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Scott Fellman writes: I was sort of pondering the state of the hobby in a recent philosophical moment, and I realized that we are at a sort of "crossroads" in the hobby and industry, with very real pressures on us from outside forces who know little of what we actually do.

As a group, marine aquarium hobbyists have a good sense of the responsibilities that come with acquiring and caring for aquatic animals, don't we?

We understand the impact of irresponsible collection, improper handling, and incompetent husbandry on the animals we love. We've worked very hard to elevate the state of the art, promote responsible stewardship of precious natural resources, and perpetuate the species that are under our care. Most importantly, we've worked hard to communicate responsible practices to others, both within - and ...

The Hanna Phosphate Checker allows you to get a digital reading instead of having to judge the color of the mixed reagents in a vial.



I've used a number of test kits over the years to measure Phosphate, and my default has been Salifert. The kits costs about $25, and you can test about 50 times before needing a replacement. I test PO4 (Phosphate) all the time, so I know how to use that kit by heart. If the vial is clear, I'm good. If it's blue, oh no! If it is slightly blue, grrr. Yes, those are my reactions to seeing 'algae fuel' show up in a test kit.

At MACNA, I went to the Premium Aquatics booth to buy a new kit, and Jeremy was all out. He recommended the Hanna Checker to me. It's about $50, and includes a few tests. I was told 10, but I didn't get 10 in mine. Knowing how much I test, I asked for two additional boxes of 25-each to have enough for a full year.



In addition to the test, you'll need a plastic syringe, a dry towel and ...

When Hurricane Sandy slammed into the New Jersey area in 2012, power outages abounded. People were evacuated and homes were washed away or simply destroyed. Most people were able to stay safe due to repeated warnings, but had to abandon their homes and their livestock.



Time has passed, tanks have been set up anew, and would be able to accept new livestock. The Atlanta Reef Club has stepped up and organized a donation to the victims using funding from their own 2008 MACNA earnings, teaming up with Proaquatix. They posted those details today:

The Atlanta Reef Club will be in NYC to share some love with ...

A new resource is now available to help aid in routine fish tank maintenance such as checking water parameters, monitoring livestock behavior and growth, and keeping track of your aquarium's monthly and fixed expenses. This new resource is a free online program called Reefware.



The official site URL: www.reefware.com

I spent about 45 minutes on the website to see what it can do and where it is going. The first thing you'll need to do is log in.



Once your email activation has been confirmed, you'll be able to start entering whatever data you know now, and you can log back in for future entries. I created a tank profile for the 400g as well as another profile for the 10g frag tank. Profiles ask for name, gallons, dimensions, fresh/saltwater, and the date of inception.

Entering water parameters is easy, and for precision use the Up and Down arrows on your keyboard. ...

Saturday, November 2, 2013 - Salt Lake City, Utah



The Mountain West Reef Fest is a family friendly full day of fun and education. If you've never attended, you're missing out. I went a couple of years ago and had a great time. Not only are the speakers providing knowledgeable answers to questions posed, not only are the vendors' booths filled with live coral and wares you need, you'll get to enjoy a workshop or two.

I don't know why other than the location, but this is the only reef event that feels the most kid-friendly out of them all. When I attended, a ...

Aquascaping is a challenge in itself. The ability to place rocks in an aquarium in a way that looks appealing, that provides plenty of surface area for the planting of corals, that offers hiding spots for the fish, and that doesn't look unnatural -- it's almost too much to consider. If all else fails, I'd strongly urge you to find a female to add her perspective because for some reason they have an incredible knack for this task. Ask your spouse, your significant other, or even a female friend for their input... trust me. You want to avoid a man-made pile (brickwork looking), as well as straight horizontal lines since these aren't common in nature. With your counterpart chiming in, you may only need to make a couple of tiny changes to get a great looking reef.



Once the aquascape has been perfected with nooks, crannies, tunnels, overhangs and interesting structures, it is possible that all your hard work can come crashing down. It may be a slow collapse, or it might just tumble down at once. Corals ...