Welcome to The Reef Traders' Outpost (RTO)

The RTO welcomes aquarium hobbyists new and old!

Here we receive visitors from the far reaches of the net, to introduce them to the aquarium hobby. Please stay a moment and discover the rich rewards of this hobby.

If you are an experienced hobbyist, please go to our main page

If you are new to the realm of the aquarium hobby, including fish keeping, saltwater/marine tanks, reef tanks, planted fresh-water tanks, or if you just have a goldfish in a bowl, or if you're thinking of getting into the hobby - I'm certain you'll find something of interest here.

If you are thinking of entering the aquarium hobby, look here for a general introduction to the hobby. Otherwise, I'd like to introduce you to the Reef Traders' Outpost, and then I`ll show you around the web from a fish's point of view.


Introduction to the Reef Traders' Outpost:

The Reef Traders' Outpost (RTO) is a free, comprehensive site catering mainly to marine and reef aquaria, but also serves as a link to the whole realm of the aquarium hobby on the net. The RTO is comprised of a number of sections, but before I describe them, please take a moment to bookmark this page for future reference. The sections:

• The Exchange: a free non-commercial forum for the trading, buying and selling of reef and marine flora, fauna and equipment. Here's the perfect place to buy your first tank, or upgrade like you've been planning to.
• Features: a collection of articles, column and other information on the hobby, including:
  The Internet Aquaria Glossary: containing over 1000 terms. With response service by experienced aquarist, for requests for definitions of new and rare terms.
• Pipes: constantly updated categories of links to other net aquaria resources complete with descriptions, featuring ERMALinks (Essential Reef and Marine Aquaria Links), pointing users to the essential aquarium sites on the web.
• The FishRoom Web-side Companion (FRWsC): a guide to the only interactive MUD (Multi-User Domain) area dedicated to the aquaria hobby.

The Web from a Fish's Point of View:
There are a number of Usenet news group dealing with aquaria and they are a good place to get started, and they are described here.

Additional, as good first starts, are the FAQs:

• The Beginner FAQ (This site is currently down)
• The Saltwater Aquarium FAQ
• The Reef Keepers FAQ

Then, try RTO Pipes comprehensive set of links.

The Rewards of the Aquarium Hobby:
The rewards of aquaria are many and varied; and unlike many hobbies you can choose your comfort level of involvement and depth and still derive immense amounts of pleasure from it. From the simple relaxing enjoyment of watching the fish swim around the tank; to the challenges of keeping exotic organisms and the knowledge of many disciplines such as water chemistry, biology, physics and electronics; to raising awareness of the aquatic environments and organisms of the world; to watching fish being born and successfully raising them.

I think you will find, as have countless others, that from the first step of purchasing a 10 gallon starter tank package at the local pet store, the aquarium hobby is enjoyable and rewarding. Also, don't be too surprised if you get that "fish fever" and start getting more and/or bigger tanks.

On behave of all the aquarists of the world, we at the Reef Traders' Outpost would like to welcome you to our hobby. Above all, enjoy!

If you haven't already read the sections above in this document, I would invite you to now