Keeping stony corals means chasing two numbers every week: calcium and alkalinity. I learned this the hard way on my 180-gallon mixed reef when I was hand-dosing two-part solution three times a week and still watching my alkalinity swing between 6.5 and 10 dKH. That is when I bought my first calcium reactor, and I … Read more
I tested eight of the most popular cat litter disposal systems in my home with two cats for over a month. The smell test was brutal, but I learned which pails actually lock away odor and which ones let ammonia drift across the room. After dozens of scoops, bag changes, and a few scraped knuckles, … Read more
I have kept freshwater aquariums for over 15 years, and I can tell you from experience that nothing ruins a beautiful tank faster than pea-soup green water. You walk in one morning, the lights come on, and the entire tank looks like split-pea soup. Within days, you cannot see your fish, your plants, or the … Read more
When my 14-year-old tabby Max was diagnosed with early-stage chronic kidney disease (CKD) last spring, my veterinarian told me the single most important thing I could do at home was increase his water intake. I bought three different fountains over the next two months, watched him ignore two of them, and finally landed on a … Read more
If you have ever owned an aquatic turtle, you already know the truth: turtles are messy. I learned this the hard way when my first red-eared slider turned a sparkling 40-gallon tank into a swamp within four days of bringing him home. Standard fish filters simply cannot keep up with the turtle tank filter demand … Read more
I lost a $400 angelfish before I ever bought a chiller. One August heat wave pushed my 125-gallon reef tank to 86F overnight, and by morning three corals were bleached and my favorite fish was gasping at the surface. That painful lesson is the same story you will hear on every reef-keeping forum, and it … Read more
The best RO/DI system for most reef tanks is the iSpring RCC1DP 5-Stage 150 GPD with built-in pump. It hits true 0 PPM TDS, shrugs off low home water pressure, and pairs a 5-stage filter train with a tankless design that fits under any sink. If you want a budget pick that still produces zero-TDS … Read more
I’ve kept saltwater tanks for over 25 years, and nothing keeps me up at night like a failing heater. Glass heaters crack from thermal stress. Cheap import heaters stick in the ON position and cook livestock. After losing a clownfish pair to a stuck glass heater, I switched every tank in my fish room to … Read more
If you run a saltwater reef tank, you’ve probably heard the same advice over and over: get a protein skimmer. After testing eight different models in my own systems and talking to reefers who have run these skimmers for years, I can confirm that the best protein skimmers for reef tanks really do make a … Read more
I have mixed and tested more reef salt than I care to admit over the last decade, and the brand you pour into your RO/DI water quietly decides whether your corals grow, color up, or slowly fade. The best reef salt mixes for coral health are the ones that hit reliable calcium, alkalinity, and magnesium … Read more