20150217 Real Reef Rock

Many saltwater/reef hobbyist might not realize how devastating the removal of liverock from the ocean can be.
Liverock from the ocean is essentially the coral fossil in the ocean. When coral calcify and dies more coral grows onto it. The results of this layers upon layers of coral, clam, and oysters growing and forming calcium carbonate structure results in liverock, which all corals grow on today in the ocean.
Ever since I have learned of this, I have stopped purchasing liverock collected from the wild such as Fiji, Tuvalu, Tonga, etc. The fact is these liverock forms important foundation for coral and many reef dwellers to survive, by removing a cubic feet of liverock we are ripping as many possibility of corals to grow and thrive on it.
For this reason I have been purchasing rocks strictly from other hobbyists torn down tanks, as well as Florida dry rock- rock that has been dried and buried on land, not in ocean to be cultured into liverock.

Real Reef Rock artificial liverock with beneficial bacteria

A company called Real Reef Rock also provides a sensible, eco-friendly solution- they offer artificial rock that looks, and feels just like real liverock with the same porous structure. They have also packed these new pH balanced rock with beneficial bacteria to get your tank kick started in cycling without the nasty curing and dying off process of wild collected limericks!

The cross section of a real reef rock liverock showing the porous structure

Real Reef rock liverock comes in variety of size shape, and even coloration to fit your tank landscaping desire

20141102 Cyanobacteria (brown slime algae) problem

One of the most commonly discussed in forums for many beginner hobbyist is the brown/red slime algae, or cyanobacteria. Although they are referred to as algae, they are not really algae. Instead they are monocellular bacteria that obtains energy by photosynthesis. They will form enormous colony thus visible to human eyes without microscope with the appearance, and behavior of algae.

Cyanobacteria (Brown Slim Algae)

The photo above shows how a cyanobacteria can take over the substrate (or rock work) by covering up the surface and forms a "film". While they are considered a nuisance, they are not your worst enemy in a reef aquaria. There are plenty ways to tackle them. But to properly fight them. We first need to know what causes them to bloom.

Even though the bacteria can obtain energy by photosynthesis, like all bacteria, they also thrive under nutrient rich condition. So the two elements we can control here are: light- photosynthesis, and dissolved nutrient- food.
Three ways to effectively reduce the colony:
1. prevention- do not overfeed your tank
2. attack- stir up the sand with sifters such as goby, cucumber, nassaurius snails, or sand sifting stars*
3. elimination- with moderation, turn lights off for a day to discourage photosynthesis.
Cyanobacteria is a natural part of the tank cycling and path to maturity. There is no need to freak out when you experience a break out. Just stay calm and tackle them!

*sand sifting stars do require a LOT of sand to forage for food in order to properly survive and thrive. Please do not add one to a tank smaller than 125G.