Category Archives: Filter Media

Low pH is a common water quality issue with reef aquariums. Here’s what you need to know on how to raise pH in your marine tank.

A frag tank is a working tank with characteristics of function over form, practical, and above all produces results. If you are planning on taking cuttings (frags) from colonies in your main display, you will want them to put a base down on a frag plug quickly (if not quicker) than it did in the […]

Clear FX is an all-in-one chemical filter media by Blue Life USA that’s available in both freshwater and reef formulas. A combination of carbon and organic scavenger resins, Clear FX Reef claims to target organics that feed nuisance algae including ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate without removing phosphate or trace elements.

Fans of moving bed aquarium filters will be pleased to hear that their favourite K1 bioreactor media is now available with a larger surface area and matures more quickly too. Named K+, the new biological media is superficially similar to K1, being designed to self-clean when tumbled as well as harbouring those all-important quiet zones […]

The award-winning manufacturer Maxspect continues on its path of uniqueness with the launch of the Nano-Tech Bio Plug. Made from the same porous material as Maxspect’s popular Bio-Blocks and Bio-Spheres, the new Nano-Tech frag plugs are quite different to standard ceramic plugs both in material and what they claim to do.  The porosity of the […]

Keeping nitrate under control has always been a concern because nitrate is the end-product of nitrification via your biological filtration so it’s continually added to your aquarium water. It may seem like a constant battle to keep nitrate under control. The good news is there are many proven ways to minimize nitrate build-up.

Phosphate has always been a hot topic with reef keepers. It’s in our tap water. It’s in fish and invert food. Phosphate gets the blame for algae problems. Some say it even hurts corals. We’ll break it down and tell you everything you need to know about phosphate and how to control it in your aquarium.

Cyanobacteria, or Cyano for short, is not an algae like what many of you might think but is in fact a photosynthetic bacteria that can quickly coat the surfaces inside your tank. Its ugly, prolific and can even out-compete your coral. Here is your guide to preventing this plague and some helpful tips for cleaning it up.

The way you cycle your aquarium can actually impact its success long term. We discussed the pros and cons of a fishless cycle vs. cycling with fish and how to control the uglies in a new aquarium with Dr. Timothy A. Hovanec, the founder of DrTim’s Aquatics.

We quiz Jeremy Howell of Brightwell Aquatics about phosphate, nitrate, testing, dosing, and more. Then hobbyists from around the world had the opportunity to ask him everything they’ve ever wanted to know about coral colors and the Brightwell product line.