saltwater aquarium

Aquarium Lover answers:

It depends on what you are planning to have inside of the saltwater fish tank. If you are planning to add live rocks and corals with sand, your number of fishes will be lowered to a minimal. I don’t believe in the inch by gallon rule. That is nonsense, but if you haven’t experienced saltwater tanks before, I would suggest either clownfishes or damsels. For clownfishes and damsels I would suggest the smaller species. A lot of Damsels are very aggressive even towards other fish. I would start off with the Green Chromis or Percula clownfishes. They are peaceful fishes and they don’t need anemones to survive.

There is a lot of maintenance that you have to do in maintaining a marine aquarium. You need to have the PH, Ammonia and nitrates under control, also you need to have a specific gravity of salinity to make live rocks and your fishes live. Not necessarily for the fishes, but the live rocks you do.

You must do weekly water changes, condition the water, test the parameters of the water, you need to have good diets for your fish, you need to know about the diseases of marine fish and how to treat it. You will also need to know about the compatibility of each fish. For example, if you put a Harlequin tusk with a regular wrasse, the Harlequin tusk is actually very aggressive and it does have teeth, it will bully the other wrasse around. But Harlequin tusks are meant for bigger aquariums, not recommended for 20 gallons.

You can also add blennies to your tank, it really depends on how much decorations you have inside the tank. Make sure that you are willing to take care of the aquarium on a daily basis.

Anyways, for more information, please look up marine aquariums on wikipedia or about.com.

Hope this helps, thanks for asking……………

Aquarium Lover answers:

I already answered much of this in one of your previous questions. I think you were planning to convert a tank you already had, but just in case you’re planning to start with everything new, here’s a complete list:

tank – the larger the better – larger tanks make water conditions more stable, and give you room to keep larger and more fish. Since the fish in saltwater are more territorial, you can keep as many in a tank as you can in freshwater, or you’ll have problems with aggression between your fish. Also, many of the cool fish get fairly large, so you’ll need to keep the adult size and activity level in mind when planning the tank. I always suggest if you’re starting from scratch, plan out the fish you want to keep, then plan the tank size and equipment around them. I wouldn’t recommend with starting with a tank smaller than a 29 gallon, and for some fish, you might need a 55, 75, 90, or larger.

Heater – I would suggest one that is fully submersible and has an adjustable temperature. If your tank is 36inches or longer, I would suggest getting two heaters for more even heating, and to have a backup in the even that one fails.

A filter – You want one that will turn over at least 10 times the volume of water in the tank per hour, so check the GPH rating. There are a number of types you can buy, from a regular hang-on-tank (cheapest), biowheel (more expensive), canister (most expensive), or wet/dry trickle filter or refugium (expensive if you buy, but there are directions on the web for DIY models). Obviously, the more efficient the filter, the more expensive it will be, and you can easily spend over $100 for a good canister or trickle filter.

Protein skimmer – This isn’t 100% required, but is strongly recommended if you’re keeping anything other than fish. These use a stream of small bubbles to remove dissoved organics from the water and deposit them into a collection cup. The organics would otherwise contribute to your ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate.

Salt mix – If you only plant to keep fish, Instant Ocean is economical and good. If you plan to keep invertebrates, you may need to use supplements, or go with a higher-end brand. If you plan to get a larger tank, you will get more for the money if you buy salt mix by the bucket (enough for 150-160 gallons in most brands).

Hydrometer – This is used for mixing salt to the proper concentration. You’ll need a specific gravity of 1.020-1.026 for fish, 1.024-1.026 if you keep inverts.

Substrate – This should be aragonite or crushed coral to help stabilize the tank’s pH. Saltwater should be maintained at 8.2-8.4. The aragonite won’t raise it this high itself, but will keep it from dropping below 7.8. If you can’t get the needed pH with the buffers in the salt mix and the aragonite alone, you’ll need to use additives to raise it. The best I’ve found is kalkwasser (calcium hydroxide).

Live rock – While not strictly required, it’s strongly recommended to use. The live rock has bacteria to help break down the wastes from your fish, some of which are toxic to them. You can make “caves” for them to swim in and out of, and these give the tank a more natural appearance. The recommended amount is 1 lb per gallon of Pacific origin rock to 1 1/2 to 2 lb per gallon for Atlantic/Carribean origin. The difference here is that Pacific rock is more porous, so there’s more surface area for bacteria to colonize and less is needed for the same effect.

Glass cover – This keeps the water from evaporating too quickly or from splashing the lights, and keeps fish from jumping out of the tank.

Lighting – This will vary depending on what you intend to keep. For $25, you can get a basic lighting set-up that can be used if you only keep fish and non-photosynthetic inverts. If you want to keep corals or anemones, you’d need a minimum of a compact fluorescent system and these will run about $150. If you have a deep tank (18 inches+) it may be worth it for you to get a metal halide system if you plan to keep anything that’s photosynthetic. For metal halide and compact fluorescent, you’ll need to replace the lamps once a year at the very minimum, even if they haven’t burnt out – they stop producing enough light in the wavelengths needed for photosynthesis after 10-12 months.

Cleaning supplies – 5 gallon bucket (for dirty water), large plastic container with lid for mixing saltwater (a plastic garbage can is great for this), optional powerhead to mix saltwater, siphon, long-sleeved gloves (you shouldn’t put your hands in the tank), algae scraper.

Saltwater test kit – for testing your water quality – API Saltwater Master kit is a good one.

A reference book – I highly recommend The New Marine Aquarium by Michael S. Paletta. Microcosm Ltd. ISBN 1-890087-52-1 or The Conscientious Marine Aquarist by Robert M. Fenner. Microcosm Ltd. ISBN 1-890087-02-5

There are lots of other things you could get or may need, but the list above will give you a good idea of what you should have on hand to start. Others you can add after you’ve gained some experience and have researched saltwater fish a little more to decide for yourself if you really want them. Addatives like the kalkwasser you won’t know if you’ll need until you set up the tank and have a chance to test the water. Your best bet is to get one of the books I’ve suggested and read through it. These will explain all the types of equipment in more detail and give the pros and cons of each (there are reasons these books top 100 pages – there is more than one way to set up a tank, and what you equipment you choose and what will work best for you will depend in part on what you want to keep, size of tank you get, budget, and personal preferences. The wetwebmedia website (mentioned above and in my previous answer) also has a lot of good info.

Aquarium Lover answers:

As you know salt water is a little different than fresh water. What are your for nitrates and Phosphate reading? (Do you have a low range kit?) What kind of fish do you have? Live rock? Coral? Some green algae is beneficial, especialy if you have tangs or certain hermit crabs.

The cure for Green Hair Algae is the same as the prevention: Starve it into oblivion. Green Hair Algae require not only light and heat, but also nitrates and phosphates in order to survive.

Nitrates can be introduced into an aquarium not only as the end product of the Nitrogen Cycling Process
(ammonia/nitrite/nitrate), but also via some brands of commercial sea salts and tap water.

Phosphate (PO4) is a part of life on earth. Virtually every living thing contains some phosphates and they can enter the tank in a number of ways.

A few basic ways to rid your tank
Purchase and use a good phosphate pads. Many good Nitrate sponges also absorb phosphates. (These alone in your tank will clear the algae 80% within a week.) These will also keep the brown algae in check.

Keep the pH between 8.2 and 8.4;
Maintain water quality
Do water changes every 2 to 3 weeks;
With water changes, vacuum off as much as possible of the debris in the rock crevices, corals
If using filters, change your prefilter pad every week;
Have the lighting on for no more than 9-10 hours a day, using the wattage recommended (some tanks containing invertabreas or corals this may be difficult since their light requirements to maintain health may be longer)
Do not use unnecessary additives. Chemicals as you know should only be used if absolutely necessary.

You can also use Mangrove Plants in your system to reduce phosphates.

Keep in mind that algae will grow and will have to be removed by hand on a regular basis. Do not be deceived when you go into your favorite reef store and observe that their tanks have no visible algae. You may think, “My tank has algae, why doesn’t his?” The fact is that every morning someone cleans the glass and maintains the tanks so they will look absolutely pristine. This gives the impression that the people in the store know something about water quality that you don’t. In fact, all they are doing is daily maintenance, in addition to the procedures listed above.

Then of course, the remaining algae will be removed by hand, particularly from the glass and overflow pipes. Oh, and let’s not forget the filter. By using a strong magnet or a razor blade for the glass, and a bottle brush for the overflow, it is not a problem to remove undesirable algae.

It is important to remember that we want to remove the algae, not just dislodge it. When using the magnet, after a few swipes you will feel the scrubber part of the magnet cleaner getting full of algae. Take this to the sink and rinse it off. Resume cleaning and repeat the rinsing process as often as needed. Rinse the scrubber when you are done. When using the bottle brush, swirl it to trap the algae in the bristles, and rinse it out in the sink.

Using natural predators for control is usually preferred by most hobbyists, but finding the right types of Hermit Crabs, Blennies, Zebrasoma & Ctenochaetus Tangs or other animals that might eat algae can be a real challenge. As one example, many Sea Slugs of the Elysia sp. Feed specifically on Bryopsis, but may starve to death after it is all gone! The point is, if you do decide to use reef janitors, do your research carefully! The life of many of these animals depend on their specific dietary food requirements, or lack of them. Using standard control methods can be a simpler solution for your aquarium.

A little algae is good and will not hurt your tank, (Somepeople just don’t like the way it looks. Remember if you have herbavours, you need some algae) allowing it to take over isn’t a good thing either. Keep to your maintenance schedule and you will be fine.

If you have any other questions feel free to im or email me. I’ve had saltwater tanks for over 30 years