Saltwater Aquarium

Many people are under wrong impression that keeping a saltwater aquarium is more difficult than keeping a freshwater aquarium. Even if maintenance of saltwater aquarium is the more challenging one, it’s not at all difficult.

Saltwater fish or invertebrates are found in seas and oceans and therefore their needs and requirements are somewhat different from the freshwater ones. They are used to an environment, which is quite stable and therefore find it difficult to adapt the major environmental changes.

The only thing to remember while setting up a saltwater aquarium is that the levels of temperature, ammonia, nitrate, salinity, and the pH must be kept appropriate.

Setting up a Saltwater Aquarium

Setting up a saltwater aquarium is very exciting as you can bring on the magic of undersea paradise. Before planning for a setup, decide which type of saltwater aquarium you want, whether it should contain only fish, only coral or it should be full reef aquarium. Collect all the equipments required for a setup like:

• Tank
• Dechlorinated water
• Hydrometer
• Decorations
• Lighting
• Filtration
• Heater
• Testing jars
• Thermometers

If you are the beginner, go for a simple saltwater aquarium setup. The tank should not be too small or too large. For the beginners, it’s advisable to setup a fish only saltwater aquarium.

Once you gain experience in handling saltwater aquarium, you can go for a complex one that is a full reef aquarium. You can design and decorate your saltwater aquarium as per your wish. Given below are some steps, which may help you in setting up a saltwater aquarium.

1. Buy a large tank, as it is easy to maintain and check out for the leaks.
2. Clean the tank with the help of bleach with water. Also clean up the decorations like plants or rocks that you have purchased.
3. Place the tank on the stand, leaving clearance for lighting and the equipments.
4. Install the filtration system as per instructed and the lightening if desired.
5. Put the aquarium substrate like live sand or crushed corals inside the tank.
6. Place live rocks and the plastic plants on the surface of the substrate.
7. Fill your tank with appropriate amount of water leaving an inch at the top. Place the hydrometer in the water and keep on adding salt until the hydrometer shows a specific gravity reading around 1.021.
8. Start the filter system and check the pH levels. Place the heater in the tank and on the opposite end of the tank; place a thermometer to check temperature. The temperature level between 75-80 degrees is the most appropriate one for the saltwater fish.
9. Keep everything running for about 3 days maintaining a constant temperature.
10. Now begin the cycling process of the tank. Cycling process is the one in which the tank goes through a period of producing bacteria, which is essential for the saltwater to survive. This process requires about 6-8 weeks.
11. Now it’s the time to add the fish, corals or other invertebrates into the tank.
12. Attach a powerhead as it is required for water movement. It gives the water a wave-like format.
13. You will require a protein skimmer for removing the organic debris from the water before it gets converted into nitrate, which is believed to be responsible for the death of fish.
14. Remember that the protein skimmer also requires an external air pump and a water pump. This completes off the set up of your saltwater aquarium.

Maintaining a Saltwater Aquarium

Only by setting up a new saltwater aquarium don’t think that your work is over. Maintaining a saltwater aquarium is even more important. Your have to spend a little bit of your time in monitoring the tank.

Observe the fish and corals and check whether all of them are alive. Observing them for few minutes daily will familiarize you with their behavior and you will be able to know if any one of them is not well. Feeding the fish is equally important. Feed them every three days. Don’t feed the same diet. Change it often.

Check the levels of ammonia, nitrites, nitrates and pH every two weeks. Replace about 20 percent of the tank water with fresh chlorinated water once a week. This will help in maintaining the chemical levels. If there is a drop in pH levels, add little bit of a baking soda.

Clean up the algae regularly. Remove the organic debris with the help of protein skimmer. Check the filter pads every 15 days, clean them if necessary change them. Clean the tank and check it’s alkalinity once a month.

This is all about the maintenance of the saltwater aquarium. It’s quite hectic in the beginning, but once you do it regularly, you will get used to it.