Reefstead
Expert reviews, honest comparisons, and the best deals on Reef Aquariums — helping you make smarter buying decisions.
Latest Reviews
Royal Gramma Care: The Perfect Purple Starter Fish
Royal gramma care made simple: tank size, the one cave it demands, feeding, tankmates, the dottyback lookalike warning, and why upside-down is normal.
Refractometer vs. Hydrometer: Stop Guessing Your Salinity
Refractometer vs hydrometer for saltwater tanks: real-world accuracy, calibration, and cost compared, plus how to calibrate correctly for 35 ppt water.
Reef Tank pH Too Low? Causes and Fixes That Actually Work
Reef tank pH running low? Indoor CO2 is almost always the cause. Ranked fixes: fresh air, skimmer intake lines, CO2 scrubbers, refugiums, and kalkwasser.
Reef Tank Parameters Chart: Every Target Number in One Place
The complete reef tank parameters chart: salinity, alkalinity, calcium, magnesium, pH, nitrate, and phosphate targets, plus a testing schedule that works.
The Complete Reef Maintenance Schedule (Daily to Yearly)
A patient reef maintenance schedule covering daily checks, weekly water changes, monthly equipment service, and the yearly tasks most reefers forget to do.
Automating Your Reef: ATO, Dosing, Monitoring — What's Worth It
Not every gadget earns its place. Here is the reef automation worth buying first — ATO, heater control, dosing pumps — and the jobs to keep doing by hand.
Reef Salt Mix Comparison: Parameters, Price per Gallon, Consistency
Four reef salt mix types compared on mixed parameters, batch consistency, and true price per gallon — and how to match the bucket to your tank's targets.
The Reefkeeper's Glossary: Frag, ULNS, Alk, and 80 More Terms
From alk to zoas: a working glossary of the reefkeeping terms you will meet in forums, care guides, and fish store conversations — all in plain English.
How to Set Up a Simple Quarantine Tank (And Why You Must)
A $80 bare-bones quarantine tank is the cheapest insurance in reefkeeping. The full shopping list, biofilter options, and a 30-day protocol that works.
Power Outage Playbook: Keeping a Reef Alive in the Dark
Oxygen first, temperature second, light last: the order of operations that keeps a reef alive through a power outage, plus the cheap kit to buy beforehand.
PAR Levels for Corals: Targets by Type (With a Cheap-Meter Plan)
What PAR really measures, target ranges for softies, LPS and SPS, plus a tiered cheap-meter plan — borrow, phone app, or budget meter — to map your tank.
Nano Reef vs. Large Tank: Which Is Actually Easier?
Big tanks buffer mistakes; nano tanks cost less and reset with one bucket. An honest comparison of stability, cost, and effort for choosing a first reef.
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