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DIY Dosing Vessels – The GHL Edition
These are an inexpensive way to create some functional and stylish dosing containers and you’ll be recycling/repurposing, too! The “GHL Edition” in the title is just a little humor because these happen to match my GHL Doser perfectly! A little added bonus for any other GHL owners out there. But if the transparent blue is not your thing, feel free to grab a can of Krylon plastic paint and spray the caps the color of your choice. This is almost identical to creating dosing containers using the glass Voss water bottles. I was one of the first to do this several years ago and it has become very popular. They…
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Planted Tank Automatic Water Change Overview
Time for a long overdue overview of how I set up my Auto Water Change (AWC) and Auto Top-Off (ATO) systems! First, let’s start off with the major components. The most important component of my Auto Water Change system is the GHL Profilux Controller, seen here. In the case of the AWC (Auto Water Change), I created a Timer. 8x per day, the Profilux turns on the AWC pump for a specified amount of time.The Profilux also controls the ATO (Auto Top-Off). The water level in the tank needs to be monitored, so I installed an optical level sensor.The level sensor is seen here on the right. It’s held in…
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What camera do I need to photograph my aquarium?
You want to take pics of your aquarium and you have come to the realization that your smartphone just isn’t cutting it. Congratulations! There is hope for you yet. I’ll try to answer the question, “What camera should I get?” or at least get you moving in the right direction. Shiny, expensive new toys are always fun. But as aquarium enthusiasts, we know that much of our disposable income is going towards those beautiful aquariums. Photography is another disposable income black hole and if you are not careful, you run the risk of getting sucked right in. I’m a professional photographer myself so the last thing I want to do…
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Chaetomorpha Algae: Nature’s Filter!
Why use Chaeto? What I like about using Chaetomorpha Algae is that it pulls out massive amounts of nutrients. So much so that you may run into a problem with it pulling out too much! I have mangroves in another tank, and I’ve had other macroalgae before, but nothing is the workhorse that is Chaetomorpha. It truly is nature’s filter! What’s needed? Nutrients Chaetomorpha Algae (commonly referred to as Chaeto) is a plant and plants need food. The excess nutrients in your water feeds the Chaeto. If you don’t have any excess nutrients your Cheato will not grow. The main goal of growing Chaeto is to reduce nutrients. If you…
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Thinking of moving your Saltwater Reef Aquarium?
Sometimes life changes. It can change in a way that requires your beautiful reef aquarium, that you have poured your heart and soul (and a lot of cash!) into, to be torn down and moved to a new home. It may seem like a daunting task, but a little thought and planning can ease pain and suffering. There are a few different approaches you can take that will just require you to make some decisions on what will be best for you and your livestock. I hope that this article can provide some insight into the mayhem that is moving an aquarium. So when you have to go through the…
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Why RAW is AWESOME and why YOU should use it.
I get a lot of questions from the reef community about my aquatic photography. People always want to know what settings I use and what equipment I own. I can answer that very easily, but it’s not really going to help anyone. Settings are changing constantly depending on what I’m shooting, and any DSLR and macro lens will work just fine. What I try to tell people but it usually doesn’t sink in, is if you already have the basics of photography down, shooting in RAW and learning how to process your own photos will make the biggest difference. Hands down. You can be shooting with the best DSLR and…
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Take your pics from ho-hum to awesome with Lightroom in just a few simple steps!
So you see all these great photos posted online and you want to show your tank off, too! You figure your phone is limiting you so you go out and purchase a digital SLR camera and lens. You throw it into “Auto”, take some pictures of your tank and to your dismay, they don’t look much better than before! Well, your first problem may be using that Auto setting, but that is a discussion that deserves its own post. You probably have about as much patience as I do, which isn’t much, so for now let’s skip that and work with what we’ve got, which is an image that was…
