morning coffee

Building my Last Reef Tank

As the year winds down we tend to look back on our failures and successes and the major events of the year, as well as ahead to the things that we want to accomplish and what we are looking forward…

Making The Hobby Fun (And Keeping it that way)

I admit it, I am still a big kid at heart. And this time of year I often show this side of my personality in many ways. I still find fun, in just about everything this time of year. I…

My Corals are Dying: Why?

Over the years I have been asked a lot of questions. Some have come and gone over time, like what is the best whatever or what fish or coral can I add to my tank. Some, however, have…

Seizing the Moment and Limiting Regrets

As I have discussed numerous times in these articles, this is a hobby of patience. That is, we need to be patient and wait for things to occur in order to be successful such as waiting frags to grow into…

Things You Need To Do And Should Be Doing Regularly

Now that we are in the middle of Fall and at least for us in the East and Midwest it has finally gotten cool again, at least for me it marks the time of year when I get serious about…

Much Fun at the Aquatic Experience in Chicago

Over the years I have been fortunate enough to attend or speak at just about every large show, frag swap and meeting that occurred throughout North America. From MACNA to Reefaplaooza, IMAC, The Southwest Marine Conference and ReefStock – I…

Things That Scare Me About The Hobby

嘘,万圣节快乐。我不是真正的Halloween person, I am much more into Christmas, but I understand how some people really get into it. In fact, I recently learned that humans are such an overwhelmingly…

What Do We Need To Start A Reef Tank, Versus What We May Want?

I have a wonderful 21-year old daughter, who I have spoiled over the years. During that time, I have also spent a lot of time trying to teach her the difference between wanting something and needing something. Unfortunately, learning the…

Things About The Aquarium Hobby That Make Me Happy

Recently I had a major life event occur that made me reflect on many of the aspects of my life. One of the things that I spent some time thinking about were the things in my life that have made…

Problematic Algae And How To Manage It

I have now been keeping reef tanks for over 30 years and over that time I have seen fads and techniques come and go and I have been asked questions about just about every aspect of the hobby. Despite all…