Salt Water Aquarium Secrets

Look Who Is Going To The Marine Aquarium Conference of Illinois MACI

Warren — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 19:10:06 +0000

Last night we had a radio show on the Under The Sea Radio Show about the upcoming Marine Aquarium Conference of Illinois (MACI) that will be happening this weekend in Chicago.

Learn all about the speakers, and vendors and workshops and even raffle items to be won. If you’ve never been to an aquarium conference, they are a lot of fun and is a great way to get access to manufacturers, experts, authors and other enthusiasts.

Listen to internet radio with WM Aquaculture on Blog Talk Radio

One Weird Reason Why New Saltwater Aquarium Hobbyists Get Overwhelmed and Confused

Warren — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 15:33:47 +0000

Does this sound familiar to you?

You go into a local fish store and the kind well-intended staff give you advice on what to do with your salt water aquarium.

Then – you go to an online forum and get three different answers to the same question you posted

Then – you pick up a magazine and find an article that gives yet more differing advice.

The result: you don’t know who to believe. You wonder ‘Which one is right?’ and you are now stuck, frustrated and confused, and you do nothing. And while it may be that one of these sources has it wrong, it may also be true that many of them are all right at the same time – even though their advice differs.

But don’t blame the local fish store, and don’t blame the forum, or even the author of the article in the magazine, or even yourself. The solution to this dilemma lies in the problem itself.

DILEMMA: While it is widely recommended to educate yourself and read as much as you can about all aspects of salt water aquarium keeping, it can be confusing when you come up against differing or conflicting advice, methods and approaches. And since you are trying to learn, you may not know which one is correct or if some or all are correct, which leave you confused, stuck and frustrated.

SOLUTION: My friend Morgan Lidster of Inland Aquatics says it well in his Quick Steps to Guaranteed Success As A New Reef (or other) Aquarist:

1) Find a hobbyist, dealer or guru that demonstrates consistent, long term success. Choose carefully. This person, and the rapport you establish with him/her, will greatly affect the likelihood of your becoming a successful aquarium hobbyist.

2) Listen to this mentor, ignoring the conflicting opinions of others, until you can confidently diagnose typical aquarium situations and the appropriate course of action, as your mentor would. Do not proceed to #3 until you also clearly understand exactly WHY s/he does what s/he does. (I’m not suggesting that you don’t read everything you can get your hands on….. However, you should try to focus on animal biology/husbandry and not aquarium philosophy.)

3) Once you have completed step #2, but never before, begin to pay close attention to other SUCCESSFUL paradigms practiced in the hobby. You will now have at your command the basic understanding of reef keeping required to successfully experiment. Before long, you will develop your OWN successful approach to reef keeping.

Another Important Note:
Books and magazine articles are great resources. Unfortunately, there’s as much bad/outdated information as there is good. New hobbyists should look to their mentor to help sort through it all!!!

To sum it up, when you are getting started, choose one (1) person whose advice and methods you will follow and copy.

Hope this helps.

Technorati Tags: salt water aquarium, saltwater aquariums

Cool Video – Artist Uses Live Goldfish – Or Does He?

Warren — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 16:28:50 +0000

This video was just sent to me and I just had to share it. Watch the hole thing – and watch what this artist can do – Amazing!

When he’s done, you can’t believe they are not live goldfish. It’s called Goldfish Salvation. He’s a painter and a sculptor all in one.

Go watch it now and then come back and tell me what you think.

Technorati Tags: goldfish, goldfish salvation, goldfish video

Which books to get for starting a saltwater aquarium?

Warren — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 21:47:08 +0000

In this post and in others coming up, I am going to be reviewing my favorite aquarium books, the ones I still use today.

When you are getting started with your first salt water fish tank, one of the most popular kinds of books to get is an fish ID book, to help identify and learn about the animals you want to keep and which ones are compatible with whom, etc..

When I got bit by the reef tank bug, this book wasn’t out yet, but now it is and you need this book if you are going to be keeping corals or saltwater invertebrates of any kind.

The book is called CORALS – A Quick Reference Guide by Julain Sprung.

It’s a really handy book to have close to your tank. It’s great for quick identification and for learning more about the different kinds of corals and the conditions that best suit them.

It also can make a great Christmas or Hanuka present for your favorite reef-a-holic enthusiast.

Julian Sprung is one of my all-time favorite authors whom I chose to follow and learn from when I was just getting started and trying to figure this reed tank thing out. He has always been very straight forward and all of his books are very thorough and well thought out to be as useful as possible.

I highly recommend any book by Julian Sprung.

Happy Fishes,

Warren

Technorati Tags: favorite aquarium books, Julian Sprung, reef tank, salt water fish tank, saltwater aquarium

A Little Inspiration

Warren — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 16:33:49 +0000

I know this doen’t have anything to do with keeping salt water fish tanks, and I had to post it just the same.

Enjoy and share. Have a beautiful day.

Technorati Tags: inspiration, salt water fish tanks, the power of words

Is Your Tap Water Safe For Your Salt Water Aquarium?

Warren — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 20:53:04 +0000

Today, at 4:00pm (EDT) on the Under The Sea Radio Show, we are diving into the topic of how to make sure your tap water is safe for your salt water aquarium.

Please call in with you questions at 949-534-0637.

See you then.

Happy Fishes,

Warren

Technorati Tags: radio show, salt water aquarium, tap water, under the sea radio show

Does Your Thanksgiving Look Like This?

Warren — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 21:28:37 +0000

Now that we are all getting ready for the Thanksgiving holiday, work is slowing down as we get ready for company or traveling to visit with friends and family.

I know this video dates me, but it is a feel good bit that will make you laugh.

Don’t forget to feed your fish.

This is also a great time to give some attention to your tank. Remember not to overfeed.

I know I’ll be overfeeding me this Thanksgiving.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family.

With Gratitude,

Warren

Technorati Tags: feed your fish, over feeding, thanksgiving

Ever Wonder What It Would Be Like To Run Your Own Fish Store?

Warren — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 22:38:02 +0000

This Sunday at 4:00pm (EDT) I am interviewing Wayne Woo of Riverfront Aquarium (Calgary, Alberta Canada) on the Under The Sea Radio Show.

It’s a part of the series called “Careers In Marine Biology”, where we interview different professionals in the wide ranging field of marine biology to help out people who are interested in pursuing a career in marine biology.

You’ll get to find out:

what it is like in the day in the life of a real life fish store owner
where he got his start
how he got to where they are today
advice for those of you who might be thinking “How do I get THAT job?”

And don’t worry. If you can’t make it, you can download the recording for later listening on your computer or iPod or iPhone, etc..

And if you know of a profession or type of job in the field of Marine Biology that you think we should include in our series, then leave a comment with your suggestion.

See you on the radio.

Happy Fishes,

Warren

Technorati Tags: aquarium radio, fish store, fish store owner, under the sea

What Is Alkalinity and Why Is It So Important For My Tank?

Warren — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 20:53:44 +0000

Here’s a great article that explains just what alkalinity is and why it is so important to your tank.

When I first got started with reef tanks and saltwater fish tanks in general, every book, speaker, expert and author all referred to buffering capacity and total hardness and alkalinity and calcium hardness and dkh, and what …???? I was so confused at first.

And now over the years, I have distilled it down into a simple and easy to understand article.

This is one of those fundamentals that you just need to learn and learn it right, or you and your tank’s inhabitants will pay the price dearly.

Enjoy.

Happy Fishes,

Warren

Technorati Tags: buffering capacity, calcium hardness, pH, total hardness, what is alkalinity

You’re Invited To Call In With Questions On The Radio Today At 4:00pm (EDT)

Warren — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 19:44:14 +0000

Today at 4:00pm (EDT) you are invited to call in to the Under The Sea Radio Program to get your questions answered.

We will be discussing the topic of being new to keeping salt water aquariums, so get a pen and paper and your favorite beverage and go to

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/wm-aquaculture/2011/10/30/new-to-aquarium-keeping

And here is the number to call (949) 534-0637 with your most burning question.

See you on the show.

Happy Fishes,

Warren

Technorati Tags: aquarium radio, new to saltwater aquariums, under the sea radio