I saw this on another forum and thought it was something good for the new guys to read. Please post corrections or additions below.


AB=Aqualine Buschke, lighting manufacturer

AC=Activated carbon, chemical filtration
media /alternating current

AC II=AquaController II, all-in-one monitor & controller
acro=Acropora, a type of SPS coral

AFAIK=As far as I know

AFM=Aquarium Fish Monthly, magazine

AGA=All-Glass Aquarium, aquarium manufacturer

AL=Aqualink, aquarium bulletin board

ALK=Alkalinity, measure of buffering capacity of water

AM3K=Ampmaster 3000, a model of water pump made by Dolphin Aquarium & Pet Products, Inc.

ARS=Aquatic Reef Systems, RO/DI mail order place

ASAP=As soon as possible

ATC=Automatic temperature compensating, a feature on some refractometers

ATM=At the moment

ATO=Automatic Top-off

ATS=Algae turf scrubber, reef setup technique

Bfly=Butterflyfish

BOD=Biological oxygen demand/Board of Directors

BTA=Type of anemone (Entacmaea quadricolor) / bubble-tipped, bulb tentacle, bulb tip

BTW=By the way

Ca=Calcium

CA=Custom Aquatic, mail order place

CaCl2=Calcium chloride

CaCO3=Calcium carbonate

Ca(OH)2=Calcium hydroxide
CC=Crushed coral / Counter current, type of protein skimmer

Cl=Chlorine

CO2=Carbon dioxide

CO3=Carbonate

CPR=Creative Plastics Research, manufacturer of fresh and salthingyer products

CSL=Custom Sea Life, lighting manufacturer

CTA=Cellulose triacetate, type of RO membrane

Cu=Copper

CYANO=Cyanobacteria

DD=Downdraft, type of protein skimmer

DE=Double ended metal halide metal bulb

DFS=Drs. Foster & Smith, Inc., mail order place

DI=Deionization, type of water purification

DIY=Do it yourself

dKH=Degrees of carbonate hardness, measure of alkalinity

DO=Dissolve oxygen

DOC=Dissolved organic carbon

DSB=Deep sand bed

DT's=Brand of refrigerated living phytoplankton

ER=Euro-Reef, skimmer manufacturer

FAMA=Freshwater and Marine Aquarium magazine

FAQ=Frequently asked questions

Fe=Iron

FFE=Flying Fish Express, mail order place

FO=Fish only, type of marine aquarium

FOWLR=Fish Only with Live Rock

frag(s)=Broken or cut pieces of coral which will eventually grow into a new animal

"fuge"=Short for refugium

FW=Freshwater

FWIW=For what its worth

FYI=For your information

FYM=For your misinformation

GAC=Granular activated carbon, chemical filtration media

GAL=Gallon

GBR=Great Barrier Reef

GFCI/GFI=Ground fault circuit interrupter / Ground fault interrupter

GPH=Gallons per hour

GOB=Green open brain

GSP=Green star polyps

H2O= Water/ H2Ocean

HCO3=Hydrogen carbonate

HD=Home Depot

HID=High intensity discharge, type of light

HO=High output fluorescent light

HOB=Hang on back (of aquarium), type of skimmer

HPS=High pressure sodium, type of light NOT for reefs but the ballasts concern them

HQI=High quartz iodide, type of light

HSA=High speed aeration, type of proteins skimmer
HTH=Hope this helps

I=Iodide

I2=Iodine

IA=Inland Aquatics, mail order company

ID=Identify/Identity

IIRC=If I recall correctly

IM=In my

IMCO=In my considered opinion

IME=In my experience

IMEO=In my expert opinion

IMHO=In my humble/honest opinion

IMNSHO=In my not so humble/honest opinion

IMO=In my opinion

IO=Instant Ocean, brand of synthetic salt mix

IO3=Iodate

IOW=In other words

IPSF=Indo-Pacific Sea Farms, mail order place

IR=Infrared, type of light of longer wavelength than visible light

IRC=Internet relay chat

ISP=Internet service provider

JME=Just my experience.

JMO=Just my opinion.

K=kelvin (mechanism for measuring spectrum of lighting, should be labeled degrees K) / Potassium

KALK=Kalkwasser, German for calcium hydroxide solution or limewater

KI=Potassium iodide

KISS=Keep it simple stupid

L=Liter

LED=Light emiting diode

LFS=Local fish store

LHS=Local hardware store

LMAO=Laughing my *** off

LOL=Laughing out loud

LPS=Large polyped Scleractinian (stoney) coral

LR=Live rock

LS=Live sand

LT=Litre

LTA=Type of anemone (Macrodactyla doreensis) / Long tentacle anemone

MACNA=Marine Aquaria Conference of North America, held annually

MD=Marine Depot, mail order place

MEQ/L=Milli-equivalents per litre, measure of alkalinity

Mg=Magnesium

Mg/L=Milligrams per litre

MH=Metal halide light

MJ=Maxijet, powerhead manufacturer

MM=Miracle Mud, method of aquarium filtration

MO=Mail order

MV=Mercury vapor, type of light

Na=Sodium

NaCO3=Sodium carbonate

NaOH=Sodium hydroxide

NFW=No way

NH3=Ammonia

NH4=Ammonium

NNR=Natural nitrate reduction, reef setup technique

NO=Normal output fluorescent light

NO2=Nitrite

NO3=Nitrate

NP=No problem

NRN=No reply necessary

NSA=North Side Aquatics

NSW=Natural seawater

O2=Oxygen

OBTW=Oh by the way

ORP=Oxidation reduction potential, the ability to take or give electrons

OTOH=On the other hand

PA=Premium Aquatics, mail order place

PAR=Photosynthetically active radiation, lighting quantity

PC=Power compact fluorescent light

PFO=Lighting manufacturer

pH=Measure of the concentration of hydrogen ions, equal to -log[H+]

PH=Powerhead, water pump

PITA=Pain in the @ss

PLS=Please

PM=Precision Marine, marine filtration component manufacturer/ Private Message

PO4=Phosphate

"pods"=Non-specific types of copepods, amphipods and such

POS=Piece of doodoo

PPFD=Photosynthetic photon flux density (unit of measurement of PAR)

PPM=Parts per million, equivalent to mg/l (milligrams per litre)

PUR=Photosynthetically usuable radiation, lighting quantity

PVC=Poly vinyl chloride, used for piping / plumbing

RC=Reef Central, aquarium bulletin board supreme

RDO=Reefs.org ("reefs-dot-org"), aquarium bulletin board

RK=Reef Keeping, on-line aquarium magazine

RO=Reverse osmosis, type of water purification

ROB=Red open brain

RO/DI=Reverse osmosis, followed by deionization, type of water purification

ROFL=Rolling on the floor laughing

ROFLOL=Rolling on the floor laughing out loud

ROTFL=Rolling on the floor laughing

ROFLMAO/ROTFLMAO=Rolling on the floor laughing my *** off

ROTFLOL=Rolling on the floor laughing out loud

RR=Reef ready, aqaurium with pre-drilled holes and overflows/ Razorback Reef

RTN=Rapid tissue necrosis

RUGF=Reverse flow undergravel filter

SAL=Salinity

"Saki"=Iwasaki, light manufacturer

SCWD=Switching Current Water Director, type of wave machine

SD=Southdown, type of sand

SE=Single ended, lighting designation

SG=Specific gravity

SHO=Super high output fluorescent light, equivalent to power compact fluorescent

Si=Silicon

SiO2=Silicon dioxide

SITD=Still in the dark

SO=Significant other

SPS=Small polyped Scleractinian (stoney) coral

Sr=Strontium

SW=salthingyer / seawater

TAR=Type of magnetic ballast / substance used to embed magnetic ballast coils

TBS=Tampa Bay saltwater, mail order company

TDS=total dissolved solids

TFC=Thin film composite, type of RO membrane

TIA=Thanks in advance

TIC=Tongue in cheek

TM=Tropic Marin, manufacturer of fresh and salthingyer products

TRT=The Reef Tank, aquarium bulletin board

TTYL=Talk to you later

TWP=Tap Water Purifier from Aquatic Pharmaceuticals

UGF=Undergravel filter

UV=Ultra violet, type of light of shorter wavelength than visible light

VHO=Very high output fluorescent light

W=Watts

WD ( W/D )=Wet dry, method of aquarium filtration

WPG=Watts per gallon, lighting quantity

WTF=This abbreviation is not allowed on this board.

WTH=What the hell

WYSIWYG=What you see is what you get

X10=Automation/control products - Electronics mail order place

YMMV=Your mileage may vary