Why do YOU need an aquarium controller? In a never ending effort to make my saltwater reef aquarium as self sufficient as possible, I came across the need for something to help me control all of the daily functions of my aquarium. Throughout my years of reefing, I have learned that maintaining high water quality as well as stability will translate to a very successful and healthy home reef. However, without the right equipment, maintaining these elements can be somewhat of a chore. Keeping high water quality can sometimes mean large...

I have been browsing the forums lately looking at others tanks, and the minimalist aquascape look has really grown on me. Since finishing the 20 long, I noticed that there are quite a few dead spots in the tank where flow does not easily make it – this is a problem and can cause detritus build up, which will eventually lead to algae blooms. So, in trying to avoid that, while testing a new scape, here is what I have come up with. Before: After: (Click the image for larger version) I was able to add in a second koralia 2 with this...

What are Aiptasia Anemones? Aiptasia Anemones are also referred to as Tube, Rock, and Glass Anemones due to their semi see through appearance, shape, and hiding methods. These anemones typically grow to about an inch and a half in length and multiply very quickly. They are mostly photosynthetic, but will eat small passing food particles. Aiptasia are normally seen extending out of small holes in rocks, and when disturbed, the anemone will retreat into the rock becoming virtually invisible. Aiptasia are in fact harmful to some corals and...

I finally had some free time to work on the media rack for the middle chamber of the AIO. I must say, working with acrylic is pretty fun. As you can see, the rack has room for 3 types of filter media. I decided to go with Chemipure elite, Purigen, and a phosphate sponge to help keep things stable in this nano. Overall it game out very nicely, and im happy with the performance so far. Hopefully it will help keep things in check! Here are a couple more shots of how the tank is doing. Everything has opened up and is getting used to the new...

Finally the day has come to move everything from my 37 gallon reef to the newly constructed 20 gallon long all in one aquarium in my new apartment. The build was a great success and everything came out looking awesome. Unfortunately I was not able to get any pictures during the move or during the actual aquascape. These pictures were all taken a few hours after setting up all the equipment and adding all sand, rock and coral. Because I moved everything out of an established tank, there was risk of the tank cycling. However I am still...

That false wall was painted and mounted with silicone. Finally the tank is almost complete – the last touch before adding live stock is to get the back of the tank painted and to set up the equipment. For this tank, I decided to have a few different viewing windows. 3 slits in the back chambers, just in case of a clog. Then one large window for the refugium. I plan to construct a refugium light to stick on to the side window that can be removable so anyone can see whats going on inside. Papers from school – I knew what I learned...

Continuation of the 20 gallon long all in one build. Today I will be showing the creation and fitting of the false wall in the aquarium as well as some silicone work and spray painting. Getting a quality, nice looking, silicone bead is tough to do in such small places. I recommend using a small bottle of silicone for this part of the build – or filling up a straw with silicone, then squeezing it into the small corners of the false wall chambers. Here is a test fit after the corners of the false wall were completed. So far everything is...