by Fauna | Sep 10, 2013 | Aquatics, Blog, Corals
Written by Christian Morehouse Many people that start their first saltwater aquarium, myself included, seem to convince themselves that they would be happy with just fish. “Oh no. I don’t need to do corals. That’s too hard.” After a few months, they reach what seems to be a natural progression to stagnation. Their tanks are fully stocked with fish and they are learning new things every day. With a little experience and confidence under their belt, they decide to venture onto their first coral. That is when people make their way into Fauna and ogle at all the variety, but they have no idea where to start. Some corals are incredibly easy while others are particularly challenging. Different families and genera have different care and compatibility requirements. The types of coral you choose often help dictate the equipment and setup you will need. This post will be about the four major classifications of corals and the general requirements for each. Soft corals Soft corals are often the easiest to keep and a great choice for a first coral and include, leathers, zoanthids, polyps, and mushrooms. They come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors and many offer a wonderful amount of movement to a tank. They are hardy and are not particularly sensitive to less-than-perfect water quality, which allows the new owner a small learning curve. Most will also do well with lower levels of light and flow, which makes it an easy choice for someone just starting out who has not yet invested in a high-end light setup. However, they do need adequate amounts of light and...
by Fauna | Sep 5, 2013 | Aquatics, Blog
Written by Christian Morehouse It is often stressful when introducing new fish to an aquarium. You want to make sure that the transition is as smooth as possible and that the fish does well in his new environment. There are many different water parameters that can vary from tank to tank. The best way to acclimate a fish to these changes in water chemistry is using the drip acclimation method. Dripping Fish Dripping fish is a way to slowly mix the water from the bag with the water from your new tank Start off by pouring the water from the bag into a small container. You want to make sure it is small enough for the fish to be completely submerged with the amount of water in the bag, but large enough to allow you to add more water from the tank. A heater is also important to maintain proper water temperature. If the water temperature of the bag does not match the water temperature of the tank, the change can shock the fish. You must also be careful that the heater remains entirely submerged and covered. If left uncovered, the fish will often hide against the heater and can burn themself. To prevent this, submerge the heater in a filled water bottle. Then stand the water bottle upright in the container with your new fish. This will keep the fish warm while preventing him from burning himself. An air pump is also important. After a while of being bagged, the fish’s oxygen starts to deplete. If left for too long, this can starve the...
by Fauna | Mar 8, 2013 | Aquatics, Blog, Staff
Gen Katz had recently been figuring out what his future could hold. After attending Syracuse University for a year and a half, he decided to search for something that he had a true passion for. During the last semester however, there were two prominent items in his apartment, a 10 gallon freshwater aquarium and an attempted saltwater aquarium. He didn’t put much thought into the tanks at the time until he returned to NYC and had the opportunity to get a much larger aquarium. It was the beginning to a new endeavor that eventually led to a new career. Plastic decorations weren’t satisfying enough for Gen and he felt there was more that he could accomplish with an aquarium. The thought of having a saltwater aquarium was something he considered, but with no true experience it seemed too intimidating. As he started to browse YouTube videos and other online aquarists forums, he found the answer; a planted tank. From the moment Gen aquascaped his first planted aquarium, the passion for planted tanks took off. Gen has since gone through many planted tanks to find his style of aquascaping. As he began setting up tanks he decided to vlog his process throughout all the tanks. Having this video record has allowed Gen to occasionally look back at where it all began. Once Gen found Fauna he quickly became part of the family and decided to plant some roots of his own! After revamping the freshwater plant department, he soon had the store littered with small planted aquariums throughout. Within a few...
