Obsessive Compulsive Reef Disorder

Many people who are new to reefing don’t know what all the acronyms mean, so here is a list of several with their meaning.

LFS (Local Fish Store): Your local hangout, for better or worse
FTS (Full Tank Shot): A picture of the entire tank, not just a partial
QT (Quarantine Tank): This is the special tank used to hold new fish purchases to ensure they are healthy. Protects from adding a sick fish that wipes out the entire DT
FOWLR (Fish Only With Live Rock): Saltwater tanks that use live rock for filtration, but have no corals. Used typically for fish that are not reef safe!
DT (Display Tank): Your main display tank, not your frag tank, sump or refugium
FO (Fish Only): A tank with saltwater fish only, no live rock or coral.

CUC (Clean-up Crew): Your inverts that keep your tank clean. Typically a mixture of snails and hermit crabs.
FW (Freshwater): Rumor is some people have tanks that are not saltwater. Not sure why.
BTA or RBTA (Bubble Tip Anemone or Rose Bubble Tip Anemone): A type of anemone, one of a few types that clowns will host in
ATO (Auto Top Off): A system that adds fresh RO/DI water to account for evaporation
RO (Reverse Osmosis): A method of purifying water. RO water makes excellent drinking water.
DI (Deionization): The second phase of purifying water. Most people use RO/DI water. Some use simple RO water. DI water is used in irons and is not suitable for drinking
TDS (Total Dissolved Solids): Measured in ppm (parts per million). Used to test purity of water coming out of RO/DI system. Goal is 0 ppm.
HOB (Hang On Back): Some refugiums and filters hang on the back of the tank (especially where space is limited).

SPS (Small Polyp Stony): Defines the corals that are “hard” and have lots of polyps. These are typically montipora, acropora, etc. – Typical require high light and high flow.
LPS (Large Polyp Stony): These are corals such as hammers, trumpets, scolymia, etc. They like less light and less flow for the most part.
SOFTIES (Soft Coral): Used to describe coral that have no hard skeleton: zoanthids, ricordia, etc.
RTN (Rapid Tissue Necrosis): A coral condition where the tissue rapidly (overnight) is gone and coral dies.

MH (Metal Halide): High powered lights used on reef tanks that have SPS corals
PC (Power Compact): Cheaper, much less powerful lighting, suitable for soft corals and some LPS.
T5 (?): More powerful lighting, measures thickness of bulb in 1/8″ increments (T5, T12)
CF (Compact Fluorescent): Another, cheaper type of lighting
HQI (Halogen Quartz Iodide): Interchangeable with MH
VHO (Very High Output)
NO (Normal Output)
HO (High Output)

DSB (Deep Sand Bed): Used to describe a sandbed that is deeper than 6 inches. Part of the Berlin method of filtration
BB (Bare Bottom): A tank with no sand
CC (Crushed Coral): An alternative to a sandbed
LR (Live Rock): Rock that comes loaded with beneficial bacteria and hitchhikers and used for filtration
BR (Base Rock): Dry rock or rock not “alive”. Typically used in large tanks that require a lot of rock. Some live rock is also added to “seed” the base rock and ultimately make it “live”

AC (Activated Carbon): Polishes the water, removes chemicals
GAC (Granular Activated Carbon): See AC
Alk (Alkalinity): Measures Water Hardness
dkH (Degrees of Carbonate Hardness): Measurement of alkalinity
Ca (Calcium): A necessary element for LPS, SPS and clams to grow. Typical values should be maintained between 400-450 ppm
Kalk (Kalkwasser): German for “Limewater”. Adds Calcium to a tank.
ORP (Oxygen Reduction Potential): Not recommended for control in a reef tank.
pH (?): Acceptable values are from 7.8 to 8.2. Natural Sea Water is at 8.2, typically.
GFO (Granular Ferric Oxide): Used to control and remove phosphate from a tank. Phosphate is fuel for algae and has negative effects on fish and coral

Question: NEW Custom Miracles Tank OR Never Used Aquatic Obsessions Tank? Same price, AO tank is bigger, but AO is shutdown.

Reefing Glossary