Reef care, explained plainly.

Corals & fish3 min read

How to acclimate new corals and fish

Moving from our tanks to yours is the most stressful day in a new animal?s life. A slow, steady acclimation makes the difference.

1. Float the sealed bag in your tank until the temperature matches.
2. Drip acclimate. Let tank water drip slowly into a container with the animal. Most corals need 30?60 minutes; shrimp, snails and sea stars do best with 45?60 minutes or more.
3. Dip new corals to knock off hitchhiking pests before they reach your display.
4. Move the animal, not the bag water, into your tank.
5. Start corals lower and shaded, then move them up as they settle and open.

Shipped frag? Leave it on its plug for at least 5 days. That keeps your Livestock Protection Promise valid.

Corals2 min read

Where to place a new coral

Light fades and flow softens as you go down a tank. Match each coral to the zone it likes and it will color up and grow.

• Top third: SPS like Acropora and Montipora want bright light and strong flow.
• Middle rock: most LPS, like torches, hammers and Goniopora, like moderate light and gentle, indirect flow.
• Low rock and sand: fleshy LPS like Acanthophyllia, open brains and Cynarina, plus Ricordea and Blastomussa, prefer shade and calm water.

Leave room around new arrivals. Bubble, torch, hammer and elegance corals put out sweeper tentacles that can sting neighbors several inches away, often at night.

See it drawn out in our interactive coral guide.

Water3 min read

The water numbers that matter

These are the ranges we recommend for a thriving reef. Stable beats perfect: a number that holds steady slightly off target is safer than one that swings.

• Specific gravity1.024?1.026
• Temperature75?78?F
• pH8.1?8.4
• Alkalinity8?9 dKH
• Calcium380?450 ppm
• Magnesium1,300?1,450 ppm
• Nitrate10?30 ppm
• Phosphate0.01?0.1 ppm
• NitriteUndetectable
• AmmoniaUndetectable

Nitrate and phosphate shouldn?t sit at zero. Corals use a little of both, which is why our targets start above zero. Ammonia and nitrite should always test undetectable; if either shows up, retest and hold off on new livestock until it clears.

Type your results into the water checker at the top of this page.

Corals2 min read

Feeding corals: who needs what

Most corals get much of their energy from light, through algae living in their tissue. Many still do better with a meal.

• Fleshy LPS (Acanthophyllia, brains, elegance and bubble corals): target-feed meaty foods like mysis or LPS pellets 1?3 times a week. Many put out feeder tentacles at night.
• Goniopora: small particle foods such as reef roids or phytoplankton, 2?3 times a week.
• Soft corals like Daisy Coral: no feeding needed, though occasional phytoplankton helps color.
• Cleanup crew: shrimp need chopped meaty foods or pellets; snails graze algae and take nori or algae wafers when it runs low.

Feed less, more often. Uneaten food turns into nitrate and phosphate.

Fish2 min read

Why we recommend quarantine for new fish

We strongly recommend a dedicated quarantine tank for every new fish. Adding new arrivals straight to your display carries real risk.

A properly cycled quarantine setup is one of the best investments you can make for the long-term health of your reef. It gives you time to watch a new fish eat and settle before it meets the rest of your livestock.

Check compatibility, too. Some fish don?t get along, and some will hunt your cleanup crew: aggressive wrasses, hawkfish and triggers can see a cleaner shrimp as a snack.

Not sure about a pairing? Ask before you buy. We?re happy to talk compatibility.

Beginner2 min read

Choosing your first corals

Start with corals that forgive small mistakes while your tank, and your routine, settles in.

• Daisy Coral: a forgiving, fast-growing soft coral.
• Blastomussa: peaceful, hardy and low-maintenance.
• Cat Eye Bubble Coral: a beginner favorite; give it shade and space.
• Open Brain Coral: suits beginners and collectors; keep it on the sand.
• Turban snails and skunk cleaner shrimp: a hardy cleanup crew.

Hold off on Goniopora until you have some LPS experience, and on carpet anemones until you?re experienced: they need strong light and stable, mature water.

Tell us about your tank and we?ll suggest a first coral that fits it.

Basics2 min read

WYSIWYG, frags and aquacultured, explained

WYSIWYG

What you see is what you get: the coral in the photo is the exact piece you?ll receive.

Frag

A small piece of coral mounted on a plug or disc and grown into a new colony. Frags are affordable and adapt well to home tanks.

Aquacultured

Grown in tanks or farms rather than collected from wild reefs. Aquacultured corals are used to aquarium life and leave natural reefs alone.

Colony

A larger, established coral made up of many polyps.

Every coral we list is photographed in our tanks, so you can see exactly what you?re buying.

Browse the current tanks to see it in practice.

Ponds3 min read

Pond care through the Oregon seasons

Oregon?s wet winters and warm summers each bring their own pond chores. Here?s the rhythm we follow.

Rather hand it off? We offer seasonal pond maintenance.