The 90/10 Method was never designed to find every possible way to build a reef tank. The goal is simpler and harder: create one repeatable path that gives a brand-new reefer the highest chance of success.

Flow changes as coral colonies grow. Aquascapes create flow shadows, dead spots, and weird turbulence. A setup that worked six months ago might not work now. And the frustrating part is that there is no simple little meter that tells us, “Yep, nailed it.”

Every reef lighting app seems to have one now: that little spectrum chart that moves when we slide channels up and down. It looks useful. It feels scientific. It gives us confidence that we’re building a better light profile than just eyeballing the tank. But the real question is simple. How accurate is it?

We put kalkwasser to the test because there were a few things we had been assuming for a very long time, and some of them turned out to be wrong. Not a little wrong either. In some cases, grossly wrong.

The big question was simple: can we actually make full strength kalkwasser at home, and if so, what does it really take?

This isn’t about some futuristic idea of AI someday helping reef tanks. This is happening right now with real tanks, real problems, and real results.

For a lot of us, the barrier to making a custom sump is not the concept. It is the execution. We can plan chambers. We can picture where the skimmer goes, where the return goes, and where the refugium lives. But getting acrylic cut cleanly, making sure dimensions are right, and ending up with something that does not look like a garage experiment gone wrong is where the project can fall apart.

AI in reefing is one of those topics that gets people fired up fast.

It touches everything: experience, expertise, community, even ego. Some reefers don’t like the idea that a machine can answer tank questions. Others have seen AI get things wrong and written it off completely.

Most people start reef tank shopping with the wrong question: What brand should I buy?
A better question is: What features actually matter for how I reef?

That shift changes everything. It moves us away from polished marketing and toward performance, maintenance, and long-term satisfaction. Get this right, and we save money now while avoiding years of “why didn’t I think of that?”

Hydrogen peroxide dips are one of those reefing tools that can be incredibly useful, but also far more aggressive than standard coral dips. That is exactly why we tested them on five soft corals and mushrooms to see what actually happens.

The goal was simple: compare duration versus concentration, identify which corals tolerate peroxide, and determine if it is a practical way to remove algae, worms, and other pests before adding frags to a tank.

At serious reefs, the goal has always been simple: deliver real, useful information that helps reefers succeed. This latest update is all about making that experience better with a more consistent schedule, clearer content focus, and structured giveaways that reward the community.

Salinity seems simple… until you realize how easy it is to get wrong. Between refractometers, calibration solutions, temperature, and technique, it is surprisingly easy to feel confident in numbers that are not actually accurate. In this SR Labs test, we put three popular refractometers and multiple “reference” solutions to the test to answer one question: What can reefers actually trust?

We just finished building an LPS-focused aquascape using Ecoscape Rock, and here’s the honest takeaway: it delivers on looks and function, but there are a few key lessons that can save you time, money, and frustration.

If you’re planning a reef tank aquascape packed with large polyp stony corals, this breakdown will help you get it right the first time.

If you’re battling dinoflagellates, you already know how frustrating it is. In this guide, we break down how to beat dinos in a reef tank by separating real solutions from “nothing burgers” so you can stop guessing and start making progress. 

The biggest mistake reefers make? Treating dinos like one single problem with one single cure. In reality, there are different strains, different tank conditions, and different reasons they take over.

We tested the Fiji Cube drop-in AIO box kit to see if it’s a legit shortcut to a clean, all-in-one reef tank… or just another idea that sounds better than it works.

Every LPS Reef Tank Build starts with a plan… and then reality shows up. In this build, we walk through how the 90/10 method helps you get 90% right with proven principles, while leaving room to make smart adjustments when things don’t go exactly as planned. 

This Fiji Cube 76g setup is all about balancing simplicity, performance, and long-term reliability without overcomplicating the system.

Quick Answer: The Hanna salinity tester measured within 1.2 PPT/PSU of two separate reference solutions. The real question is what that means for you. Was the testing approach solid enough to trust the result? Is ±1.2 PPT accurate enough for your reef tank? And maybe most important, will it hold that accuracy over time or require frequent recalibration?