Let's face it, making RODI water for your reef tank isn't one of the most glorious tasks out there but that doesn't mean it has to be frustrating or cumbersome. Through combining a Aquatec booster pump and Aquatic Life float valve, my system automatically makes more RODI water whenever the water level is low.

AquaFX Barracuda: http://a.co/cYII11P
Aquatec 8800 booster pump: http://a.co/4qAuFS2
Aquatec pressure switch: http://a.co/4BJyNMZ
Float valve & auto shut off: http://a.co/7TKy1rX

Nothing is worse than hearing your tank chugging for water at 11PM... Getting yourself a 5 gallon bucket and a cheap ATO like this one is a worthwhile investment that prevents those late night headaches.

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Coral-A100-Dual-Sensor-System/dp/B015RM10H2/

https://www.reefbreeders.com/shop/coral-box-a100-ato/

Using a reverse durso standpipe is one of the simplest ways to reduce splashing, gurgling, and bubbling in your sump. There are many variations and changes you can make to suit your needs but the basic construction is very simple.

Just upgraded my Viparspectra 165w to the SB Reef Light PCBs. This was a fairly easy upgrade, however they use a different shape Molex connection so I had to splice my wires and use my old pin connections. It was nerve wracking but simple when using butt splices.

In my opinion, Viparspectra definitely seems to be on the "higher end" of the black box spectrum. The color and arrangement of the lights seems to be almost on par with SB, with SB having more true UV and better lenses for light distribution. I would say it's almost not worth it to upgrade if you already own Viparspectras and this upgrade would be a better choice for people who bought extremely cheap black boxes such as Mars Aqua, Galaxyhydro, etc.

Time will tell if this was a solid investment, though.

SB Reef Lights PCB Upgrade Kit: https://sbreeflights.com/sbox-upgrade-retro-kits/6-sbox-replacement-pcb-board.html

Viparspectra 165w Digital Timer: https://www.amazon.com/VIPARSPECTRA-Timer-165W-Aquarium-Dimmable/dp/B00UMXAR5S

Water changes - we all do them, although the amount and frequency will vary. But what do you do with all that water when you're on a septic tank? There are many questions, unfortunately many of them will remain unanswered. The only thing we can do is the common sense thing.

Yesterday YouTube updated their parter program requirements and essentially "served" tens of thousands of small channels and demonetized their accounts. This is a huge slap in the face to growing and aspiring content creators. The backlash from this could be huge!

We know how expensive running aquariums can be with all of the various equipment running - now combine that with winter heating expenses and now you've got a serious bill. Unless perhaps you have a wood stove to heat your home, that is...

How do you lose a package in your *own* warehouse for 6 days and then not even offer any sort of apology or compensation? After seeing so much positive stuff on SB Reef Lights, I decided to bite the bullet and get their custom PCB boards to upgrade my Viparspectra black box LEDs. Well, my package got lost in their warehouse for 6 days and I barely received an apology from the owner. Despite their website saying should arrive in 3 - 7 business days it will now take two weeks. Thanks guys!

Seems like a lot of DIY and educational channels I subscribed to when I was new to the hobby are taking a break from being educational and are trying to capitalize on their YouTube success. I can't hate on someone for trying to make an extra buck, but please don't push your brand on me when I'm just trying to learn new things! Just my two cents.

With so much flow and equipment in our reef tanks, we know how noisy they can be. In this video I show you one method of how I helped dampen some noise and light coming from my sump with some air conditioner weather stripping.

My Aqueon QuietFlow 1700 return pump is on its way out so I replaced it with the Kedsum 3000, available on Amazon for a very reasonable price. This is just a simple unboxing and installation video.

Pump: https://amzn.com/B072C5YXDC/

I recently purchased the ViparSpectra 165w aquarium LEDs and came up with a simple, cost efficient, and elegant way to hang them over my reef tank. Tell me what you think!

Showing the progress I made on my 75g aquarium stand I'm building from scratch. Stay tuned for 75g reef tank incoming...

Build inspiration: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/75-gallon-stand-build.119132/

After a lot of thought, I've decided to retire the 29g reef tank and go bigger. I learned much of what I know after I set up the tank and many of the modifications were a bit jerry rigged. I just bought a 75g tank and will be spending significantly more time planning this tank out and doing it the "right way"!

Well my RBTA (Rose Bubble Tip Anemone) keeps on moving, it would appear he's on the run... Fortunately I came home just in time to shut off my powerheads to stop him from getting chewed up and dying. I'm moving in a few weeks so I'm just going to leave him be because he seems happy. Don't want to stress him out more than I have to.

After 5 months of being in the same spot, my rainbow RBTA (Rose Bubble Tip Anemone) is on the move! I'm so anxious to see where he ends up. :/

Today I received my SC Aquariums 301 protein skimmer and I wanted to show you guys what to expect when you receive yours. I also set it up and get it running and I show you that. In a couple weeks when it's producing skimmate I'll do another review!

SCA-301 Skimmer: http://amzn.to/2pX006d
Orbit Marine Pro: http://amzn.to/2ooqDnx

Many product reviews we watch on YouTube are actually just unboxing and initial reactions. Some are after a few weeks of use. I'm trying to do more longitudinal reviews with my products to offer significant experience and data. So today I'm sharing my thoughts of the Finnex Planted+ after using it for one year.

Finnex Planted+: http://amzn.to/2oRO7jl
Planted+ 24/7 SE: http://amzn.to/2oRCYit
Marineland 220: http://amzn.to/2oRvmMO

Nothing is scarier than thinking your beloved coral is dying, especially when it could wreck havoc on your tank. Fortunately I think my RBTA was just pooping or doing a water change. :)

This new aquascape has been about two years in the making. I always knew I wanted to take my planted tank in a new direction, I just never set the vision in to motion. Today I'm proud to reveal it to you all feature a "tree" designed out of manzanita driftwood.

Marine Depot announced yesterday that they would be offering financing solutions through a company "Affirm", who says they're for millennials who don't like credit cards. But why use Affirm when you could get much better rewards by using a good credit card? And furthermore, if you can't afford to buy aquarium products why not hunt for a good deal rather than putting yourself at financial risk?

Many people choose to throw away their filter socks, which is fine if you don't mind always buying new ones. I prefer to reuse my homemade filter socks as it saves money and only takes a tiny bit of time.

Music credit: https://soundcloud.com/stonefacepriest/stoneface-priest-a-conscious-vibe-linkingstone-music
DIY filter sock: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/diy-filter-socks.162584/

Many people choose to throw away their filter socks, which is fine if you don't mind always buying new ones. I prefer to reuse my homemade filter socks as it saves money and only takes a tiny bit of time.

A while back I made a video talking about the "U-Barn Super CO2 Diffuser" and how I was impressed with how well it worked. Well, it worked for about a week until it cracked. I've since been using my old ceramic diffuser but recently picked up this diffuser at Aquarium Zen in Seattle, WA. Let's hope it works better!