unidentified Blue Tip Acropora"},{"date":146016e4,"excerpt":"When first added to the tank this coral refused to open up and slumped over. As a trial, it was moved dead center of the tank under direct metal halide lighting and quickly began to open up. It grew so large it could no longer balance on its rock and had to be moved to the sand bed.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/corals/68-soft-corals/245-colt-coral-cladiella/","section":"gallery","title":"Colt Coral - Cladiella sp."},{"date":146016e4,"excerpt":"The sack-like structures on this bubble coral can swell up in size to increase surface area for light. At night they contract and tentacles grow. This coral seemed to be splitting, a rare occurrence for bubble corals. The coral grew significantly over the years, reaching about 10 inches wide.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/lps-corals/244-octobubble-plerogyra/","section":"gallery","title":"Octobubble Coral - Plerogyra sp."},{"date":146016e4,"excerpt":"This orange sponge was added to the tank in March 1999 and has shown little growth since then. Note that touching sponges with bare hands can cause tissue damage - areas where the hand touched it have died back a little. Sponges are filter feeders that help with water quality in the aquarium.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/odd-critter-gallery/69-sponges/247-orange-sponge/","section":"gallery","title":"Orange Sponge"},{"date":146016e4,"excerpt":"This is an unidentified white ball sponge common to most reef tanks. This one is growing in the refugium area of the sump. Sponges are filter feeders that help with water clarity in the aquarium.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/odd-critter-gallery/69-sponges/246-white-ball-sponge/","section":"gallery","title":"White Ball Sponge"},{"date":146016e4,"excerpt":"This yellow sponge was added to the tank in March 1999 and showed noticeable growth. Sponges are filter feeders that help with water clarity. Some internal structures appeared to turn black over time, which can be normal aging in sponges.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/odd-critter-gallery/69-sponges/248-yellow-ball-sponge/","section":"gallery","title":"Yellow Ball Sponge"},{"date":1460073600,"excerpt":"This coral started out hard - the bag lost all water during shipping. Within minutes it showed polyps and went on to show excellent growth. After 20 months it had become a monster coral that was constantly battling nearby corals.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/lps-corals/242-branching-euphyllia-ancora/","section":"gallery","title":"Branching Hammer Coral - Euphyllia ancora"},{"date":1460073600,"excerpt":"This coral is about 5 inches round and likes low to moderate water flow with bright light. It\u0026rsquo;s a free-living coral with the ability to walk around the tank by tissue inflation and deflation. It also spawned in the author\u0026rsquo;s tank, releasing streams of sperm from its oral opening.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/lps-corals/243-fungia-danai/","section":"gallery","title":"Green Disc Coral - Fungia danai"},{"date":1459987200,"excerpt":"These Blue Mushroom Anemones (Phylum Cnidaria, Class Anthozoa, Order Corallimorpharia) were added January 19th, 1998 and have multiplied slowly. When disturbed, they eject hundreds of tiny blue spheres believed to be eggs, smaller than 1/32nd of an inch.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/odd-critter-gallery/44-anemone-gallery/234-bluemushtooms/","section":"gallery","title":"Blue Mushroom Anemones \u0026 Blue Eggs"},{"date":1459987200,"excerpt":"This clam arrived in poor condition (dry in a wet box) but recovered and did well placed high in the tank under intense 400w lighting.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/tridacnid-clam-gallery/231-blue-spot-tridacna-crocea/","section":"gallery","title":"Blue Spotted Tridacna crocea Clam"},{"date":1459987200,"excerpt":"This Brown Button Polyp colony is excellent for beginners, adapting well to all light types and being closely related to anemones as colonial organisms connected by coenenchyma or stolon extension and polyp budding.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/odd-critter-gallery/44-anemone-gallery/235-brown-zoanthus-pulchellus/","section":"gallery","title":"Brown Button Polyps - Zoanthus pulchellus"},{"date":1459987200,"excerpt":"This Corkscrew Long Tentacle Anemone (Macrodactyla doreensis) was purchased April 27, 1997 and has grown to near 17 inches tall and 15 inches wide. It has hosted mated pairs of Percula Clownfish that spawn twice monthly, releasing thousands of eggs that the clownfish and other fish feed on.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/odd-critter-gallery/44-anemone-gallery/237-corkscrew-macrodactyla-doreensis/","section":"gallery","title":"Corkscrew Long Tentacle Anemone - Macrodactyla doreensis"},{"date":1459987200,"excerpt":"T. derasa can reach up to 20 inches in the wild with a smooth shell. This clam showed remarkable growth, going from 5 inches to just over 8 inches in 14 months, and changed color from blue to golden yellow.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/tridacnid-clam-gallery/230-golden-tridacna-derasa/","section":"gallery","title":"Golden Tridacna derasa Clam"},{"date":1459987200,"excerpt":"These mushrooms were purchased on January 1st, 1998. With regular full spectrum lighting they have a faint green tint, but under actinic lighting they display a brilliant bright metallic green color that\u0026rsquo;s almost blinding. They reproduce slowly, with the original colony of 3 growing to 6 in a little over a year.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/odd-critter-gallery/44-anemone-gallery/236-green-frilly-rhodactis-indosinenis/","section":"gallery","title":"Green Frilly Mushrooms - Rhodactis cf. indosinenis"},{"date":1459987200,"excerpt":"These orange mushrooms were hitchhikers on a rock purchased for blue mushrooms. They have thrived and can be seen growing alongside the original blue mushroom in the top left of the photo. Easy to care for, they prefer low water currents and intense lighting.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/odd-critter-gallery/44-anemone-gallery/238-orange-mushroom-actinodiscus/","section":"gallery","title":"Orange Mushroom Anemones - Actinodiscus spp."},{"date":1459987200,"excerpt":"The last thing you want to see on your clam shells. These parasitic snails are difficult to spot, appearing mainly at night or early morning, and can produce several hundred offspring per week.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/tridacnid-clam-gallery/232-clam-snails/","section":"gallery","title":"Parasitic Pyramidellid Snails"},{"date":1459987200,"excerpt":"This colony started with less than 20 mushrooms covering 40% of the rock in 1997. They have since multiplied to uncountable numbers with 100% coverage and spread to nearby rocks throughout the tank. Easy to care for, they prefer low water currents and intense lighting.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/odd-critter-gallery/44-anemone-gallery/239-red-mushroms-discosoma/","section":"gallery","title":"Red Mushroom Anemones - Discosoma spp."},{"date":1459987200,"excerpt":"This coral has been a fairly slow grower but has shown steady growth. It tends to bush outwards more than upwards. This trend is changing since being placed under Metal Halide lighting.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/gorgonians/241-silver-quill-muricea-laxa/","section":"gallery","title":"Silver Quill Gorgonian - Muricea laxa"},{"date":1459987200,"excerpt":"Three Tridacna maxima clams as viewed from above, showing their colorful mantles. The sailfin tang and two anthias can also be seen swimming above the clams.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/tridacnid-clam-gallery/233-three-maxima-above/","section":"gallery","title":"Three Tridacna maxima Clams from Above"},{"date":1459987200,"excerpt":"These unidentified yellowish zoanthid polyps started as hitchhikers on live rock. They proved to be rapid growers forming thick mats. While they look nice flowing in strong currents, they eventually spread to cover several square feet of rock and began overgrowing corals, becoming more of a pest.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/odd-critter-gallery/44-anemone-gallery/240-unidentified-polyps/","section":"gallery","title":"Unidentified Polyps"},{"date":1459900800,"excerpt":"This Tridacna maxima clam preferred to settle on the sand rather than higher in the rock work. These clams can reach 12-16 inches in the wild and are considered a high-light species with blue and green mantles.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/tridacnid-clam-gallery/228-blue-tridacna-macima/","section":"gallery","title":"Blue Tridacna maxima Clam"},{"date":1459900800,"excerpt":"This tiny 1.5-inch \u0026lsquo;super\u0026rsquo; grade crocea clam died within 3 days, never having a chance to show its true colors in the tank.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/tridacnid-clam-gallery/226-little-bitty-blue-crocea/","section":"gallery","title":"Little Bitty Blue Tridacna crocea"},{"date":1459900800,"excerpt":"Originally a dark blue color, this clam lost its blue coloring under VHO lighting. After moving to a 180g tank with metal halide lighting, the clam died within two weeks, apparently unable to cope with the lighting change.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/tridacnid-clam-gallery/225-little-blue-tridacna/","section":"gallery","title":"Little Blue Tridacna spp. Clam"},{"date":1459900800,"excerpt":"A plankton feed which needs to be kept refrigerated. Five million fully intact marine rotifers (Branchionus plicatilis), enriched with Instant Algae. Also includes high egg count.","ref":"/foods/liquid-food/roti-feast/","section":"foods","title":"Reed Mariculture - Roti-Feast"},{"date":1459900800,"excerpt":"T. squamosa can reach 20-24 inches and doesn\u0026rsquo;t need as much light as crocea or maxima. Unlike the author\u0026rsquo;s other clams, this one showed minimal growth over 3 years and eventually died after breaking its shell hinge.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/tridacnid-clam-gallery/229-tridacna-squamosa/","section":"gallery","title":"Tiger Stripe Tridacna squamosa Clam"},{"date":1459814400,"excerpt":"The algae battle began in July 1999 with small patches of cyanobacteria in a 7-month-old tank. Despite various treatments including chemical additives, snail introductions, and manual removal, the problem persisted with algae coverage reaching up to 85% before eventually being brought under control.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/odd-critter-gallery/43-algae-gallery/220-algae-wars/","section":"gallery","title":"Algae Wars:  A New Hope"},{"date":1459814400,"excerpt":"Drip acclimation is essential for sensitive marine invertebrates like snails, clams, and corals. This method slowly adjusts water parameters over time, reducing stress from temperature and water chemistry differences between the shipping bag and the tank. Pictured are four bags of snails floating in the sump being drip acclimated during mid-winter shipping.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/corals/219-acclimation/","section":"gallery","title":"Drip Acclimation For Sensitive Critters"},{"date":1459814400,"excerpt":"A detailed look at Richard Durso\u0026rsquo;s 180-gallon reef tank featured in Advanced Aquarist September 2002. Covers system design, water circulation, lighting, filtration, additives, inhabitants, feeding regimen, maintenance, and chemistry.","ref":"/published/featured-aquarium/","section":"published","title":"Featured Aquarium - Sept 2002"},{"date":1459814400,"excerpt":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"/images/hardware/reactor/calcium/korallith.jpg\" alt=\"KORALlith Calcium Reactor Media\nPicture from January 2000\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI used KNOP KORALlith brand medium for my calcium reactor mainly because it was part of a package deal with the reactor. :c)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe medium used in the calcium reactor is very important. It\u0026rsquo;s quality determines the degree of success in using a calcium reactor. Two important things to consider about the medium are: 1) chemical composition and 2) particle size of the media.\u003c/p\u003e","ref":"/hardware/reactors/calcium/222-korallith/","section":"hardware","title":"KORALlith Calcium Reactor Medium"},{"date":1459814400,"excerpt":"\u003cimg src=\"/images/hardware/reactor/calcium/needle-valve01.jpg\" alt=\"PVC Needle Valve Picture from December 2000\"\u003e When I hooked the calcium reactor to my secondary return pump, something I did not plan for happen.","ref":"/hardware/reactors/calcium/223-needle-valve/","section":"hardware","title":"PVC Needle Valve"},{"date":1459814400,"excerpt":"\u003cimg src=\"/images/hardware/reactor/calcium/valve.jpg\" alt=\"Quick Disconnect Compression Valve Picture from December 2000\"\u003e This is a Quick Disconnect Compression Valve.","ref":"/hardware/reactors/calcium/224-valve/","section":"hardware","title":"Quick Disconnect Compression Valve"},{"date":1459814400,"excerpt":"Mirrored from Reefkeeping.com July 2005. An article documenting the asexual reproduction of Catalaphyllia jardinei (Elegance Coral) through natural splitting and fragging techniques.","ref":"/published/asexual-reproduction-of-catalaphyllia-jardinei/","section":"published","title":"Reefkeeping.com - Asexual Reproduction of Catalaphyllia jardinei"},{"date":1459814400,"excerpt":"\u003cimg src=\"/images/hardware/reactor/calcium/2ndstage01.jpg\" alt=\"2nd Stage for Calcium Reactor Picture from November 2000\"\u003e This is a second stage chamber that I added to my K2R Calcium Reactor.","ref":"/hardware/reactors/calcium/221-2nd-stage/","section":"hardware","title":"Second Stage Calcium Reactor"},{"date":1459814400,"excerpt":"A comprehensive guide to shipping live corals during winter months. Covers FedEx shipping options, preparing coral frags, bagging techniques, heat pack usage, packaging methods, and special considerations for shipping live marine life.","ref":"/published/shipping-corals/","section":"published","title":"Shipping Corals for the Winter Months"},{"date":1459814400,"excerpt":"This is a video tour of my back tank room showing all the automation, cooling, heating, reactors, controllers, etc.","ref":"/gallery/tank-shots/180-gallon-in-wall-gallery/reef-room-tour/","section":"gallery","title":"Tank Room Video Tour"},{"date":1459728e3,"excerpt":"Reef Keeping Basics by Eric V. Van Der Hope is a collaborative work done by many reef aquarist including myself. My previous tank is documented in this book.","ref":"/published/212-rkb/","section":"published","title":"Book - Reef Keeping Basics"},{"date":1459728e3,"excerpt":"A comprehensive guide to reef tank disaster preparedness covering battery-powered air pumps, DC/AC converters, UPS units, generators, kerosene heaters, and a detailed disaster prevention checklist.","ref":"/published/disaster-readiness/","section":"published","title":"Disaster Readiness"},{"date":1459728e3,"excerpt":"A live IRC chat from \u003ca href=\"https://www.reefs.org\"\u003ewww.reefs.org\u003c/a\u003e September 22, 2002 where Richard Durso (aka Reefland) discusses his 180-gallon reef tank covering hardware setup, livestock selection, refugium, feeding regimen, spawning events, frag trading, future upgrades, and audience Q\u0026amp;A.","ref":"/published/irc-talk-092202/","section":"published","title":"IRC Chat - www.reefs.org - September 22, 2002"},{"date":1459555200,"excerpt":"EcoSystems Reef Solution is an all-natural additive made from 22 different types of plants, providing multiple minerals and multi-vitamins for corals and invertebrates. The formula includes essential vitamins (A, C, D, E, B12) and minerals (calcium, iodine, magnesium, zinc, selenium).","ref":"/additives/210-reef-solution/","section":"additives","title":"EcoSystems Reef Solution Additive"},{"date":1459555200,"excerpt":"Oyster-Feast is a mix of both oyster eggs and ovarian tissue (1-200 microns). Oyster-Feast is naturally size-appropriate for the smallest SPS corals (Acropora \u0026amp; Montipora).","ref":"/foods/liquid-food/oyster-feast/","section":"foods","title":"Reed Mariculture - Oyster Feast"},{"date":1459555200,"excerpt":"This Salifert calcium kit is among the simplest to use: add 2ml of tank water, indicator powder, and 8 drops of reagent, then slowly titrate until the color changes. The whole process takes just a few minutes and the color change endpoint is clear and easy to identify. It is a reliable choice for routine reef tank calcium monitoring.","ref":"/testing/salifert-test-kits/200-salifert-ca/","section":"testing","title":"Salifert Calcium Test Kit"},{"date":1459555200,"excerpt":"This kit is not difficult to perform but several steps must be completed within seconds of each other, making it more stressful than other test kits. Reading the results is also tricky — the longer you wait to interpret the color, the darker it becomes, compounding the difficulty. Iodine is no longer tested or dosed in this system.","ref":"/testing/salifert-test-kits/201-salifert-i/","section":"testing","title":"Salifert Iodine Test Kit"},{"date":1459555200,"excerpt":"This kit gets the job done but the endpoint color change is not very distinct and the directions leave something to be desired. Magnesium testing becomes important when calcium levels are stubbornly low, since magnesium and calcium maintain a roughly 4:1 ratio — a target of around 1,450 ppm magnesium is maintained in this system. A LaMotte kit would be preferred but LaMotte does not make a straightforward magnesium test.","ref":"/testing/salifert-test-kits/202-salifert-mg/","section":"testing","title":"Salifert Magnesium Test Kit"},{"date":1459555200,"excerpt":"Nitrite testing is mainly needed during initial tank cycling; during normal operation it should always read undetectable. This kit uses a powder reagent with a 3-minute wait before comparing the color to a chart, making it one of the simpler Salifert kits to use. During healthy tank operation it can be performed very infrequently.","ref":"/testing/salifert-test-kits/203-salifert-no2/","section":"testing","title":"Salifert Nitrite Test Kit"},{"date":1459555200,"excerpt":"This test is simple to carry out — add tank water, one reagent, and a powder indicator — but interpreting the results is frustrating. The color chart gradations are so faint that distinguishing values below 0.5 ppm is nearly impossible. It works adequately for confirming very low or elevated phosphate, but is not reliable at trace levels.","ref":"/testing/salifert-test-kits/204-salifert-phosphate-test-kit/","section":"testing","title":"Salifert Phosphate Test Kit"},{"date":1459555200,"excerpt":"This SeaChem kit can test three different parameters but is used here only for magnesium, which is reasonably easy to measure with it. It is accurate and includes a reference sample, which is helpful for verifying the procedure is being followed correctly. The overall kit is more complex than the Salifert equivalent, but the magnesium portion is manageable.","ref":"/testing/seachem-test-kits/205-seachem-mg/","section":"testing","title":"SeaChem Magnesium Test Kit"},{"date":1459555200,"excerpt":"This test kit takes hours to complete and has consistently returned 0 ppm strontium even when strontium additives were being dosed. The procedure is complicated, requiring careful reading and precise timing throughout. Strontium testing and supplementation have since been abandoned entirely.","ref":"/testing/seachem-test-kits/206-seachem-sr/","section":"testing","title":"SeaChem Strontium Test Kit"},{"date":1459555200,"excerpt":"SeaTest brand test kits are made by Aquarium Systems (makers of Instant Ocean brand salt). This is a low and medium range nitrate test kit which measures in mg/l of Nitrate-Nitrogen (NO3-N).","ref":"/testing/seatest-no3/","section":"testing","title":"SeaTest Low \u0026 Medium Range Nitrate Test Kit"},{"date":1459555200,"excerpt":"Well I\u0026rsquo;m not sure I would call this a professional test kit \u0026ndash; but it is a very easy one to use if all your interested in is a \u0026ldquo;Yes\u0026rdquo; or \u0026ldquo;No\u0026rdquo; result to \u0026ldquo;Is Nitrite present in my system?\u0026rdquo;.","ref":"/testing/wardly-ni/","section":"testing","title":"Wardly Nitrite Test Kit"},{"date":1459468800,"excerpt":"Full tank sweep of this coral reef aquarium from 2002. Video footage taken back in 2002 of my \u0026ldquo;Coral Row\u0026rdquo; and many of the fish.","ref":"/gallery/tank-shots/180-gallon-living-room/180-videos/","section":"gallery","title":"Display Tank Videos"},{"date":1459468800,"excerpt":"ELOS test kits have a good reputation and are comparable to Salifert in accuracy. This calcium kit uses a two-stage process — a coarse approximation (50 ppm per drop) followed by a precision refinement (10 ppm per drop) — making it roughly twice as long to complete as the Salifert equivalent. Note that Reagent A contains Potassium Hydroxide, which can burn skin.","ref":"/testing/elos-test-kit/188-elos-ca/","section":"testing","title":"ELOS Expert Line Aqua Test - Calcium"},{"date":1459468800,"excerpt":"ELOS test kits have a good reputation and are comparable to Salifert in accuracy. This KH kit is straightforward — count drops of reagent until the sample changes from cyan to yellow, with each drop equal to 0.5 dKH. Note that the included printed instructions incorrectly state 1 dKH per drop; the cheat sheet on the back of the card has the correct value.","ref":"/testing/elos-test-kit/187-elos-kh/","section":"testing","title":"ELOS Expert Line Aqua Test - KH"},{"date":1459468800,"excerpt":"ELOS test kits have a good reputation and are comparable to Salifert in accuracy. This magnesium kit measures in 50 ppm increments and involves two separate sub-tests using four reagents. Like most magnesium kits it requires more steps than calcium or alkalinity testing, but the instructions are clear.","ref":"/testing/elos-test-kit/189-elos-mg/","section":"testing","title":"ELOS Expert Line Aqua Test - Mg"},{"date":1459468800,"excerpt":"ELOS test kits have a good reputation and are comparable to Salifert in accuracy. This phosphate kit uses 10ml of tank water with two reagents, shaken for 2 minutes before comparing the resulting color against a chart. Results are read by looking down through the open vial held above the included white chart.","ref":"/testing/elos-test-kit/190-elos-po4/","section":"testing","title":"ELOS Expert Line Aqua Test - PO4"},{"date":1459468800,"excerpt":"This is a very high quality, accurate and easy to use test kit. It\u0026rsquo;s a rather large test kit, the size of a small tool box and its easy to get scared by all the parts.","ref":"/testing/hach-po4/","section":"testing","title":"Hach Phosphate PO-19 Color Wheel Test Kit"},{"date":1459468800,"excerpt":"This has got to be one of the neatest toys, err, piece of equipment I have. It provides a very accurate temperature compensated reading of both Salinity and Specific Gravity.","ref":"/testing/refractometer/","section":"testing","title":"Hand Held Optical Refractometer"},{"date":1459468800,"excerpt":"LaMotte test kits are among the most accurate and high-quality options available for reef tank water testing. The alkalinity test is quick: add 5ml of tank water, drop in a titration tablet, dissolve it, then titrate with a syringe to find the endpoint. Starter kits are pricey but refills are very affordable.","ref":"/testing/lamotte-test-kit/192-lamotte-alk/","section":"testing","title":"LaMotte Alkalinity Test Kit"},{"date":1459468800,"excerpt":"LaMotte test kits are among the most accurate and high-quality options available for reef tank water testing. This calcium kit uses a simple titration process: add tank water, dilute with deionized water, add reagents, dissolve a color tablet, then titrate with a syringe. Starter kits are pricey but refills are very affordable.","ref":"/testing/lamotte-test-kit/193-lamotte-ca/","section":"testing","title":"LaMotte Calcium Test Kit"},{"date":1459468800,"excerpt":"LaMotte test kits are among the most accurate and high-quality options available for reef tank water testing. This nitrate kit takes about 15 minutes and involves cadmium powder (a carcinogen listed on the included MSDS), so proper handling is required. Starter kits are pricey but refills are very affordable.","ref":"/testing/lamotte-test-kit/194-lamotte-na/","section":"testing","title":"LaMotte Nitrate Test Kit"},{"date":1459468800,"excerpt":"LaMotte test kits are among the most accurate and high-quality options available for reef tank water testing. This salinity kit has been replaced by a handheld optical refractometer, but it remains highly accurate and includes MSDS sheets noting its toxic reagents (Potassium Chromate and Silver Nitrate). Starter kits are pricey but refills are very affordable.","ref":"/testing/lamotte-test-kit/195-lamotte-sa/","section":"testing","title":"LaMotte Salinity Test Kit"},{"date":1459468800,"excerpt":"Ammonia is mainly a concern during the initial tank cycling process or when a fish death is suspected. This kit uses three reagents added in sequence followed by a 15-minute wait before comparing the sample color against a chart. It is inexpensive and accurate enough for routine reef tank ammonia checks.","ref":"/testing/red-sea-test-kits/196-readsea-nh4/","section":"testing","title":"Red Sea Ammonia Test Kit"},{"date":1459468800,"excerpt":"This simple test kit adds a few drops of reagent to a water sample and immediately shows a color to compare against a chart. It always seemed to read 8.2 regardless of actual conditions, so it was eventually replaced by a PinPoint digital pH probe for more reliable monitoring. The procedure is essentially identical to the Red Sea Alkalinity test.","ref":"/testing/red-sea-test-kits/197-redsea-ph/","section":"testing","title":"Red Sea pH Test Kit"},{"date":1459468800,"excerpt":"Ammonia testing is mainly needed during initial tank cycling or when something may have died in the tank. This straightforward kit uses a two-part reagent with a 5-minute wait before comparing results to a color chart. Overall it is a decent and easy-to-use kit for occasional ammonia monitoring.","ref":"/testing/salifert-test-kits/199-salifert-nh4/","section":"testing","title":"Salifert Ammonia Test Kit"},{"date":1459468800,"excerpt":"This Salifert kit measures both Carbonate Hardness (dKH) and Alkalinity and is one of the simplest test kits to use. The process is quick: add 4ml of tank water, two drops of KH-Indicator, fill the syringe, then slowly add drops until the color changes. It is a reliable choice for routine alkalinity monitoring.","ref":"/testing/salifert-test-kits/198-salifert-alk/","section":"testing","title":"Salifert Carbonate Hardness \u0026 Alkalinity Test Kit"},{"date":1459123200,"excerpt":"The 180 gallon tank was not my first reef tank. This 55g tank was my first attempt. This tank was taken down in April 1999.","ref":"/gallery/tank-shots/55-gallon-reef-tank/","section":"gallery","title":"55 Gallon Reef Tank"},{"date":1459123200,"excerpt":"This is the tank after 1 year of operation. It is just about fully stocked minus a few SPS corals I have an eye on. The tank is on the finishing end of a hair algae outbreak.","ref":"/gallery/tank-shots/180-gallon-living-room/construction-gallery/aquascaping/","section":"gallery","title":"Aquascaping and Tank Setup"},{"date":1459123200,"excerpt":"As you can see above the tank was sitting in my garage, still wrapped as I waited 8 weeks for the stand to arrive. If your interested, HERE is the story on why the stand took so long.","ref":"/gallery/tank-shots/180-gallon-living-room/construction-gallery/display-tank-setup/","section":"gallery","title":"Display Tank Setup"},{"date":1459123200,"excerpt":"Once the tank was installed onto my stand, and everyone left. I took a close look at the tank. It was a bright sunny, but cold December day.","ref":"/gallery/tank-shots/180-gallon-living-room/construction-gallery/tank-cracks/","section":"gallery","title":"My Tanks has Cracks ?!?!?"},{"date":1459123200,"excerpt":"This shows the display at 42 Months with only the URI Super Actinic bulbs on. The tank is in the process of being taken down as I had to relocate for work.","ref":"/gallery/tank-shots/180-gallon-in-wall-gallery/full-tank/","section":"gallery","title":"Progressive Full Tank Pictures"},{"date":1459123200,"excerpt":"Here is the tank after 2 months of using the AB Aquaspace light. You can see how many of the coral colors have gotten more intense.","ref":"/gallery/tank-shots/180-gallon-living-room/full-tank/","section":"gallery","title":"Progressive Full Tank Pictures"},{"date":1459123200,"excerpt":"Collection of random overview pictures of the 180 gallon in-wall reef tank from January 2008 and other dates, showing the tank\u0026rsquo;s progression and coral growth.","ref":"/gallery/tank-shots/180-gallon-in-wall-gallery/random-tank-shots/","section":"gallery","title":"Random Tank Shots"},{"date":1459123200,"excerpt":"Fish are just always hungry, always thinking they are going to feed them and very frequently doing a photo-bomb like this one.","ref":"/gallery/tank-shots/180-gallon-living-room/random-tank-shots/","section":"gallery","title":"Random Tank Shots"},{"date":1459123200,"excerpt":"It took eight weeks for my stand still to arrive. Boy was that a hassle. I do not normally shop at PetCo.","ref":"/gallery/tank-shots/180-gallon-living-room/construction-gallery/tank-stand-delay/","section":"gallery","title":"Tank Stand Delay"},{"date":1458950400,"excerpt":"Aquascaping in the reef aquarium is primarily the design of the live rock formations the hobbyist creates. The goal is to create something natural looking in the limited space of the aquarium.","ref":"/gallery/tank-shots/180-gallon-in-wall-gallery/construction-gallery/aquascaping/","section":"gallery","title":"Aquascaping the Reef Tank"},{"date":1458950400,"excerpt":"This is a fairly common star found in many reef aquaria, coming as hitchhikers on live rock. They are very small (size of a US Penny) cushion stars nearly always white or gray and irregular looking due to asexual reproduction by dropping legs. It\u0026rsquo;s very rare to see a symmetrical looking Asterina - typically they have 1 to 3 fully developed legs. The identification as Asterina sp. is commonly used but not confirmed.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/odd-critter-gallery/50-seastar-gallery/167-asterina/","section":"gallery","title":"Asterina Sea Star - Asterina sp."},{"date":1458950400,"excerpt":"Linkia sea stars are among the few sea stars acceptable for reef aquariums. They are non-selective surface grazers from the Indo-Pacific that can survive on a diet of aquarium detritus and debris. However, they are known to ship very poorly with high mortality rates, so careful acclimation is essential.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/odd-critter-gallery/50-seastar-gallery/168-orange-linkia/","section":"gallery","title":"Orange Linkia Sea Star - Linkia sp."},{"date":1458950400,"excerpt":"This is a fairly rare pink brittle sea star that is an excellent addition to the reef tank. Like other brittle stars, it helps with tank maintenance by scavenging for detritus and leftover food. Belongs to Order Ophiurida, Family Ophiocomidae.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/odd-critter-gallery/50-seastar-gallery/166-ophiomastix/","section":"gallery","title":"Pink Brittle Sea Star - Ophiomastix sp."},{"date":1458950400,"excerpt":"This is behind the pre-existing 2x4 stud wall where I expect to construct a stand to hold the tank. I do not plan on reusing my tank stand as I want the tank higher than the height of the stand.","ref":"/gallery/tank-shots/180-gallon-in-wall-gallery/construction-gallery/tank-room-construction/","section":"gallery","title":"Tank  Room Construction"},{"date":1458950400,"excerpt":"Room construction is just about finished. Just minor work still needs to be done such as molding and a flip up door above the reef tank.","ref":"/gallery/tank-shots/180-gallon-in-wall-gallery/construction-gallery/tank-installation/","section":"gallery","title":"Tank Installation"},{"date":1458950400,"excerpt":"This shows the room before any construction had started. This is the basement of my house. Poured concrete walls with a concrete slab floor.","ref":"/gallery/tank-shots/180-gallon-in-wall-gallery/construction-gallery/viewing-room-construction/","section":"gallery","title":"Tank Viewing Room Construction"},{"date":1458950400,"excerpt":"The tank frame and trim are professionally built custom cabinet carpentry performed by First Cut Custom Woodworks. This shows the trim being assembled at the wood shop.","ref":"/gallery/tank-shots/180-gallon-in-wall-gallery/construction-gallery/wall-frame-trim-construction/","section":"gallery","title":"Tank Wall Frame \u0026 Trim Construction"},{"date":1458864e3,"excerpt":"Astraea snails are excellent algae eaters and are among the most popular snails in the reef keeping hobby. They are known for their ability to consume various types of algae including diatoms, green algae, and even some types of cyanobacteria. These snails have a distinctive cone-shaped shell and are generally reef safe.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/odd-critter-gallery/45-snail-gallery/156-astraea/","section":"gallery","title":"Astraea Snail"},{"date":1458864e3,"excerpt":"This photo captures a rare moment in the home aquarium - an Astraea snail releasing sperm. These snails belong to Class Gastropoda, Subclass Orthogastropoda, Superorder Vetigastropoda. Astraea snails are excellent algae grazers in reef tanks.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/odd-critter-gallery/45-snail-gallery/157-astraea-snail-spawn/","section":"gallery","title":"Astraea Snail Spawn"},{"date":1458864e3,"excerpt":"Finding baby snails in the aquarium is always exciting for a reef keeper. These baby Trochus snails were discovered in one of the overflow chambers, indicating successful breeding in the home aquarium. The one pictured was one of the larger ones found, measuring about 1/16 inch across (1.5mm). Trochus snails are excellent algae eaters and their ability to reproduce in captivity is a good sign of tank health.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/odd-critter-gallery/45-snail-gallery/158-baby-trochus/","section":"gallery","title":"Baby Trochus - unknown species."},{"date":1458864e3,"excerpt":"Cerith snails are long-lived and do well in reef aquaria. They typically stay on the glass and frequently rest buried in the sand bed. They are excellent algae grazers and help with tank maintenance.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/odd-critter-gallery/45-snail-gallery/159-cerithium/","section":"gallery","title":"Cerith Snail - Cerithium sp."},{"date":1458864e3,"excerpt":"This anemone\u0026rsquo;s identification is uncertain - it resembles a white Sebae (Heteractis crispa) but wasn\u0026rsquo;t bleached like those typically sold. The store was also unsure of its identification. Unfortunately, it wandered to the back of the tank and under the rock work, disappearing after three months.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/odd-critter-gallery/44-anemone-gallery/155-sabae-anemone/","section":"gallery","title":"Heteractis crispa - Sebae Anemone"},{"date":1458864e3,"excerpt":"Limpets are animals known for their ability to cling to rocks. They don\u0026rsquo;t use suction - instead they have a very strong muscular foot that grabs onto small imperfections in the rock. They have a distinctive oval shaped shell with the peak more-or-less near the center. Limpets are primarily algae grazers including coralline algae.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/odd-critter-gallery/45-snail-gallery/161-limpet/","section":"gallery","title":"Limpet - unknown species"},{"date":1458864e3,"excerpt":"Peppermint Shrimp tend to be clear or opaque with reddish colored stripes. They were originally added to the tank to take care of Aiptasia Anemones after the Copperbanded Butterflyfish died. Many novices confuse this Caribbean shrimp with the Camelback Shrimp (Rhynchocienetes uritai) which does not eat Aiptasia anemones.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/odd-critter-gallery/48-shrimp-gallery/164-lysmata-wurdemanni/","section":"gallery","title":"Peppermint Shrimp - Lysmata wurdemanni"},{"date":1458864e3,"excerpt":"Red bugs are tiny copepods that are nearly impossible to see without macro photography. They typically hide in shaded areas under coral branches. The first signs of infestation are loss of coral color and reduced polyp extension. While a few won\u0026rsquo;t kill an Acropora, they multiply rapidly in closed systems without predators and can devastate coral health.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/odd-critter-gallery/46-copepods-gallery/162-tegastes-acroporanus/","section":"gallery","title":"Red Bugs - Tegastes acroporanus"},{"date":1458864e3,"excerpt":"This red hermit crab was sold as a scarlet hermit but unlike true scarlet hermits, it doesn\u0026rsquo;t have the characteristic yellow face. Generally not a fan of hermit crabs in reef tanks due to their diet of small crustaceans, worms from the sand, and even snails.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/odd-critter-gallery/47-crab-gallery/163-red-leg-hermit-crab/","section":"gallery","title":"Red Leg Hermit Crab - unknown species"},{"date":1458864e3,"excerpt":"This photo captures Trochus snails releasing sperm during a spawning event. Observing reproductive behavior in home aquariums is always exciting and indicates that the tank conditions are healthy enough to support the complete life cycle of these snails. Trochus snails are excellent algae eaters and their successful breeding is a testament to good tank management.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/odd-critter-gallery/45-snail-gallery/160-trochus-snail-spawn/","section":"gallery","title":"Trochus Snail Spawn"},{"date":1458864e3,"excerpt":"This yellow sea cucumber belongs to the Holothuroidea class of echinoderms. Sand cucumbers are important for sand bed maintenance as they process sand particles and help with nutrient cycling in the aquarium.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/odd-critter-gallery/49-sand-cucumber-gallery/165-holothuria/","section":"gallery","title":"Yellow Sea Sand Cucumber - Holothuria sp."},{"date":1458864e3,"excerpt":"Zoanthid sp. These are very tiny polyps. The entire rock pictured here is under an inch long.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/odd-critter-gallery/44-anemone-gallery/154-orange-center-zoanthid/","section":"gallery","title":"Zoanthid sp. - Orange Center Zoanthids"},{"date":1458777600,"excerpt":"This red calcareous algae (Rhodophyta) shows a branching or articulated growth form that is much less common than encrusting coralline algae species.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/odd-critter-gallery/43-algae-gallery/149-articulated-coralline/","section":"gallery","title":"Coralline Algae - Articulated Coralline Cluster"},{"date":1458777600,"excerpt":"These anemones can grow up to 4 inches tall with long tapered tentacles and reproduce through pedal laceration, where damaged base tissue can regenerate into entire new anemones.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/odd-critter-gallery/44-anemone-gallery/152-aiptasia/","section":"gallery","title":"Glass Anemones - Aiptasia sp."},{"date":1458777600,"excerpt":"This green bubbletip anemone was added to the tank in 2006, initially hiding under rock work before showing itself in the upper third of the display. By April 2007, at least five anemone clones could be identified in the rock work and were being given away to fellow hobbyists as they could be removed.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/odd-critter-gallery/44-anemone-gallery/153-entacmaea-quadricolor/","section":"gallery","title":"Green Bubbletip Anemone - Entacmaea quadricolor"},{"date":1458777600,"excerpt":"Pictured here is a form of non-articulated (encrusting) crustose corraline algae.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/odd-critter-gallery/43-algae-gallery/150-purple-coralline/","section":"gallery","title":"Purple Coralline Algae"},{"date":1458777600,"excerpt":"This unidentified algae sample was found growing in one overflow chamber, exhibiting a firm, sponge-like texture and relatively rapid growth, but was not detected in other chambers or the main tank.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/odd-critter-gallery/43-algae-gallery/151-red-alage/","section":"gallery","title":"Red Algae"},{"date":1458691200,"excerpt":"This Blue Mandarin fish is one of the most beautiful but challenging marine fish to keep, requiring a mature tank with live food like copepods and amphipods. The author had previously kept a mandarin for several years before it jumped out of the tank.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/fish-gallery/39-mandarin/144-synchiropus-splendidus/","section":"gallery","title":"Blue Mandarin - Synchiropus splendidus"},{"date":1458691200,"excerpt":"These clownfish have been with the author longer than any other marine critter, surviving four tank moves. The female (larger) and male (smaller) were purchased in April 1997 and demonstrate the species\u0026rsquo; unique sex-changing abilities. While they no longer host in their original Long Tentacle Anemone, they have taken up residence in a Pink Tipped Elegance Coral.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/fish-gallery/37-clownfish/141-amphiprion-percula/","section":"gallery","title":"Clownfish - Amphiprion percula"},{"date":1458691200,"excerpt":"On April 1st, 2000, the first bright orange eggs were spotted, confirming the clownfish were a mated pair. The male carefully guards the eggs from predators like peppermint shrimp, and the pair has been observed spawning regularly, typically in the back of the tank where observation is difficult.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/fish-gallery/37-clownfish/142-amphiprion-percula-spawning/","section":"gallery","title":"Clownfish spawning - Amphiprion percula"},{"date":1458691200,"excerpt":"This Engineer Gobie (Convict Blenny) is a unique fish that swims with an undulating movement, can swim backwards, and is known for digging tunnels under rock work and moving significant volumes of sand. It\u0026rsquo;s a mouth brooder showing parental care for several weeks, with juveniles developing adult coloration around 9 months and potential lifespan of up to 17 years.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/fish-gallery/38-gobie/143-pholidichthys-leucotaenia/","section":"gallery","title":"Engineer Gobie, Convict Blenny - Pholidichthys leucotaenia"},{"date":1458691200,"excerpt":"This Red Sea Purple Tang is a hardy fish from the Red Sea that reaches around 8 inches in size. It tends to be shy and quickly hides when someone approaches the tank. The fish has proven resilient, clearing itself of ich when it occurs, and has been kept for seven years at the time of this picture.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/fish-gallery/40-surgeonfish/145-zembrasoma-xanthurum/","section":"gallery","title":"Red Sea Purple Tang - Zembrasoma xanthurum"},{"date":1458691200,"excerpt":"This Ruby Head Fairy Wrasse had a difficult start when first added to the tank, repeatedly jumping out within seconds of introduction. After being rinsed and added back multiple times, it remained in the overflow chamber for nearly a month before eventually being ignored by resident tangs and allowed to roam freely. Unfortunately, it was lost in January 2006 after jumping out again and being found dried out on the reef room floor.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/fish-gallery/41-wrasse/147-cirrhilabrus-cyanopleura/","section":"gallery","title":"Ruby Head Fairy Wrasse - Cirrhilabrus cyanopleura"},{"date":1458691200,"excerpt":"This Scopas Tang frequently changes colors, often showing a white head with dark body. When introduced to the display tank, it exhibited territorial behavior toward the existing Purple Tang, resulting in extensive chasing (though no bodily injury) that eventually settled into peaceful cohabitation.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/fish-gallery/40-surgeonfish/146-zembrasoma-scopas/","section":"gallery","title":"Scopas Tang - Zembrasoma scopas"},{"date":1458691200,"excerpt":"This Yellow Corris Wrasse was very difficult to photograph as it was only seen 3 times during the first two weeks, consistently hiding under the sand in a mucous cocoon day and night. Unfortunately, it was found dried up on the reef room floor in October 2005.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/fish-gallery/41-wrasse/148-halichoeres-chrysus/","section":"gallery","title":"Yellow Corris Wrasse - Halichoeres chrysus"},{"date":1458604800,"excerpt":"This Allen\u0026rsquo;s Damsel is a beautiful, elongated fish that\u0026rsquo;s just under 1.5 inches long as a juvenile and grows to about 2 inches as an adult. It\u0026rsquo;s known for its brilliant neon colors, hardy nature, and tendency to be an open water fish that doesn\u0026rsquo;t hide much, though it\u0026rsquo;s best kept as a single specimen in captivity.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/fish-gallery/33-damsel/135-pomacentrus-alleni/","section":"gallery","title":"Allen's Damsel - Pomacentrus alleni"},{"date":1458604800,"excerpt":"This Bellus Angelfish is a mid-water planktivore that moves with rapid jerks using its pectoral fins, creating a stop/go swimming motion. It\u0026rsquo;s the author\u0026rsquo;s third Angelfish from this genus and does not appear to pick on corals.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/fish-gallery/34-angelfish/136-genicanthus-bellus/","section":"gallery","title":"Bellus Angelfish - Genicanthus bellus"},{"date":1458604800,"excerpt":"This Copperbanded Butterfly fish was added to address an Aiptasia problem. While it\u0026rsquo;s peaceful overall, it can defend itself by pointing its spines at aggressive tangs. It primarily eats worms from the sand bed and showed reduced Aiptasia populations, though it eventually died after being dragged under a rock by a starfish in July 2006.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/fish-gallery/35-butterfly/139-chelmon-rostratus/","section":"gallery","title":"Copperbanded Butterfly - Chelmon rostratus"},{"date":1458604800,"excerpt":"This female Japanese Swallowtail Angelfish is a planktivore that won\u0026rsquo;t bother corals or clams. The male is white with dark vertical stripes (Zebra Angel). It adapted quickly to captivity, eating various foods within days, and serves as a dither fish that helps smaller fish come out in the open. Unfortunately, it was found dead on the tank room floor in November 2007.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/fish-gallery/34-angelfish/137-genicanthus-melanospilos/","section":"gallery","title":"Japanese Swallowtail - Genicanthus melanospilos"},{"date":1458604800,"excerpt":"This female Lamarck\u0026rsquo;s Angelfish is a reef-safe Angelfish that stays in small groups in shallow water. Males have a yellow forehead marking, and while less brightly colored than other angelfish, they won\u0026rsquo;t nip at corals or clam mantels.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/fish-gallery/34-angelfish/138-genicanthus-lamarck/","section":"gallery","title":"Lamarck's Angelfish - Genicanthus lamarck"},{"date":1458604800,"excerpt":"This Pajama Cardinalfish is a nocturnal hunter with distinctive coloration that shelters under ledges or among Acropora branches during daylight hours. At night or early morning, it emerges to look for food, selectively picking at items in the homemade frozen mush such as Mysis. It\u0026rsquo;s just under 3 inches long and often seen hovering above orange montipora coral.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/fish-gallery/36-cardinalfish/140-sphaeramia-nematoptera/","section":"gallery","title":"Pajama Cardinal - Sphaeramia nematoptera"},{"date":1458518400,"excerpt":"This acropora was sold as Acropora polystoma but the author has doubts about the species. Under just actinic lighting it is a nice green color but under daylight lamps it is a soft cream color. Unfortunately this coral never recovered from shipping stress.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/sps-corals/27-acropora/123-acropora-polystoma/","section":"gallery","title":"Acropora polystoma"},{"date":1458518400,"excerpt":"This is an unidentified species of Acropora with long polyps.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/sps-corals/27-acropora/122-acropora-with-long-polyps/","section":"gallery","title":"Acropora sp. with Long Polyps"},{"date":1458518400,"excerpt":"This is an unidentified species of acropora obtained from fellow reef keeper Peter Weis.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/sps-corals/27-acropora/103-blue-acropora-frag/","section":"gallery","title":"Blue Acropora sp. (unknown species)"},{"date":1458518400,"excerpt":"This bluish-green Acropora millipora has been a very slow grower in the tank, positioned high up and towards the back where it\u0026rsquo;s difficult to photograph.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/sps-corals/27-acropora/112-blue-green-millipora/","section":"gallery","title":"Blue and Green Acropora millipora"},{"date":1458518400,"excerpt":"This is an unidentified species of acropora that was added to the display tank in December 2005.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/sps-corals/27-acropora/129-blue-tip-acropora/","section":"gallery","title":"Blue Tip Acropora sp. (unknown species)"},{"date":1458518400,"excerpt":"This is an unidentified species of acropora that shows excellent polyp extension.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/sps-corals/27-acropora/125-blue-tip-table-acropora/","section":"gallery","title":"Blue Tip Table Acropora sp."},{"date":1458518400,"excerpt":"This is an unidentified species of acropora noted for its deep blue coloration.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/sps-corals/27-acropora/124-deep-blue-acropora/","section":"gallery","title":"Deep Blue Acropora sp."},{"date":1458518400,"excerpt":"This small colony of Acropora millipora was given to me by my neighbor where it was part of a large beautiful colony. Six months later it was showing good growth even though being shaded by blue acropora on the right and a gorgonian on the left.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/sps-corals/27-acropora/111-green-millipora/","section":"gallery","title":"Green Acropora millipora"},{"date":1458518400,"excerpt":"This is a unidentified species of acropora obtained as a frag from an amazing LFS \u0026rsquo;not for sale\u0026rsquo; display tank. The parent colony was deep green with blue growing tips and claimed to be a rapid grower. After initial challenges, the coral showed minor growth at 8 months and significant growth at 5 months later, requiring trimming of neighboring purple acropora to prevent shading.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/sps-corals/27-acropora/104-green-blue-acropora/","section":"gallery","title":"Green and Blue Tip Acropora sp."},{"date":1458518400,"excerpt":"This very small Montipora frag was purchased via mail order as green with blue polyps. Despite the author\u0026rsquo;s inability to see significant blue or green coloration, it was placed in the upper third of the display to test if intense lighting would bring out some color.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/sps-corals/31-montipora/114-green-montipora/","section":"gallery","title":"Green Montipora sp."},{"date":1458518400,"excerpt":"This small green Pocillopora sp. frag, possibly P. damicornis, was about 2 inches across and had been in the display tank for 3 months when it began being overgrown by a much faster-growing Pink Birds Nest coral.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/sps-corals/28-pocillopora/119-green-pocillopora/","section":"gallery","title":"Green Pocillopora sp."},{"date":1458518400,"excerpt":"This unidentified Porites species was originally dark brown when acquired, steadily changing colors from brown to yellow and appearing to turn green. It developed cyan polyps and growth margins, encrusting a significantly sized base attachment to the rock with a horizontal projection of about 4 inches.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/sps-corals/29-porites/113-green-porites/","section":"gallery","title":"Green Porites sp."},{"date":1458518400,"excerpt":"This picture of an unidentified species of acropora was taken just after it was added to the display tank. It had long extended polyps like a millipora but wasn\u0026rsquo;t growing like one. Positioned in the uppermost part of the tank with very high flow rates, the coral was unfortunately lost in a heat wave during August 2006 when tank temperatures reached over 86°F.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/sps-corals/27-acropora/130-green-table-acropora-frag/","section":"gallery","title":"Green Table Acropora sp."},{"date":1458518400,"excerpt":"This is an unidentified species of acropora that I acquired as a small frag. The frag was about 1¼ inches tall when added to the display tank. Unfortunately, this coral bleached and died in March 2006.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/sps-corals/27-acropora/126-green-table-acropora/","section":"gallery","title":"Green Table Acropora sp."},{"date":1458518400,"excerpt":"Heliofungia (heel\u0026rsquo;-ee-oh-fun\u0026rsquo;-jee-ah) have very long and large tentacles with knobbed tips which are extended during the day. They are free-living and usually placed on a soft sandy or rubble substrate with low to medium current and good bright lighting. Unfortunately this coral died from a flesh-rotting infection.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/lps-corals/131-heliofungia-actiniformis/","section":"gallery","title":"Long Tentacle Plate Coral - Heliofungia actiniformis"},{"date":1458518400,"excerpt":"The upper part of the display tank under the center glass has limited room for vertical growth and fairly strong flow rates, making it suitable for encrusting montipora corals. This orange encrusting montipora appears to share a rock with another, less colorful species, with a \u0026rsquo;no man\u0026rsquo;s land\u0026rsquo; between them showing where they compete. Unfortunately, both species bleached and died during April 2006 within a week\u0026rsquo;s time.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/sps-corals/31-montipora/127-orange-encrusting-montipora/","section":"gallery","title":"Orange Encrusting Montipora (Montipora sp.)"},{"date":1458518400,"excerpt":"This Orange Montipora capricornis can be traced to Penn State University\u0026rsquo;s Coral Reef Display and was at least a 5th generation captive-raised coral. After dying off in July 2005 with only a small 1/4 inch patch surviving, it slowly regrew and nearly tripled in size over 3 months, eventually growing to about 10 inches wide and 10 inches front to back before being lost in August 2008.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/sps-corals/31-montipora/115-orange-montipora/","section":"gallery","title":"Orange Montipora capricornis"},{"date":1458518400,"excerpt":"This was sold as a small peach-colored millipora frag which was just added to the display. As viewed from above, it showed peach with pink highlights and great polyp extension. Six months later it was still showing excellent growth and polyp extension, with significant growth visible two months later when viewed from above.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/sps-corals/27-acropora/105-peach-millipora/","section":"gallery","title":"Peach Millipora, Cluster Coral. Acropora millipora"},{"date":1458518400,"excerpt":"This Pink Birds Nest (Seriatopora hystrix) frag is a fourth-generation captive-raised colony. Instead of encrusting a new base, it thickened its branches and generated many new branches. Three months later it showed excellent growth rates with vibrant pink coloration, and eight months later it had reached the water surface and encroached upon nearby corals.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/sps-corals/30-seriatopora/116-seriatopora-hystrix/","section":"gallery","title":"Pink Birds Nest - Seriatopora hystrix"},{"date":1458518400,"excerpt":"This coral started as a small frag and grew into a stunning show piece over 8 years, reaching over 8 inches tall and nearly a foot wide. It produced several daughter colonies before the entire colony mysteriously separated from its skeleton in late 2005.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/lps-corals/132-catalaphyllia-jardinei/","section":"gallery","title":"Pink Tipped Elegance Coral - Catalaphyllia jardinei"},{"date":1458518400,"excerpt":"This Pocillopora sp. coral was about an inch tall after 3 months of growth and showed significant development, including a slight green hue in the polyps. After 13 months, it demonstrated very impressive growth rates while remaining low in the tank just above the sand bed.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/sps-corals/28-pocillopora/120-pocillopora-brown/","section":"gallery","title":"Pocillopora sp."},{"date":1458518400,"excerpt":"This unexpected Pocillopora sp. hitchhiker appeared in the tank without being deliberately added. Starting at about 1 inch long and 3/4 inch tall, it showed significant size increase and significant color changes over three months of growth.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/sps-corals/28-pocillopora/121-pocillopora-hitch-hiker/","section":"gallery","title":"Pocillopora sp. Hitch Hiker"},{"date":1458518400,"excerpt":"This unidentified Acropora species seemed like a pretty deep purple at the LFS but appeared more brown to the camera. Over time, the coloration improved significantly, showing shades of blue and excellent polyp extension. Despite a slow growth rate, it showed significant new encrusting growth and decent growth when viewed from above in January 2008.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/sps-corals/27-acropora/106-purple-acropora-sp/","section":"gallery","title":"Purple Acropora sp."},{"date":1458518400,"excerpt":"This Purple Encrusting Montipora has been in the display tank since summer, doubling in size over six months. It shows a brilliant pink/purple color under daylight halides and exhibits a striking blue fluorescence when only actinic lighting is used.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/sps-corals/31-montipora/118-purple-encrusting-montipora/","section":"gallery","title":"Purple Encrusting Montipora sp."},{"date":1458518400,"excerpt":"\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThis is a purple unknown species of montipora that was given to me as a small frag.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n","ref":"/gallery/livestock/sps-corals/31-montipora/117-purple-montipora-plate/","section":"gallery","title":"Purple Montipora Plate coral (Montipora sp.)"},{"date":1458518400,"excerpt":"This colorful Acropora species shows purple, green, blue and brown coloration. Over several months it developed a new base, started multiple branches, and easily doubled in size while maintaining excellent polyp extension.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/sps-corals/27-acropora/107-rainbow-acropora/","section":"gallery","title":"Rainbow Acropora sp."},{"date":1458518400,"excerpt":"This frag of a Marshall Islands tricolor Acropora was expected to show a brown base with purple tips and green polyps. At nearly 5 inches long but only 1 inch across, the frag was split with one part mounted elsewhere for future trade. Unfortunately, all pieces died off three months after being added to the tank.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/sps-corals/27-acropora/133-tricolor-acropora/","section":"gallery","title":"Tricolor Acropora sp."},{"date":1458518400,"excerpt":"This unidentified Acropora species was acquired several months ago from a fellow aquarist. Not knowing its lighting needs, it was placed low in the tank where it showed good but not very colorful growth. A specimen placed in a frag rack just under the halides showed nice yellow and green coloration, indicating it could use more light.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/sps-corals/27-acropora/110-unknown-acropora/","section":"gallery","title":"Unidentified Acropora sp."},{"date":1458518400,"excerpt":"This unidentified Acropora fragment was originally part of another colony that died off. The tiny specimen was noticed in the bottom of a bag and saved from trash. After 8 months of growth showing some die-off on top, it was unfortunately lost during an August 2006 heat wave when tank temperatures exceeded 86°F.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/sps-corals/27-acropora/128-unknown-acropora-frag/","section":"gallery","title":"Unidentified Acropora sp. Frag"},{"date":1458518400,"excerpt":"This is an unidentified species of acropora which is expected to grow in a table shape. This coral has more than tripled in size over the past 5 months, growing to approximately 4 inches tall and 2 inches wide.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/sps-corals/27-acropora/102-acropora-table/","section":"gallery","title":"Unidentified Acropora Table. (Acropora sp.)"},{"date":1458518400,"excerpt":"This unidentified yellow Acropora frag is under 1 inch tall and was acquired from a fellow reef keeper. The author will need to observe its growth to determine what it develops into over time.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/sps-corals/27-acropora/108-yellow-acropora/","section":"gallery","title":"Yellow Acropora sp."},{"date":1458518400,"excerpt":"This unidentified yellow/green Acropora frag was under 1 inch tall and just under 2 inches wide when acquired from a fellow reef keeper. On December 25th, 2006, the coral lost tissue on the left half, with the loss stopping halfway for several days before the coral was completely lost.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/sps-corals/27-acropora/109-yellow-green-acropora/","section":"gallery","title":"Yellow/Green Acropora sp."},{"date":1458432e3,"excerpt":"This is an unidentified species of Acropora.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/sps-corals/27-acropora/95-acropora-unknown/","section":"gallery","title":"Acropora sp. (unknown species)"},{"date":1458432e3,"excerpt":"\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThis small colony of Acropora millipora was given to me by a fellow hobbyist Dan Connor.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n","ref":"/gallery/livestock/sps-corals/27-acropora/97-blue-acropora-millipora/","section":"gallery","title":"Blue Acropora millipora"},{"date":1458432e3,"excerpt":"This is an unidentified species of acropora obtained from fellow reef keeper Peter Weis.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/sps-corals/27-acropora/96-blue-acropora-unknown/","section":"gallery","title":"Blue Acropora sp. (unknown species)"},{"date":1458432e3,"excerpt":"This coral was sold as a captive grown Acropora solitaryensis from Bali.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/sps-corals/27-acropora/101-acropora-solitaryensis/","section":"gallery","title":"Blue tip Acropora solitaryensis"},{"date":1458432e3,"excerpt":"This coral was sold as Acropora striata, which like most species names to acropora is questionable but seems close enough.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/sps-corals/27-acropora/100-acropora-striata/","section":"gallery","title":"Blue Tip Staghorn. (Acropora striata)"},{"date":1458432e3,"excerpt":"Favia (fay\u0026rsquo;-vee-ah) are some of the most common corals in the world. They are typically massive, domed or rounded shaped. Feeding tentacles emerge at night, and the flesh typically remains expanded during the day.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/lps-corals/88-favia/","section":"gallery","title":"Closed Brain, Moon Coral- Favia sp."},{"date":1458432e3,"excerpt":"Got this coral for free at IMAC 2006 thanks to FRAGexchange.com. This coral is a frag cut from a larger colony with a tile saw. It has regrown over the skeleton where it was cut and is encrusting along the rock.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/lps-corals/91-flat-favia/","section":"gallery","title":"Flat Closed Brain, Moon Coral - Favia sp."},{"date":1458432e3,"excerpt":"Goniopora (goh-nee-oh-pohr\u0026rsquo;-ah) tend to have very light porous round, columnar or massive skeletons. All species of goniopora have 24 tentacles on each polyp. After over 10 years of reef keeping experience and research, the author finally felt ready to try keeping this challenging coral.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/lps-corals/92-goniopora/","section":"gallery","title":"Flower Pot Coral, Daisy Coral - Goniopora columna"},{"date":1458432e3,"excerpt":"This coral was sold as a green and pink Acropora florida but appeared more brown in the author\u0026rsquo;s tank setup.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/sps-corals/27-acropora/98-green-acropora-florida/","section":"gallery","title":"Green Acropora florida"},{"date":1458432e3,"excerpt":"This is a small fragment of the very popular Acropora millipora coral. The author had tried this species a few times over the past and never had good luck with it. This shows considerable new growth after four months in the display tank.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/sps-corals/27-acropora/99-acropora-millipora/","section":"gallery","title":"Millipora, Cluster Coral. Acropora millipora"},{"date":1458432e3,"excerpt":"Acanthastrea (ack\u0026rsquo;-an-thass\u0026rsquo;-tree-ah) is a pretty common coral in the wild. These corals look very much like other brain corals with thicker tissue and typically grow in cerioid formation (corallites have shared fused walls). This specimen shows spotted orange coloration throughout.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/lps-corals/90-orange-acan/","section":"gallery","title":"Orange Acan- Acanthastrea echinata"},{"date":1458432e3,"excerpt":"Favia (fay\u0026rsquo;-vee-ah) are some of the most common corals in the world. They are typically massive, domed or rounded shaped. Feeding tentacles emerge at night, and the flesh typically remains expanded during the day.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/lps-corals/89-orange-favia/","section":"gallery","title":"Orange Closed Brain, Moon Coral - Favia sp."},{"date":1458432e3,"excerpt":"Trachyphyllia (track\u0026rsquo;-ee-fill\u0026rsquo;-ee-ah) are solitary corals with flabello-meandroid skeleton. T. radiata is considered an unusual import that is rare in nature. This coral was on death\u0026rsquo;s door for many months but completely healed and regained its red and green color after being moved to shade.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/lps-corals/94-trachyphyllia/","section":"gallery","title":"Pacific Rose Coral, Open Brain Coral - Trachyphyllia radiata"},{"date":1458432e3,"excerpt":"Favia (fay\u0026rsquo;-vee-ah) are some of the most common corals in the world. They are typically massive, domed or rounded shaped. This particular coral is about 5 inches in diameter and is a near perfect sphere with multiple mouths to feed.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/lps-corals/93-round-favia/","section":"gallery","title":"Round Closed Brain, Moon Coral- Favia sp."},{"date":1458345600,"excerpt":"One of my favorite gorgonians, commonly called a Knobby Sea Rod (Eunicea sp.). This gorgonian has large fleshy polyps, grows rapidly and is very easy to propagate.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/gorgonians/86-knobby-searod/","section":"gallery","title":"Knobby Sea Rod (Eunicea sp)"},{"date":1458345600,"excerpt":"An unknown gorgonian species, possibly in the genus Muricea or Plexaura. This is a short polyped species with lateral branching.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/gorgonians/87-muricea/","section":"gallery","title":"Muricea sp."},{"date":1458345600,"excerpt":"Three Tridacna crocea clams added to the display at the same time, ranging from 3.5 to 4.5 inches. One of these clams was featured on the cover of ReefKeeping magazine in May 2007.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/tridacnid-clam-gallery/83-three-croceas/","section":"gallery","title":"Three Tridacna crocea Clams"},{"date":1458259200,"excerpt":"T. crocea is the smallest of the giant clams, typically reaching 4-6 inches. This high-light species lacks the pronounced shell scales of other Tridacna. Unfortunately this clam stopped opening in May 2006 and did not recover.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/tridacnid-clam-gallery/81-crocea-blue/","section":"gallery","title":"Blue Tridacna crocea Clam"},{"date":1458259200,"excerpt":"This is one of the original Ecotech Marine Vortech pumps. I was a member of the original beta tester team.","ref":"/hardware/water-movement/vortech/","section":"hardware","title":"Ecotech Marine Vortech Pump"},{"date":1458259200,"excerpt":"T. maxima can reach 12-16 inches in the wild and should be considered a high-light species. This gold variety showed new rows of scutes and color changes from blue to yellow over 7 months.","ref":"/gallery/livestock/tridacnid-clam-gallery/82-maxima-gold/","section":"gallery","title":"Gold Tridacna maxima Clam"},{"date":1458259200,"excerpt":"After the MAK4 Water Circulation Pump failed, I installed this Iwaki MD55RLT pump. This pump follows my theory and plan that the most powerful pump in the system will not be the return pump.","ref":"/hardware/water-movement/iwakimd55rlt/","section":"hardware","title":"Iwaki MD55RLT Water Circulation Pump"},{"date":1458259200,"excerpt":"This is the most powerful pressure pump I have used. This time I did not use it for the return pump as I did in my last tank setup.","ref":"/hardware/water-movement/iwakimd70rlt/","section":"hardware","title":"Iwaki MD70RLT Water Circulation Pressure Pump"},{"date":1458259200,"excerpt":"I\u0026rsquo;m using this MAK4 pump as the primary return pump, this time around the most powerful pump in the system will not be the return pump. Instead it will be the skimmer pump.","ref":"/hardware/water-movement/mak4/","section":"hardware","title":"MAK4 Water Circulation Pump"},{"date":1458259200,"excerpt":"This is a very powerful water pump called a Turbelle Stream model 6100 sold by Tunze. I use two of these pumps in the display tank.","ref":"/hardware/water-movement/tunze6100/","section":"hardware","title":"Tunze Turbelle Stream 6100"},{"date":1458172800,"excerpt":"This product has proven to be excellent in the Calcium Reactor Media market. The best thing going for it, I would say, is that it requires less CO2 to dissolve the media.","ref":"/hardware/reactors/calcium/74-arm/","section":"hardware","title":"Caribsea A.R.M. Reactor Media"},{"date":1458172800,"excerpt":"Pictured left is the CO2 Injection System that I use.","ref":"/hardware/reactors/calcium/72-co2-tank/","section":"hardware","title":"CO2 Injection System"},{"date":1458172800,"excerpt":"The Advanced Reef Technologies K2R Calcium Reactor was one of the best calcium reactors on the market when I got it. By today\u0026rsquo;s standards it is a little on the small side.","ref":"/hardware/reactors/calcium/70-k2r/","section":"hardware","title":"K2R Calcium Reactor"},{"date":1458172800,"excerpt":"The Advanced Reef Technologies K2R Calcium Reactor is showing its age. The small acrylic square mounts which are glued to the inner wall both came off from some force which I have not identified.","ref":"/hardware/reactors/calcium/71-k2r-repair/","section":"hardware","title":"K2R Calcium Reactor Repair"},{"date":1458172800,"excerpt":"Pictured here in the PinPoint pH Meter made by American Marine. This is a small compact meter made for continuous monitoring of your tank\u0026rsquo;s or calcium reactor effluent\u0026rsquo;s pH.","ref":"/hardware/reactors/calcium/73-ph-meter/","section":"hardware","title":"PinPoint pH Monitor"},{"date":1458172800,"excerpt":"I have been toying with the idea of installing a vent fan to suck in outside cooler air at night instead of using a dedicated room air condition to cool the tank room.","ref":"/hardware/intake-vent/","section":"hardware","title":"Tank Room Intake Ventilation"},{"date":1458086400,"excerpt":"Pictured to the left is one of the three Aqualine 10,000k 250w Double Ended Metal Halide Bulb that came with the AB AquaSpace Lighting system.","ref":"/hardware/lighting-systems/53-bulbs/60-aqualine10kde/","section":"hardware","title":"Aqualine 10,000k Double Ended Metal Halide Bulb"},{"date":1458086400,"excerpt":"The primary lighting system used on my tank is the AB Aquaspace Lighting System. The main draw back of this lighting system is that it uses only four 24w Power Compact Blue Bulbs for actinic lighting.","ref":"/hardware/lighting-systems/68-diy-t5-hood/","section":"hardware","title":"DIY (Do it Yourself) Dual T5 SLR Light Hood"},{"date":1458086400,"excerpt":"Lights of America (LOA) 65w Power Compact lights are advertised to give off about the equivalent light of a 500w incandescent bulb. They come complete with small mini hood pendant and power cord.","ref":"/hardware/lighting-systems/53-bulbs/65-sumplight/","section":"hardware","title":"Fluorex 65w Power Compact Bulb"},{"date":1458086400,"excerpt":"Pictured to the left is the Iwasaki bulb that I have used. This bulb is made by the Iwasaki Electrical Company in Japan.","ref":"/hardware/lighting-systems/53-bulbs/61-iwasaki65/","section":"hardware","title":"Iwasaki 250w 6500K Metal Halide Bulb"},{"date":1458086400,"excerpt":"Pictured left is one of the four OSRAM 24w Blue Power Compact bulbs that came with the AB AquaSpace Lighting system. I\u0026rsquo;m not overly impressed with these bulbs but they look OK when the halides are off.","ref":"/hardware/lighting-systems/53-bulbs/67-osram24wblue/","section":"hardware","title":"OSRAM 24w Blue Power Compact Bulb"},{"date":1458086400,"excerpt":"There are various tools that are handy for making frags and cuttings of corals. This page will help document some of the tools that I use.","ref":"/hardware/propagation-tools/","section":"hardware","title":"Propagation Tools"},{"date":1458086400,"excerpt":"This is a Realux 24w Blue 12,000K for use with the AB AquaSpace Lighting system. This bulb is made by TAAM Inc. (Technological Aquatic Associated Manufacturing).","ref":"/hardware/lighting-systems/53-bulbs/66-realux24wblue/","section":"hardware","title":"Realux 24w Blue Power Compact Bulb"},{"date":1458086400,"excerpt":"This is the Ushio 400w 10k bulb that I have used (images of 175w version is below). This bulb is manufactured by a the Japanese company Ushio located in Germany. I used Iwasaki lamps for many years.","ref":"/hardware/lighting-systems/53-bulbs/64-ushio10k/","section":"hardware","title":"Ushio 10,000K Single Ended Metal Halide Bulb"},{"date":1458086400,"excerpt":"Pictured to the left is an XM brand 10,000k 250w Double Ended Metal Halide Bulb.","ref":"/hardware/lighting-systems/53-bulbs/62-xm10kde/","section":"hardware","title":"XM 10,000k Double Ended Metal Halide Bulb"},{"date":1458086400,"excerpt":"Pictured to the left is an XM brand 20,000k 250w Double Ended Metal Halide Bulb.","ref":"/hardware/lighting-systems/53-bulbs/63-xm20kde/","section":"hardware","title":"XM 20,000k Double Ended Metal Halide Bulb"},{"date":1458e6,"excerpt":"The AB Aquaspace light fixture generates an enormous amount of heat from the three 250 HQI bulbs, internal ballast and transformers.","ref":"/hardware/lighting-systems/57-aquaspace-cooling/","section":"hardware","title":"AB Aquaspace Cooling System"},{"date":1458e6,"excerpt":"This is the AB Aquaspace Lighting System. As shown to the left it is over my 180 Gallon Tank about 10 inches above the water surface. This unit is just under 6 feet long at 71 inches.","ref":"/hardware/lighting-systems/56-aquaspace/","section":"hardware","title":"AB Aquaspace Light - 3 x 250w HQI \u0026 4 x 28w Power Compact"},{"date":1458e6,"excerpt":"This is the AB Aquaspace light fixture. It is an entirely enclosed lighting solution meaning that everything is within this unit - all the halides, actinics, ballasts, transformers, etc.","ref":"/hardware/lighting-systems/58-aquaspace-rewire/","section":"hardware","title":"AB Aquaspace Light - Rewiring Project"},{"date":1458e6,"excerpt":"When I used Iwasaki 250w 6500K Metal Halide Lights i felt they did not have enough visible blue light. I supplement Iwaski light with URI Super Actinic 03 VHO florescent lights.","ref":"/hardware/lighting-systems/53-bulbs/59-uri-tubes/","section":"hardware","title":"U.R.I. Super Actinic VHO Lighting Tubes"},{"date":1457913600,"excerpt":"\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThis is an example of the sludge that builds up on the inside of the skimmer after about a week.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n","ref":"/hardware/filtration/skimmer/euroreef-rc500-skimmer/50-euroreef-rc500-cleaning/","section":"hardware","title":"EuroReef RC-500 Cleaning the Dual Needle Wheel Skimmer"},{"date":1457913600,"excerpt":"\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDuring November 2008 I noticed some salt creep build up around the drain plug on the bottom of the skimmer.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n","ref":"/hardware/filtration/skimmer/euroreef-rc500-skimmer/53-euroreef-rc500-repairs/","section":"hardware","title":"EuroReef RC-500 Repairs"},{"date":1457913600,"excerpt":"\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eI\u0026rsquo;ve made a few modifications to the RC500 skimmer since I purchased it.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n","ref":"/hardware/filtration/skimmer/euroreef-rc500-skimmer/51-euroreef-rc500-upgrades/","section":"hardware","title":"EuroReef RC-500 Upgrades"},{"date":1457913600,"excerpt":"\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePicture here is a custom made skimmer I had designed by Reef Sciences.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n","ref":"/hardware/filtration/skimmer/dual-beckett/52-dual-beckett/","section":"hardware","title":"Reef Science Dual Beckett Injector Skimmer"},{"date":1457913600,"excerpt":"I use a SpectraPure 80 Gallon Per Day RO/DI Unit that has been mounted to the wall in my reef room.","ref":"/hardware/filtration/ro-di-filters/","section":"hardware","title":"RO/DI Water Filtration"},{"date":1457913600,"excerpt":"I\u0026rsquo;ve used many heaters over the years and 100% of them have eventually failed with a seal breaking, water getting into the heating element followed by the glass tube exploding.","ref":"/hardware/heaters/","section":"hardware","title":"Won Pro II 250w Digital Heater"},{"date":1457654400,"excerpt":"This device is called a Sensaphone 1000 from Phonetics, Inc., my specific unit was rebranded as a Best Power Technology but it is a Sensaphone 1000.","ref":"/hardware/cabinet/bestpower/","section":"hardware","title":"Best Power Technology - Sensaphone 1000"},{"date":1457654400,"excerpt":"\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThis is the EuroReef RC-500 right out of the box.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n","ref":"/hardware/filtration/skimmer/euroreef-rc500-skimmer/49-euroreef-rc500/","section":"hardware","title":"EuroReef RC-500 Dual Needle Wheel Skimmer"},{"date":1457654400,"excerpt":"The Neptune AquaControllers use X10 home automation to send commands to devices to turn them on or off. Standard X10 lamp and application modules can be used.","ref":"/hardware/cabinet/direct-connect-box/","section":"hardware","title":"Neptune Systems Direct Connect Switch Boxes"},{"date":1457654400,"excerpt":"Phosban is synthetic ferric oxide hydroxide in a granular form. Phosban also absorbs silicate, arsenic, and organic compounds.","ref":"/hardware/filtration/chemical/phosban/","section":"hardware","title":"Phosban Chemical Filtration Media"},{"date":1457654400,"excerpt":"Phosban is synthetic ferric oxide hydroxide in a granular form. There are many ways to use Phosphate absorption media such as Phosban. The Phosban Reactor 150 kit made by Two Little Fishies, Inc.","ref":"/hardware/filtration/chemical/phosban-reactor/","section":"hardware","title":"Phosban Reactor 150"},{"date":1457654400,"excerpt":"RowaPhos is a product from Europe which unlike traditional phosphate removers, it does not use aluminum oxides to remove phosphates, it uses ferrous (iron) oxides.","ref":"/hardware/filtration/chemical/rowaphos/","section":"hardware","title":"RowaPhos Chemical Filtration"},{"date":1457568e3,"excerpt":"The cryptic icons on the bottom line show state or status of Timers such as the lights. The first icon shows actinics OFF, the second shows halides OFF.","ref":"/hardware/cabinet/aquacontrollerpro/","section":"hardware","title":"Neptune Systems AquaController Pro"},{"date":1457481600,"excerpt":"Battery-powered air pumps can be very cost effect ways for providing aeration and water current to your tanks. I happen to have the Penn-Plax \u0026ldquo;Silent Air\u0026rdquo; Model B11 which uses two D batteries.","ref":"/hardware/dr/battery-airpump/","section":"hardware","title":"Battery Air Pump"},{"date":1457481600,"excerpt":"Pictured here are two 2800 KVA Battery Backup Units commonly called Uninterruptable Power Supply or UPS.","ref":"/hardware/dr/battery-backup/","section":"hardware","title":"Battery Backup Unit"},{"date":1457481600,"excerpt":"DC/AC power converters (sometimes called \u0026ldquo;inverters\u0026rdquo;) are inexpensive and flexible devices often overlooked by reef hobbyist.","ref":"/hardware/dr/dc-ac-converter/","section":"hardware","title":"DC/AC Power Converter"},{"date":1457481600,"excerpt":"In my last tank setup I was very annoyed with having to trace dusty salt creep crusted electrical wires around the sump trying to figure out which cord unplugged a certain device.","ref":"/hardware/cabinet/construction/","section":"hardware","title":"Electrical Controller Cabinet Construction"},{"date":1457481600,"excerpt":"A prototype floating acrylic camera box for taking pictures of corals and clams from above the water surface without distortion from water ripples.","ref":"/gallery/photography/floating-camera-box/","section":"gallery","title":"Floating Camera Box Prototype"},{"date":1457481600,"excerpt":"Using an infrared remote shutter trigger for clearer macro photography without camera vibration.","ref":"/gallery/photography/remote-shutter/","section":"gallery","title":"Infrared Remote Camera Shutter"},{"date":1457481600,"excerpt":"I no longer use super strong magnets for cleaning the glass. A grain if sand gets under them and the glass is scratched. I now use the kent glass scraper pictured left.","ref":"/hardware/cleaning-magnets/kent-scraper/","section":"hardware","title":"Kent Glass Scraper"},{"date":1457481600,"excerpt":"Now this is a kick-ass magnet. This has to be one of the strongest magnets I\u0026rsquo;ve ever played with. These are so strong that if you place them directly together it is not possible to pull them a part\u0026hellip;","ref":"/hardware/cleaning-magnets/magnavore-vi/","section":"hardware","title":"Magnavore VI"},{"date":1457481600,"excerpt":"As far as magnet go this is pretty weak. However, its value is not with its strength. Its value is that this magnet actually has two metal blades that are fantastic for rapid removal of coralline algae.","ref":"/hardware/cleaning-magnets/magna-scraper/","section":"hardware","title":"Penn Plax Magna-Scraper"},{"date":1457481600,"excerpt":"This is a product called \u0026ldquo;The Frag-Mag\u0026rdquo; by Aqua-Mags, LLC. (\u003ca href=\"https://www.aqua-mags.com\"\u003ewww.aqua-mags.com\u003c/a\u003e). This is claimed to be a modular coral attachment system.","ref":"/hardware/cleaning-magnets/frag-mag/","section":"hardware","title":"The Frag-Mag"},{"date":1457481600,"excerpt":"Glass magnets are a handy tool with fish tanks. They make glass cleaning chores much simpler. These probably are not safe for acrylic tanks.","ref":"/hardware/cleaning-magnets/tunze-220-54/","section":"hardware","title":"Tunze 220.54 Cleaning Magnet"},{"date":1457395200,"excerpt":"This product from Reed Mariculture Inc., was shown to me at the IMAC 2006 (International Marine Aquarium Conference) at the Reed Mariculture booth. I was very impressed with this as a food source.","ref":"/foods/liquid-food/arcti-pods/","section":"foods","title":"Reed Mariculture - Arcti-Pod copepods"},{"date":1457395200,"excerpt":"This is a super concentrated live marine microalgal feed and probiotic. This is designed for corals, clams, scallops, tunicates, feather dusters and zooplankton. Generates a strong feeding response.","ref":"/foods/liquid-food/phyto-feast/","section":"foods","title":"Reed Mariculture - Phyto-Feast Live"},{"date":1457395200,"excerpt":"Tigger-Pods are live marine copepods (Tigriopus californicus) which are on the large size near 1 to 2mm. Feeds on brown algae and diatoms. The label claims to have about 500 individuals in the bottle.","ref":"/foods/liquid-food/tigger-pods/","section":"foods","title":"Reed Mariculture - Tigger-Pods"},{"date":1457308800,"excerpt":"Aqueon Marine Granules are small pellets usable in my automatic feeder twice a day. Ingredients include whole fish meal (salmon and herring), dried krill, squid meal, spirulina, kelp, garlic, and marigold powder. A solid supplemental pellet food — I use it to ensure fish have something to eat every day.","ref":"/foods/dry-food/pelletized/aqueon-granules/","section":"foods","title":"Aqueon - Marine Granules"},{"date":1457308800,"excerpt":"Brine Shrimp Direct calls these Golden Pearls. Well two of them are. The top left one is decapsulated brine shrimp eggs.","ref":"/foods/dry-food/powdered/golden-pearls/","section":"foods","title":"Brine Shrimp Direct Golden Pearls"},{"date":1457308800,"excerpt":"Brine Shrimp Direct Spirulina Powder is a very fine spirulina powder fed like any other plankton food. This is often considered a good first food for many baby fish. I feed it mixed with tank water into high-flow areas of the tank.","ref":"/foods/dry-food/powdered/b-s-d-spirulina-powder/","section":"foods","title":"Brine Shrimp Direct Spirulina Powder"},{"date":1457308800,"excerpt":"This is a very affordable plankton food to use. Pictured is a ½ oz. (14 grams) bottle and that has been enough to last me for several months.","ref":"/foods/dry-food/powdered/esv-plankton/","section":"foods","title":"ESV Spray Dried Plankton"},{"date":1457308800,"excerpt":"Golden Gate Calanus Plankton Frozen Food contains 20 large frozen cubes of bright orange calanus plankton. The cubes are large enough that one full cube may be too much for a 180g tank, though smaller tanks can handle it too. The plankton is small enough for many corals to capture it, and fish with small mouths especially enjoy this food while larger tangs show no interest.","ref":"/foods/frozen-food/19-calanus/","section":"foods","title":"Golden Gate Calanus Plankton Frozen Food"},{"date":1457308800,"excerpt":"Hikari Brand Frozen Food includes Mysis Shrimp and Mega-marine plankton varieties, used as frozen treats 2-3 times per week. The 32-cube packs undergo a 3-step sterilization process to keep foods parasite-free and remove harmful bacteria. Mega-marine is a blend of ocean plankton, krill, shrimp, and squid with Spirulina and multiple vitamins and minerals.","ref":"/foods/frozen-food/23-hikari/","section":"foods","title":"Hikari Brand Frozen Food"},{"date":1457308800,"excerpt":"Home Made Frozen Mush is a DIY frozen food mix made by combining fresh seafood (clams, fish, squid, shrimp, scallops), frozen foods (Cyclopeze, blood worms, brine shrimp, Mysis), dry ingredients (SeaVeggies, pellets, flakes), and liquid additives (Kent Micro-Vert, Garlic Guard) into a blended mush. The mixture is frozen in zipper bags in 10-12 tablespoon portions. Caution: squid is rich in oils and will cause a skimmer to overflow.","ref":"/foods/frozen-food/24-frozen-mush/","section":"foods","title":"Home Made Frozen Mush"},{"date":1457308800,"excerpt":"Home Made Frozen Slurry is a DIY frozen food made by processing frozen seafood — shrimp, mysis, pacifica plankton, and calanus — into a fine slurry with a food processor. Spirulina flakes and nori are added before freezing in zip lock bags. There is no fixed recipe; vary ingredients each time for dietary variety. Caution: squid makes fish go nuts but causes skimmer overflow.","ref":"/foods/frozen-food/27-slurry/","section":"foods","title":"Home Made Frozen Slurry"},{"date":1457308800,"excerpt":"Inland Sea Farm\u0026rsquo;s Frozen Phytoplankton Pastes are cryopreserved 12ml bottles of phytoplankton concentrate using food-grade propylene glycol antifreeze to keep the paste liquid down to -20C. Store these in the freezer — refrigeration is not sufficient to preserve nutritional value. The product includes five species with varying cell counts per ml, used to target 10,000 cells per ml of tank water. Phytoplankton pastes feed the sand bed and filter feeders rather than directly feeding corals.","ref":"/foods/frozen-food/29-pastes/","section":"foods","title":"Inland Sea Farm Frozen Phytoplankton Pastes"},{"date":1457308800,"excerpt":"New Life Spectrum Pellets are small sinking pellets (about 1mm) used in my automatic feeder twice a day. They keep fish fed on days I miss the main feeding and help keep my angelfish fat and less likely to pick on corals. The pellets stay fairly buoyant for a while before sinking. Made primarily of krill and herring — I would suggest getting the marine version instead.","ref":"/foods/dry-food/pelletized/spectrum-pellets/","section":"foods","title":"New Life Spectrum Pellets"},{"date":1457308800,"excerpt":"Ocean Nutrition Frozen Foods come in packs of 35 cubes each, serving as a staple prepared food before switching to homemade mixes. Formula One features seafood and algae, Formula Two adds kelp and spirulina for herbivorous fish, and Special Formula VHP offers very high protein. Prime Reef rounds out the line with a broad mix of seafood and plankton.","ref":"/foods/frozen-food/28-ocean-nutrition/","section":"foods","title":"Ocean Nutrition Frozen Foods"},{"date":1457308800,"excerpt":"OSI Spirulina Flake Food is an easy-to-serve flake food. I add a few pinches to a plastic cup with tank water and feed it to the tank slowly with a turkey baster. All of my fish enjoy this food. The can lists high beta-carotene levels, strong natural attractants, and stabilized vitamin C as key benefits.","ref":"/foods/dry-food/flake/spirulina-flake/","section":"foods","title":"OSI Spirulina Flake Food"},{"date":1457308800,"excerpt":"Piscine Energetics Mysis Frozen Shrimp is a frozen slab of freshwater Mysis shrimp (Mysis relicta) for reef tanks. Fish really enjoy hunting down any planktonic-like critters and gobble up these freshwater Mysis shrimp enthusiastically. The frozen slab is cut into small sections and thawed at room temperature before feeding.","ref":"/foods/frozen-food/25-mysis/","section":"foods","title":"Piscine Energetics Mysis Frozen Shrimp"},{"date":1457308800,"excerpt":"Pro Salt Brand Frozen Prawn is a frozen prawn food for reef tanks. Originally purchased to get an anemone to feed, this product is now used chopped to target feed sea stars. The frozen prawn comes in convenient frozen portions.","ref":"/foods/frozen-food/22-frozen-prawn/","section":"foods","title":"Pro Salt Brand Frozen Prawn"},{"date":1457308800,"excerpt":"Pro-Salt Pacificia Plankton-Zoo is a natural frozen plankton food for marine tanks. It is one of many planktonic foods used in the tank, providing a natural food source that all fish including tangs enjoy. Available in frozen packs at local fish stores.","ref":"/foods/frozen-food/26-pacificia-plankton/","section":"foods","title":"Pro-Salt Pacificia Plankton-Zoo"},{"date":1457308800,"excerpt":"San Francisco Bay Brand Frozen Krill is a frozen krill food for reef tanks. Originally purchased to get an anemone to feed which was unsuccessful. It is now chopped and used to target feed sea stars. Frozen krill comes in convenient portions for reef aquarium use.","ref":"/foods/frozen-food/20-frozen-krill/","section":"foods","title":"San Francisco Bay Brand Frozen Krill"},{"date":1457308800,"excerpt":"San Francisco Bay Brand Frozen Plankton is a frozen plankton food that fish enjoy hunting down in the tank. Defrost in tank water and add to an area of strong current. This food contains no gel-binders and does not require cutting up. It is available in frozen packs at local fish stores.","ref":"/foods/frozen-food/21-frozen-plankton/","section":"foods","title":"San Francisco Bay Brand Frozen Plankton"},{"date":1457308800,"excerpt":"This is a sample from IMAC 2006 — not something I would have normally bought since I already feed nori to my tank. This turned out to be a great feeding snack. All fish enjoyed it with gusto, even fish that typically ignore nori. All the tangs, clownfish, and gobies attacked it. The only exception was the Copperbanded Butterflyfish.","ref":"/foods/dry-food/dried/seaveggies-red/","section":"foods","title":"SeaVeggies - Red Seaweed Flakes"},{"date":1457308800,"excerpt":"VibraGrow pellets are an excellent food source for many critters in the tank. Smaller fish eat them with gusto, and missed pellets are quickly consumed by starfish and sand bed fauna. The larger pellets are gobbled up first by fish while the smaller pellets feed the sand bed. I suggest storing these in the refrigerator once opened to preserve nutritional value.","ref":"/foods/dry-food/pelletized/vibragrow/","section":"foods","title":"VibraGrow Pellet Food"},{"date":1457222400,"excerpt":"This is an automatic tank feeder which I use for supplemental feeding to the tank. It is one of the most basic feeders on the market. Nothing fancy.","ref":"/foods/pellet-feeder/","section":"foods","title":"Automatic Pellet Feeder"},{"date":1457222400,"excerpt":"Kalkwasser (German for Lime Water) is Calcium Hydroxide, a cost-effective way to maintain calcium levels in reef tanks. High-grade products like ESV Brand offer purity over cheaper Pickling Lime alternatives. Use involves mixing less than a tablespoon per gallon of RO/DI water, allowing it to settle overnight before dripping the clear liquid into the tank.","ref":"/additives/5-kalkwasser/","section":"additives","title":"ESV Kalkwasser Additive"},{"date":1457222400,"excerpt":"Kent Marine Turbo Calcium is a Calcium Chloride-based supplement for boosting calcium levels when a reactor or kalkwasser isn\u0026rsquo;t sufficient. It creates an exothermic reaction with water, requiring careful handling. Store airtight to prevent humidity from degrading the product.","ref":"/additives/6-turbocalcium/","section":"additives","title":"Kent Marine Turbo Calcium"},{"date":1457222400,"excerpt":"Main Coast Sea Vegetables sells dried seaweeds for cooking and salads that also work great for feeding fish. I\u0026rsquo;ve had limited success with the Alaria and Kelp — they\u0026rsquo;re tough and fish lose interest after trying to bite chunks off. The Dulse was excellent — all my fish now enjoy it after I started wrapping it within the nori. The Nori is the best — thin, crispy roasted nori that all my tangs and gobies attack with gusto.","ref":"/foods/dry-food/dried/main-coast-seaweeds/","section":"foods","title":"Main Coast Sea Vegetables Dry Seaweeds"},{"date":1457222400,"excerpt":"I feed OSI Marine Flake every now and then when the Spirulina Flake is out of stock. Pre-mix with tank water and add to the tank — if you just sprinkle the surface it tends to go down the overflows before sinking. All of my fish enjoy this food. Benefits listed on the can include balanced nutrition, color-enhancing pigments, and stabilized vitamin C.","ref":"/foods/dry-food/flake/marine-flake/","section":"foods","title":"OSI Marine Flake Food"},{"date":1457136e3,"excerpt":"ECO Trace Elements is a trace element supplement containing Iodine, Iron, Strontium, and NF Metal in 8oz bottles, priced around $45. The formula claims to support symbiotic algae in reef systems and bring out natural blue, red, and yellow coloration in corals. Contents are phosphate and nitrate free.","ref":"/additives/4-eco-trace/","section":"additives","title":"EcoSystem Aquarium - ECO Trace Elements"},{"date":1456617600,"excerpt":"ESV B-Ionic Calcium Buffer System is a two-part additive that helps maintain calcium levels near 430ppm. It is an easy-to-use alternative to kalkwasser, available in sizes from 32oz to jumbo gallon. The product claims 40x more calcium than saturated kalkwasser solution. Used for years before switching to a Calcium Reactor.","ref":"/additives/2-bionic-calcium/","section":"additives","title":"ESV B-Ionic Calcium"},{"date":1456617600,"excerpt":"ESV B-Ionic Magnesium Supplement addresses magnesium deficiencies that can occur when switching from two-part additives to a Calcium Reactor. Magnesium levels should be maintained near 1350ppm. Dolomite in the reactor helps maintain levels but won\u0026rsquo;t raise them significantly, while Epsom Salts add unwanted sulfur.","ref":"/additives/3-bionic-magnesium/","section":"additives","title":"ESV B-Ionic Magnesium"}]