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Top Reef Tank Photo Galleries

Luis Contesini's 33g Reef Tank

The pictures in these Reef Tank Photo Galleries are the best of the best. Magnificent displays of colorful fish, invertebrates and corals in aquariums from one gallon mini reef tanks to monster 300 gallon reef tanks show you what can be accomplished.

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Saltwater Aquariums Spotlight10

Host Anemone & Clownfish Matches

Thursday May 24, 2012

Bill Paterno's False Percula Clownfish
Thinking about buying a host anemone for your Clownfish, but don't know which anemone will work for your Clown? The Relationship and Species Identification cross-reference chart can help with choosing the best or "preferred" host anemone for your clownfishes, which is based on the natural symbiotic relationships between them in the wild and other matches which seem to work in a saltwater aquarium.

More: Host Sea Anemone Survivability Survey Sea Anemones are not the easiest things to keep alive and in good health in an aquarium. Here are the summary and analysis of the Host Sea Anemone Survey. The information here could help you to easily double the life span of a sea anemone in your aquarium.

More: Clownfish & Host Anemone Photos Photos of a number of different species of Clownfish in their host anemones.

Photo by Bill Paterno

UV Sterilization: What is it and How is it Used?

Wednesday May 23, 2012

ESU Turbo-Twist UV Sterilizers
Some aquarists believe they help eliminate bacteria, parasitic, fungal, viral, algae, and other unfriendly pathogens in an aquarium, others believe that they are a waste of money. Here is a description of what they are and what they are "supposed" to do.

More:UV Sterilizers won't be effective for what you are trying to accomplish (parasite, disease or algae control) if your watts/gallon flow rate in not right. Here is how to tell if your watts/gal. flow rate is right.

More: Read Top UV Sterilizers and Compare Prices.

Forums: UV's - Anyone using them? I have heard they are a waste of money because the dwell time ...

Forums: UV Sterilizers I have a UV Sterilizer that I will be starting up in a week or so and I am wondering how long ...

Photo © PriceGrabber

Corals Need More Than a Lot of Light

Monday May 21, 2012

Rick Herring's Sunflower Coral
Contrary to popular belief, a vast majority of corals are not autotrophic, requiring only light to survive. Autotrophs produce their own food from inorganic material they extract from their surrounding environment, usually using sunlight to synthesize it with the aid of zooxanthellae algae. Giving your corals some extra food can really perk them up and increase their reproduction rate.

More: Exactly What Do Corals Eat?? Corals, for the most part, are carnivorous, feeding mostly on small animals (zooplankton) suspended in the water column of the ocean ...

More: When Do Corals Eat?? You might be surprised... While you are sleeping, guess what your corals are doing?

Photo © Rick Herring

Refugiums in Saltwater Aquariums

Thursday May 17, 2012

Refugium A refugium is nothing more than a refuge from predation. Sessile inverts, macroalgae and other delicate species need a place to call their own and the advent of the refugium was just the ticket! Isolated, but connected to the main display tank, the refugium allows for common water filtration while at the same time keeping more aggressive fish from impacting it. Refugiums have been found to be an excellent platform for cultivating high quality food sources (amphipods, copepods and macroalgae) in a separate but still attached system.

There are a number of macroalga (seaweeds) species which consume Nitrates (NO3) and Phosphates (PO4) at an astonishing rate. Macroalgae also make great food for fish and invertebrates in your saltwater aquarium. These seaweeds are perfect for cultivation in a refugium.

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