Captive Aquatics: An Aquarium and Ecology Blog

Re-homing Fish?

We have all done it.  Just had to drop in on your favorite fish store to see their new stock and you end up purchasing a fish you knew nothing about and now the "cute litte fish" is 15 inches, eats everything in the aquarium and is messier than your kids.  Where do you go from here?

Refractometer Calibration: the Myth and Risks of using RO/DI Water

I recently got a new refractometer over the holidays, and immediately after my first water change my tank began having problems.  Well, to be fair my wallet was what immediately had a problem being that those have gotten ridiculously expensive in my area, especially when combined with California's seemingly 3,000% sales tax these days.  I couldn't figure out what was wrong, I mean, my water was at 1.025-1.026, my refractometer came with instructions that said to zero it out with distilled water, and they wouldn't give out bad information would they?  Turns out yes, yes they would.

An Aquarium as a Christmas Present! Now What?

Christmas is one of the best times to purchase an aquarium for any interested hobbyist.  Especially since many aquarium providers offer special deals on entire aquarium packages that are a great start for any hobbyist to be able to geat into the magnificent aquarium hobby.  But, once having all the materials to setup an aquarium can be overwhelming especially if you are not complely sure how it all works.  Well, lets clear up that confusion and I will add some tips too!

Looking to Purchase LED Lighting?

Looking to purchase LED lighting for your reef or nature aquarium  during the holidays?  Before you do, ensure that the manufacturer provides the spectrograph for the unit you are about to purchase.  PAR measurements are virtually useless for comparing LED lighting, one can only compare using PUR. 

Holiday Vacation? 6 Ways to Prepare Your Aquarium

Getting away for awhile is one of the best things anyone can do for themselves. After enjoying our vacations, we hobbyists want to come home without any troubles from our tanks. They bother us enough when we're around!

You'll find many horror stories of people finding their tanks crashed after a short trip. Take that trip. Simple steps can help save your investment.

Hitting the 'Wall': What Causes it and How to Avoid it

Regardless of how enthusiastic, or excited you are, you  will eventually hit what I like to refer to as "the wall".  This is where either you don't care about the hobby anymore, or any maintenance, or spectating of the tank is no longer out of enjoyment, but out of habit.

I myself have hit this wall a couple times myself.  I am now able to recognize the signs ahead of time, and find ways to prevent it.

College Reefing Tips

I’ve noticed that the reefing community has had a major surge of teenagers and college students in the past year. I, myself, am college student that has been unable to find a job to work around my schedule. In order to continue my love for the hobby, I looked for ways to maximize what I can do for my tank while minimizing how much I was spending. Here are just a few of the tips that greatly reduced the amount I was spending on my tank.

Ozone Use in Aquariums: 5 Reasons to Use Ozone

For some reason, ozonizers and ozone usage has never been as discussed or as widely used as other equipment in the home aquarium, and most definitely not because it doesn't yield great benefit to your aquarium.  Widely used in commercial aquatics applications, ozone doesn't get much love from hobbyists these days, and it should.  Perhaps it's not as easy to 'itemize' and sell as other aquarium products?  Maybe due to lack of information? 

Whatever the reason, Ozone use has many benefits, and I recommend its use in most aquariums.   Captive Aquatics uses ozonizers in every system we install, and I use ozone in my home aquariums, as well!  Here's why:

A Montipora Eating Nudibranch Primer

 

Some of the most difficult pests to deal with in reef keeping are Montipora eating nudibranch.  Their tiny size beguiles the enormous headaches they'll cause if you end up in the unfortunate position of having them in your tank.  The most unfortunate thing about dealing with these nudibranch is that by the time you spot them it's already too late.  Gauging the extent of the infestation is very important, and these pictures should help to give an accurate idea of where your tank stands once you come across them as well as some telltale signs of their presence.  So how do you prevent and cure montipora eating nudibranch?  Read on.

Reefing While You're Sick - It's No Fun!

This past week I developed a really horrible cold that left me confined to my room unable to tend to the needs of my tank. As hobbyists, we try our best to keep our parameters stable. Many hobbyists utilize programmable controllers for top offs, heaters, dosing, etc. As a college reefer, my budget cannot handle such extra equipment.