Frequently Asked Questions:

Q. Where do I buy some fish?

A. At Rockin' Reef of course!

Q. WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF LIVEROCK?

A. LIVE ROCK BECOMES THE MAIN BIOLOGICAL NITRIFICATION BASE OR BIOLOGICAL FILTER OF A SALTWATER AQUARIUM,WHILE AT THE SAME TIME ENHANCES THE LOOK OF THE AQUARIUM AND PROVIDES SHELTER FOR THE INHABITANTS. TO BETTER EXPLAIN READ BELOW

 THE USE OF LIVE ROCK IMMEDIATELY INTRODUCES INTO THE AQUARIUM NUMEROUS ALGAE,BACTERIA AND SMALL INVERTEBRATES ALL OF WHICH CONTRIBUTE TO THE OVERALL QUALITY OF THE AQUARIUM WATER. LIVE ROCK HAS JUST AS MUCH IF NOT MORE, SURFACE AREA FOR BACTERIA THAN TRICKLE FILTER. SINCE LIVE ROCK IN THE AQUARIUM CONTAINS VARIOUS TYPES OF BACTERIA,ALAGE AND CORAL, WASTE PRODUCTS SUCH AS AMMONIA,NIIRATE AND PHOSPHATE CAN HAVE A NUMBER OF FATES. AMMONIA,NITRATE AND PHOSPATE ARE READILY ASSIMILATED BY ALAGE AND PHOTOSYNTHETIC CORAL GROWING ON AND IN THE ROCK. THIS NITRATE CAN BE EITHER ABSORBED BY THE ALAGE AND CORALS,ORIT CAN BE DENITRIFIED BY BACTERIA IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO THE NITRATE PRODUCING BACTERIA.

Q. WHAT IS A PROTEIN SKIMMER AND HOW DO THEY WORK?

A. NEXT TO PRIMARY BIOLOGICAL FILTRATION,FOAM FRACTIONATING,BETTER KNOWN AS PROTEIN SKIMMING, IS THE NEXT MOST IMPORTANT ASPECT OF ANY HEALTHY MARINE SYSTEM. ALTHOUGH THERE ARE SYSTEMS THAT CLAIM TO BE "SKIMMER-FREE" FOR THE MOST OF US DOC'S (DISSOLVED ORGANIC COMPOUNDS),PHENOL OILS,AND OTHER YELLOWING AGENTS ARE A NUISANCE THAT ONLY ACTIVE PROTEIN SKIMMING CAN ELIMATE. BEFORE WE JUMP INTO THE SUBJECT MATTER ANY DEEPER, LET'S DISCUSS HOW THESE DEVICES WORK.

TO BE AS UNSCIENTIFIC AND AS CLEAR AS POSSIBLE, LET'S SIMPLY SAY THAT AIR BUBBLES INSIDE THE SKIMMER'S BODY STRIP THE WATER OF UNDESIRABLE WASTE BY-PRODUCTS. HOW THE BUBBLES ACCOMPLISH THIS IS A NEAT TRICK THAT NEEDS SOME EXPLANATION. EVER BLOW BUBBLES AS A KID? REMEMBER ALL THE RAINBOW COLORS ON THEM? JUST AS THE SOAP CLUNG TO THE GAINT BUBBLES YOU WERE CREATING SO TOO, DOES ALL THE JUNK AND OTHER ORGANIC GUNK IN YUOR AQUARIUM WATER. THOSE PRETTY RAINBOW COLORS WERE THE LIGHT REFRACTING OFF THE SOAP FILM... YOU COULD ACTUALLY SEE IT! IN OUR SKIMMERS,THE BUBBLES ARE MICROSCOPIC AND THE RESULTS CAN ONLY BE "SEEN" AFTER THEY BURST AND DEPOSIT THEIR "FILMS" INTO YHR COLLECTION CUP! NO PERTTY RAINBOW OF COLOR HERE...NOPE. ONLY THE VILEST AND NASTIEST LOOKING SLUGE IMAGINABLE RIDE OUR SKIMMER'S BUBBLES.

HOW DOES THIS HAPPEN? IT WAS DISCOVERED LONG AGO IN WASTE TREATMENT PLANTS THAT BY INJECTING HIGH VOLUMES OF AIR BUBBLES INTO A COLUMN OF WASTE WATER, THE RESULTING EFFLUENT WAS PURER AND MUCH CLEANER THAN BEFORE.HOW COULD THIS BE? ACTUALLY,QUITE SIMPLE. SURFACE TENSION. SURFACE TENSION? WHATZAT? THE INTERACTION BETWEEN THE OXYGEN BUBBLE AND THE SURROUNDING WATER CREATES A KIND OF FRICTION BETWEEN THE TWO. THIS FRICTION IN TURN "CHANGES"  THE WATER MOLECULES IN THE WATER.