Featured
I’m Still Here…..
December 3, 2008 · Leave a Comment
A few people have emailed me asking if I am still involved with Aquarists Online or whether the site is being run solely by John now. Well I am still here but have had a few things I have had to take care of. We have recently been experiencing some hosting issues which I have been involved in with our hosting company - touch wood these issues are all resolved now. We have also had a few areas of the site where we needed to do some upgrades. Some of these were simple upgrades to perform but at the same time some enhancements... [Read the full story]
Care
Dosing Kalkwasser
December 4, 2008 · Leave a Comment
Kalkwasser, otherwise known as limewater, is actually calcium hydroxide. Kalkwasser is a very fine powder and is normally introduced to the aquarium with the top-up water. There are realistically two methods to add kalkwasser to the aquarium, these are by a ‘kalk reactor/stirrer’ or by using what is called the drip method. The drip method is where the kalkwasser is mixed with some prepared top-up water. It is important when mixing kalkwasser that it be mixed slowly, the reason for this is that it is imperative... [Read the full story]
Conservation
Aquaculture Farms Do Not Need To Be Large
October 8, 2008 · Leave a Comment
When an aquarist or anyone for that matter start to think about an aquaculture farm they will probably think of huge establishments with exceptionally large volumes of water. From this ‘farm’ hundreds of corals and fish are grown and eventually sold. I think that this perception is due to the word farm. When you think of a farm you think of acres upon acres of land upon which various animals are kept or various crops are grown. But as said this is a perception. In truth an aquaculture farm can be any size whatsoever.... [Read the full story]
Equipment
Will LED Lighting Ever Replace Metal Halide?
November 29, 2008 · Leave a Comment
Whatever type of marine system is kept lighting is important. With a fish only aquarium the fish need a day cycle and of course need to see where they are going. It’s also good that the aquarist can see the fish! With reef systems the lighting is also important for the same reasons as far as the fish are concerned and more important for the corals. Before looking at LED’s (light emitting diodes) it’s necessary to see what the LED’s need to be able to do to compete with metal halides. Metal halide lighting systems... [Read the full story]
Livestock
The Porcelain Crab
November 28, 2008 · Leave a Comment
Crabs can be helpful or not in the aquarium. Some of the larger crabs are not required as they blunder about causing damage and disruption. Others¸ such as some of the hermit crabs, are colourful, interesting and at the same time perform a useful job scavenging which assists in keeping the system clean. Another interesting crab is the porcelain. This term is often thought to refer to one crab but this is incorrect, they are multiple. Their size is not a problem as they achieve around ¾” to 1¼”. There’s another... [Read the full story]
DIY
My Diminutive Algae Scrubber
December 2, 2008 · Leave a Comment
I had my glass aquarium built for me with a few additions inside. At the left end is a small triangular area which contains four pumps and also the intakes for canister filters, an anti-phosphate filter, a denitrator (not now in use), and a protein skimmer. The skimmer is a hang-on type which fitted except that the outlet, which flows down a flat surface, was not long enough. Anyway, the supplied flat plate outlet wouldn’t go down into the aquarium as the side-strap got in the way. “Hmm” I thought, engaging... [Read the full story]
Problems
Diatom Algae
November 3, 2008 · Leave a Comment
Algae! Now there’s a word that can raise very mixed emotions in a marine aquarist. Even if the aquarist is a newcomer to the hobby, if plenty has been read in research he or she will be aware of the dangers. Of course not all algae’s are bad; in fact they could be the aquarist’s friend. There are many forms of decorous algae. Caulerpa is a larger form of algae that is often used by more experienced aquarists to reduce nitrate and phosphate, as it uses the nutrients for its growth which of course means that other nuisance... [Read the full story]
Aquarists Online Services
Water Quality
Dosing Kalkwasser
Kalkwasser, otherwise known as limewater, is actually calcium hydroxide. Kalkwasser is a very fine powder and is normally introduced to the aquarium with the top-up water. There... [Read more]
Recent Articles
Aquarium Filtration
Mud Bed Aquarium Filtration
Mud bed filtration is similar to that of other sand based aquarium filtration systems, however the substrate is made of such a small grain size that it is very much like mud. A... [Read more]
Recent Articles
Featured Video
Advertisements
