Corals

Phosphate or PO 4 is a compound of Phosphorus (P), one of the top 14 out of 70 trace elements found in natural sea water that are considered to be essential for saltwater aquarium and reef tank systems. However, it is also a primary nutrient source for many forms of algae, particularly green hair species, […]

The Salinity (salt content) is a very misunderstood part to the success of a marine tank, as most people only top up with fresh water (RO water) once a week, making the environment very unstable by changing the water chemistry, as opposed to using a top-up system with a reservoir that tops up on a […]

Water Chemistry Reef Tank Water Parameters Aquarists often ask what water parameter levels make for a successful reef aquarium. This is the recommended levels in your reef aquarium versus corresponding levels in natural seawater.   These parameters are of my own opinion and other aquarists may recommend slightly different levels.

Aquarists often ask what water parameter levels make for a successful reef aquarium. This article gathers these recommendations in one place, showing them in tables, as well as the corresponding levels in natural seawater. Many of the recommendations are my own opinions, and other aquarists may recommend slightly different levels. To make clear the basis […]

Ammonia and Ammonium. Ammonia is largely produced by the breakdown of organic matter i.e. fish wastes and decaying plants. It can be present as toxic ammonia (NH3), also described as ‘Free Ammonia’, and the relatively non-toxic form ammonium (NH4+). The actual proportion of each compound depends on temperature, salinity and most importantly, pH. A greater concentration of ammonia […]

Cyanobacteria is often called slime algae, but actually it’s a slime mould. If you have cyanobacteria in your tank, it is going to look like a thin dark red slimy mould covering the rock surfaces of your tank. This indicates that your tank has a very high level of dissolved organic matter, which is a […]

The use of activated carbon in Marine aquariums has always sparked debate. In the past opinions ranged from “never use it” to “never be without it.” Today most aquarists consider activated carbon a beneficial and necessary component of their filtration system. Although many marine aquarists use activated carbon few know what is being removed or […]

The initials pH stand for “Potential of Hydrogen.” Water is composed of positively charged hydrogen ions (H+) and negatively charged hydroxyl ions (OH-), the pH level is a measure of the ratio of these two ions in a body of water. Alkaline water contains a larger number of hydroxyl ions and acidic water contains more […]

As this is our first articles and we are in mid-summer I felt it was appropriate to start off with the problems of water temperature. First of all the correct temperature for a marine tank is between 24 and 26°C. The reason for this is all coral reefs are at around these temperatures. One of […]