SR Labs Testing & Exploration

And it begins. We are diving into coral dips in search of the right tool for the right job. Have you used hydrogen peroxide as a dip, considered it, or wondered how it actually works? Today we test it on zoanthids using three different concentrations and three different exposure times. You be the judge.

I almost ordered corals for the softy tank last night, but then I stopped and thought—am I missing an opportunity? Should we be trying to learn something new along the way? A lot of people have dipped corals in hydrogen peroxide, but what was the actual goal? How much do you use, and which corals are safe to treat? There’s clearly a lot of room to learn more here… but the real question is: should we?

A member asked us: Is there a solid sub-$200 PAR meter option? So we tested two… and the answer is yes. They are not quite at the level of the industry standard MQ-510, but with a small correction factor, they can absolutely become the affordable tool most of the hobby has been waiting for. Hint: We liked the DanoPlus the best 🙂

Time to learn how we are going to go about using a watt meter to set up our lights. Can it even be done? Don't forget we are giving most of these lights away when we are done

We tested the SR 1 Watt per Gallon Rule with 6 different light sources. You be the judge, but I think we’ve found something—this $30 meter could save countless corals without the need for a $500 PAR meter.

We tested the SR 2.75 Watt per Gallon SPS rule with five different light sources. You be the judge, but I think we’ve found something—this $30 meter could save countless corals without the need for a $500 PAR meter.

This might be a bit niche, but for those setting up new tanks or mounting frags, is it valuable to know which epoxy best matches your rock? Personally, I can't stand seeing epoxy on my rocks, so I'm always looking for ways to hide it. There are many methods for concealment, but I’m wondering—does matching the epoxy to the rock work as the best starting point? Let’s find the answer togeth

Does Rock Porosity Matter? Is the Water Void Fill Test Accurate? We Test Seven Different Rocks—You Be the Judge!

It's time to get even more obsessive about our aquascapes. While you might not go this far on your first aquascape or frag plug, as we evolve, we all want our tanks to look as flawless as possible. I know this works on Marco rock, but does it work on other rock surfaces? And does the color of the epoxy matter? Let's find out together.

TESTED! Will The Marine Salinity Tester Measure Up? Our SR Labs Check on a Hannah Salinity Meter Salinity is one of those “small numbers, big consequences” parameters in reefing. Measure it wrong, and everything from alkalinity demand to osmotic stress gets thrown off. The challenge is that many reef tools are “good enough” most of the time, but not always trustworthy when you need repeatable readings.

Reefers ask all the time, “Why not mix it stronger?” Historically, our answer has been that it is difficult to dissolve more alkalinity (soda ash) into a gallon of solution. Today we put that to the test. Common retail additives like Nyos, Red Sea, and Triton all approach 10,000 dKH per liter using commercial mixing. The question is, can we do it at home with a spoon?

We tested six common silicones to answer a simple but important question: which one will actually stick to plastics used in aquarium projects? The short answer is that substrate, cure time, and application technique matter more than most people expect. One product clearly outperformed the rest on the plastics we care about, but the path to that result has a few useful surprises and practical rules.