If you are considering adding a protein skimmer to your tank, you will find this article by Don Carner well worth reading. Not sure which style skimmer to buy? Don describes each one, with details about In-Tank Co-Current and Counter-Current Styles, Hang-On Styles, and Summaries on both In-Tank & Hang-On Skimmer Styles.

MORE: Hang-In/On Tank Skimmers: Compare Prices of the newest models on the market, today.

MORE: In/On Sump Protein Skimmers: Compare Prices of the latest models on the market.

MORE: Already have a skimmer? Tired of performing constant water changes? You can drastically reduce your nitrates and phosphate levels (many times to ZERO!!) with the "Vodka Method" of Nitrate Reduction.

Not All Skimmers Are Right For All Systems originally appeared on About.com Saltwater Aquariums on Sunday, February 5th, 2012 at 01:00:59.

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Keeping nitrates in check can be one of the most frustrating (and expensive) long term tasks a saltwater aquarist faces. Considering the price of a bag of sea salts, the cost in dollars (let alone the time) of repetitive water changes can add up to a tidy sum over time. Here is a simple, inexpensive, permanent method which quickly reduces nitrates to near zero on a long term basis.

More: Reducing NO3 & PO4 in Your Marine Aquarium With Vodka - Sharing a very dry vodka martini with your marine reef tank can reduce the nitrate (NO3) and phosphate (PO4) levels in your tank.

Long Term Nitrate Reduction originally appeared on About.com Saltwater Aquariums on Saturday, February 4th, 2012 at 01:00:15.

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These small, beautiful fish have color patterns which almost defy description. Considered by many to be difficult to keep because of their specific diet requirements. In the wild, the Dragonets' diet consists almost solely of Amphipods and Copepods, which most mature reef or FOWLR tanks already contain in some quantities. With a little patience, most of these fish can be trained to take Brine and Mysis Shrimp and other hand fed foods.

While all of the species are stunning, the Striped or Green Mandarinfish and Spotted Mandarinfish are most hobbyists' favorites.

More: View terrific photos of Dragonets/Mardarinfish. The outrageous colors of these fish are truly unbelievable.

More: DIY Refugiums are easy and inexpensive to build. Perfect for growing macroalgae as well as Copepods and Amphipods.

Photo By Andy Wakefield

Mandarinfishes/Dragonets originally appeared on About.com Saltwater Aquariums on Friday, February 3rd, 2012 at 01:00:23.

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Co-Current, Counter-Current, Needle Wheel, Venturi; it all sounds pretty complicated, but contrary to what some people would like you to believe, protein skimming ain't rocket science. Skimming is no more than injecting air bubbles into a water column, twirling them around for a bit, then skimming off the crud (proteins) that they collect. Exactly how different protein skimmers do this is a bit of an art, however. Here are the simple nuts and bolts of protein skimming. Understanding the principles makes it easier to find the right skimmer for your saltwater aquarium.

More: Top In/On Tank Protein Skimmers If you are planning to install a protein skimmer in or on your aquarium, these are the ones you will want to see. Compare Prices and save $$.

More: Top In/On Sump Protein Skimmers Compare prices on these state of the art sump mounted protein skimmers.

How Do Protein Skimmers Work? originally appeared on About.com Saltwater Aquariums on Wednesday, February 1st, 2012 at 01:00:56.

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There are a number of pieces of aquarium equipment that you can make yourself better and for less money than what you can find online or in your LFS. You can probably build that custom aquarium of your dreams in less time than it takes to mow your lawn and at a fraction of the cost to buy it. Or, you can build that custom aquarium cabinet and canopy you've always wanted in your spare time. Or, you can eliminate daily aquarium or sump top offs by installing a DIY Auto Top Off & Filtration System for less than $50. Take a look at the Top Aquarium Do-It-Yourself (DIY) Projects to see which ones you want to do.

Top Saltwater Aquarium Do-It-Yourself (DIY) Projects originally appeared on About.com Saltwater Aquariums on Tuesday, January 31st, 2012 at 01:00:35.

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Thinking about buying a host anemone for your Clownfish, but don't know which anemone will work for your Clown? The Relationship and Species Identification cross-reference chart can help with choosing the best or "preferred" host anemone for your clownfishes, which is based on the natural symbiotic relationships between them in the wild and other matches which seem to work in a saltwater aquarium.

More: Host Sea Anemone Survivability Survey Sea Anemones are not the easiest things to keep alive and in good health in an aquarium. Here are the summary and analysis of the Host Sea Anemone Survey. The information here could help you to easily double the life span of a sea anemone in your aquarium.

More: Clownfish & Host Anemone Photos Photos of a number of different species of Clownfish in their host anemones.

Photo by Bill Paterno

Host Anemone & Clownfish Matches originally appeared on About.com Saltwater Aquariums on Saturday, January 28th, 2012 at 01:00:34.

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Some aquarists believe they help eliminate bacteria, parasitic, fungal, viral, algae, and other unfriendly pathogens in an aquarium, others believe that they are a waste of money. Here is a description of what they are and what they are "supposed" to do.

More:UV Sterilizers won't be effective for what you are trying to accomplish (parasite, disease or algae control) if your watts/gallon flow rate in not right. Here is how to tell if your watts/gal. flow rate is right.

More: Read Top UV Sterilizers and Compare Prices.

Forums: UV's - Anyone using them? I have heard they are a waste of money because the dwell time ...

Forums: UV Sterilizers I have a UV Sterilizer that I will be starting up in a week or so and I am wondering how long ...

Photo © PriceGrabber

UV Sterilization: What is it and How is it Used? originally appeared on About.com Saltwater Aquariums on Wednesday, January 25th, 2012 at 01:00:48.

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Contrary to popular belief, a vast majority of corals are not autotrophic, requiring only light to survive. Autotrophs produce their own food from inorganic material they extract from their surrounding environment, usually using sunlight to synthesize it with the aid of zooxanthellae algae. Giving your corals some extra food can really perk them up and increase their reproduction rate.

More: Exactly What Do Corals Eat?? Corals, for the most part, are carnivorous, feeding mostly on small animals (zooplankton) suspended in the water column of the ocean ...

More: When Do Corals Eat?? You might be surprised... While you are sleeping, guess what your corals are doing?

Photo © Rick Herring

Corals Need More Than a Lot of Light originally appeared on About.com Saltwater Aquariums on Tuesday, January 24th, 2012 at 01:00:20.

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Some aquarists believe a QT is a waste of time and money, thinking that fish can stave off disease, parasites or infections on their own. Most experienced aquarists would disagree, having seen entire aquarium systems wiped out by the introduction of a new critter which brought a disease with it. You can decide for yourself if a QT is worth it.

More: Cheap, Easy DIY Quarantine Tanks. QT's don't need to be fancy or cost a lot of money, they just need to work.

More: DIY Aquariums are terrific Quarantine Tanks. Inexpensive, easy to build and they can be designed to any size you want.

Is It Really Necessary To Use A Quarantine Tank? originally appeared on About.com Saltwater Aquariums on Monday, January 23rd, 2012 at 01:00:15.

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A refugium is nothing more than a refuge from predation. Sessile inverts, macroalgae and other delicate species need a place to call their own and the advent of the refugium was just the ticket! Isolated, but connected to the main display tank, the refugium allows for common water filtration while at the same time keeping more aggressive fish from impacting it. Refugiums have been found to be an excellent platform for cultivating high quality food sources (amphipods, copepods and macroalgae) in a separate but still attached system.

There are a number of macroalga (seaweeds) species which consume Nitrates (NO3) and Phosphates (PO4) at an astonishing rate. Macroalgae also make great food for fish and invertebrates in your saltwater aquarium. These seaweeds are perfect for cultivation in a refugium.

Refugiums in Saltwater Aquariums originally appeared on About.com Saltwater Aquariums on Sunday, January 22nd, 2012 at 01:00:41.

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