Marine
 Marinists who follow the hobby closely may have recently noticed that there has been a marked swing away from interest in livestock (fish, invertebrates & algae) to a blanket coverage of hardware, almost to the point of obsession! There are often bitter disputes about who ‘invented’ what, when and how (as if it REALLY matters!). Filtration systems come in and out of favour like so many different clothes! It gets all very confusing and extremely expensive for those people prepared to follow ‘aquatic fashion’. |
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Regular readers of my columns will be aware that I strongly advocate all newcomers to the hobby to gain some valuable experience with fish-only before advancing into the world of invertebrates. There are two very good reasons for this:
1) most marine fish are infinitely easier to keep than most invertebrates, and
2) the basics of good marine husbandry can be learnt properly with animals that have a wider degree of tolerance that invertebrates do not have. In short, you can make a few mistakes with fish and it is unlikely to end in complete disaster! |
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 Pondering the mysteries of the universe one evening (you know how one does), a thought crossed my mind ... WOMEN! (Now chaps, don't get too excited!) Just why is it that so few women get involved with the marine side of the aquarium hobby? The question was a serious one and did not elicit a ready answer. I'm not talking about the wornan who helps her partner lug the odd bucket around at water change time but the 100% committed hobbyist. Think about it for a moment, see how many you know; not that many, if any, I would care to venture. A strange situation, indeed. Is there a reason why more women should not get involved, or does the hobby hold so little attraction? Who better to ask than some of those few already firmly involved. A look at their fishkeeping history rnight also furnish some clues. So with that in mind I set off to interview four likely candidates in what turned out to be one of the most interesting assignments I'd undertaken in a long time,
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 An Article Discussing The Fifteen Most Common Problems In The Tropical Marine Tank.
In the main, marine fishkeeping is not difficult. But common problems do occur from time to time and although these tend to be of an elementary nature, a significant number of aquarists find difficulty in resolving them unless they have definite and reliable guidelines to refer to. What follows is an outline of the fifteen most common problems I have encountered during my years in the marine fishkeeping hobby and a guide as to how to resolve them. |
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Big Fish for The Marine Aquarium! One type of marine aquarium never fails to create a stir, the fish-only tank containing BIG fish! The sight of large slices of brightly coloured piscine flesh cruising around an equally spacious aquarium is enough to make anyone's heart beat a little quicker.
The Micro Shrimp Tank Most of my regular readers will already be aware that, on the whole, I do not condone small marine tanks; that is, tanks with a nett volume of less than 20 gallons (91 litres). They are usually very unstable as far as water parameters are concerned and subsequently exert...
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