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Mandarins are not like most fish we keep. Their digestive system is more like a seahorse or pipefish. They don't have a real stomach and can not store food as we, and most fish can. You can tell how often a fish has to eat by the size of it's mouth. A mandarin has a tiny mouth which is not designed to take a big mouthful of anything at any one time. They are also not designed to bite pieces off larger food items.
A mandarin was designed to eat pods and little else. We as aquarists tend ...

It's another year. So I'll start with a full tank shot.



Compare it with this shot from last september. Check out the growth on the Acro branch just right of center.



close up of the Acro branch.
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Since I am bad at actually remembering anything, I am going to use this blog to keep track of my water parms. So I tested 2 days ago:

Alk- 12.5 DKH
Cal- 335 PPM
Mag- 1220 PPM

Wow- cal is low. I figured as much. My PH has been on the high side and so I go back to the old trusted solutions. I re-read this great article by Randy http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2002/11/chemistry. It explains why my Alk and PH are so high. So the last 2 days I have added 2.5 tablespoons ...

Are filter socks worth having in a sump to catch what comes out of the drain line? My sump is running with a bio pellet reactor, reef octopus skimmer, phosban reactor, Refugium with LR, deep sand bed and cheato. Should I keep using the filter sock or run without it? Anyone with thought, I would like to hear them...

Today I decided to have a typhoon in my reef. I do this sometimes twice a year and IMO it is the main secret as to what has kept my tank going so long.
I run a reverse undergravel filter like almost everyone on here! No? Oh I thought everyone did. In any case, this is what I do to keep the tank going. As you can see I have two diatom filters running at the same time. I could do it with one but it takes twice as long. A diatom filter removes anything smaller than a micron which is much ...