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Your Best Aquarium Stories Featured Monthly!

We at Saltwaterfish.com would like to hear about your success stories!    We will even feature our favorite story every month and offer a $25 gift certificate to the writer.     Please write a short story about an experience you have had in your journey of reef keeping!  No topic requirements other than it be relevant to your marine life aquarium.  Please keep it between 100-500 words.  Short/Story.      We hope you will enjoy sharing with each other as much as we will enjoy reading!  Thank you for your participation.  You may submit more than one story, no rules!   If you have any questions, please let me know.  Thanks!  -Mary-       » read more

TANK OF THE MONTH CONTEST

Win a $50 Saltwaterfish.com Gift Certificate in our TANK OF THE MONTH contest going on right now in the photography forum.  See the link for details.  Good Luck!!! » read more

EcoTech Marine Radion XR30w LED Light Fixture Pre-Order

This is the best new lighting available from Eco Tech.  Check this out! » read more

Easy Tips For New Hobbyists

The hobby of keeping saltwater fish can seem like it's overwhelming at first. Many beginner hobbyists make poor decisions which can lead to many headaches in the future. Since it is easy to get confused and overwhelmed with all the information starting off as a salt water hobbyist; here are some basic tips and suggestions to follow.   Always do your research prior to buying any livestock or supplies. Plan out the livestock you want in your tank prior to buying it, especially if it's your first tank. It's always a good idea to get even a very brief general overview of the livestock you want in your tank(s).This will save you a lot of surprises in the future. Not all livestock are compatible with each other. Also, make sure the... » read more

Great Starter Clam

Pros: One of the hardier clams
Cons: Easily picked on by herbivorous fish

I highly recommend this as a hobbyist's first clam. These clams hardier than other varieties that are available. They prefer to be kept on a sandy substrate, and need strong lighting. I highly recommend T5's or metal halides. I also recommend purchasing a clam that is 3+ inches, since they have a much better survival rate than smaller clams. They are filter feeders, and can help aid in nitrate removal. Derasa's also require calcium levels to be within ideal measures. Also, be cautious when placing in a tank with herbivorous fish (tangs, angels, etc). These fish can sometimes nip at the clam, which can cause undue stress. » read more

Mandarin Fish Special Nutritional Requirements

  • Articles
  • Contributors: Beth

by Bang Guy The success rate in keeping Mandarin/Dragonettes fish with small tanks and new setups is dismal. Copepods, Amphipods, and smallish Isopods are only usually available for Mandarins in established tanks. Refugiums help a lot as far as growing critters to feed Dragonettes. There are no sure fire frozen foods for Dragonettes. Once in a while one can be trained to eat frozen foods but it's not all that common. Brine Shrimp are not an acceptable substitute. Dragonettes will eat them but they are nutritionally deficient. Frozen Mysis would be a great alternative if you can get one to eat it. I would recommend that you assume a Dragonette will not eat frozen food unless you witness it yourself. It typically takes 3 -... » read more

Metal Halide Lighting Technologies

  Considerable confusion exists in the hobby relating to metal halide (MH) lighting.    This article serves to explain some of the fundamentals of halide systems and provide the hobbyist with useful information to be used in pre-purchase research.   This article is not intended to debate the use of halides versus other technologies, but rather to explain the fundamental differences and the pros/cons, allowing the hobbyists researching lightings systems to be armed with all the facts about halide systems.  What is Metal Halide?    Metal halide is a type of High Intensity Discharge (HID) lighting.  HID lighting systems pass an electric current through an ionized gas in order to produce light.  In the case of MH lighting, the... » read more

Basics Of Water Quality For The Saltwater Aquarium

by Ret Talbot   Every marine aquarist knows that good water quality is a good thing in a saltwater aquarium, but what is good water quality? Good water quality is, generally speaking, water quality that is similar to or better than the environment from which the animals you keep originate. While there may be some variations based on what specific biotope you are recreating, there are about seven parameters which should be pretty consistent across all saltwater aquaria. They are: pH Temperature Specific Gravity Dissolved Oxygen Ammonium/Ammonia Nitrite Nitrate   Does Every Aquarist Need to Test for All Seven Parameters Every Day? Every marine aquarist should... » read more

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