by Roni Talukdar.

The camera zooms in on beautiful waving hands of Xenia, rhythmically pulsing in the current, trying to grab invisible nutrients from the water. As the frame shifts, a clam, open and soaking up the light, rewards the camera with beautiful blue and green colors.

A curious pair of percula clownfish swim towards the camera, curious about the intruder from the outer world and hopeful for the feeding that comes occasionally from the camera bearer. A sudden movement leads to a frantic dash for cover in the protective, engulfing tentacles of a Ritteri anemone. After gaining some courage, the pairs ventures forth again.

These are some of the sights I am rewarded with when I look into my aquarium. A microcosm of life, resplendent in its color and vibrance, flourishes far from the ocean. Many people see reef tanks and believe that they are too hard or too expensive to keep and never try to keep a reef. Others jump in and buy beautiful specimens without worrying enough. A proper balance between these two philosophies, however, usually leads to success.

For the beginning reefkeeper, I offer a few suggestions. Before buying any equipment, read everything you can get your hands on. Talk to other reefkeepers and learn what works for them. If you can find someone locally whose tank you like, ask for their help. One of the nicest things about reefkeepers is that they are usually more than willing to help novices because they remember what it was like to begin without help. Having someone who can look at your tank and help diagnose problems and solutions is the best resource you can have. When you finally begin purchasing your hardware, make sure to only buy what you need. You don't need ozone generators, UV sterilizers, denitrifying filters, and the whole assortment of reef paraphernalia present on the market to succeed in this hobby.

I believe in and advocate the use of the Berlin method of reefkeeping. People have success with other methods but I've found that the Berlin method offers the most natural, effective means to keeping a reef currently known. The Berlin style of reefkeeping was initially popularized through the work of several German aquarists and derives its name from the city of Berlin, which was the locus for this news style of reefkeeping. Departing greatly from traditional methods of filtration, the Berlin method advocates using living rock as the primary biological filter. Combined with strong lighting, turbulent water motion, and protein skimming, this method has allowed aquarists to keep specimens previously thought impossible to maintain and to even propagate many corals. A few bits of advice concerning the Berlin style:

1) Invest is a good protein skimmer. I like the venturi models, but counter-current skimmers work well provided you perform the necessary maintainance. When purchasing a skimmer, avoid skimping as this (combined with your live rock) is the most important component of your filtration. Look for a skimmer with a wide, tall reaction chamber which is completely filled with small bubbles.

2) Find a type of live rock you like and buy it. I generally prefer Fiji and Tonga branch but each type of rock has its positive and negative features. Try to purchase rock that thrives under the same conditions as your tank i.e. Florida rock contain s many sponges and low-light coralline algaes and would be ideal for a lower light tank.

3) Insure good water motion in your tank with the strategic placement of powerheads and the utilization of surge devices and/or wavemakers. Create an open reef structure from your live rock to insure good water movement throughout the tank. If possible, keep the rock structure elevated over the bottom of the tank i.e. plac e large rocks on top of small rocks to allow good water motion under the reef.

4) When you choose lighting for your system, try to decide what type of reef you plan to keep. Will it be primarily soft corals or hard corals? Do you plan on keeping primarily photosynthetic corals (Acropora sp. Euphyllia sp., etc.)or deep water non -photosynthetic specimens (Dendronephthia sp., Tubastrea sp., etc.)? Once you have decided on what you plan to keep, tailor your lighting around the specimens. There are a myriad of options available and it is beyond the scope of this article to discuss them all.

Well, hopefully this will help you get started.