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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 ...

Your question isn't a simple one to answer. Granted, there are things you won't need but there are a many things you would to maintain a healthy environment for your fish, one where they can thrive.

What can you put in there? You'll need to check their compatibility, as some fish are peaceful while others are predators. What are some that you're considering?

How many? That comes down to the quality of the filtration, as well as the frequency of water changes. The lower the bioload, the more easy your job will be to keep them cared for. A heavy bioload is more work, just like having a dinner party for four people is easier that planning a wedding ...

If your tank is heading south fast, and the livestock is melting before your eyes, your precious fish gasping and your adrenalin is rushing, you need to call a friend. I'm not talking about those "emergencies" like "there's red stuff all over my sandbed and I can't stand it." I'm talking about a tank full of livestock that suddenly looks 100% different than what you see all the time.

We turn to the forums for help with our various aquarium-related problems, and often find a few helpful tips within minutes or hours of searching. We often recommend just that, because so much of this hobby has been well-documented over the past decade, with questions answered often and repeatedly. However, even the most experienced hobbyist needs to remain humble and ask for help when something goes wrong. You may think that's unnecessary, but there's a reason why surgeons don't operate on their loved ones. Your emotions are clouding your judgement, and your compassion is impeding some synapses.
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Hi Dennis. Mandarins need their food, that's a fact. You can also use various products to replenish that food, and there are proactive ways like my Mandarin Diner article explains. Have you read it yet? http://www.melevsreef.com/mandarin_diner.html

The best way to grow more pods is to feed your tank phytoplankton regularly. If you don't do this now, pods will be less prominent. Shaking out the cheatomorpha is a good move, and yes your return pump can send them into the tank undamaged. They just get washed up in the flow. I'd suggest you do ...

Why are my jellyfish shrinking? Help!

This is the most popular question I have received in the last year as folks start to venture into keeping jellyfish as pets. As there are many reasons why captive jellies tend to shrink, let’s start with some basics. First, the one thing I feel most don’t realize is that jellies occur in all oceans of the world and in all temperature zones. There are tropical jellies, temperate jellies and arctic jellies. Each species requires specific water ...

Hi Juan,

The purpose of the calcium reactor is to replace alkalinity and calcium in the water. Based on the current livestock list provided, you don't have anything taking these up much, if at all. You'd have to test the water weekly (at least) to determine the consumption rate. What is your end goal with this tank? Is it going to be fish and soft corals, or is it going to be a reef tank with a variety of stony corals? If the latter, you'll be glad you have a calcium reactor.

This year I set up a new reef that is 400g. It has a lot of tiny frags just starting to grow. By ...