A Guide For Setting Up Saltwater Aquariums (Part I)
So, you are wondering if a saltwater aquarium is for you.
Most people believe that marine aquarium keeping is infinitely more difficult than freshwater.
Not so.
The simple truth is that saltwater fish and invertebrates are not necessarily more difficult to keep, they just have different requirements than freshwater fish and are a bit less forgiving when it comes to mistakes.
The key to fully understanding this is to understand the basics presented here.
With the outstanding assortment of beautiful saltwater fish to choose from, it is no wonder that so many hobbyists dream of maintaining a marine aquarium.
This guide is intended to answer many of the questions a novice marine aquarist may have, and to provide some basic guidelines for selecting and caring for saltwater fish and invertebrates.
In addition, we hope that every saltwater hobbyist will read several good, current books on the subject.
Reef Tank and Fish Tank: What's the Difference? There are many different ways you can set up an aquarium depending on what you would like to keep and what interests you most in the hobby.
Accordingly hobbyists tend to put names on the different types of aquariums that can be set up because they have similar general requirements depending on the classification of tank.
Fish Only Tank A Fish Only Tank is a tank that is dedicated to keeping fish, without any sort of corals, anemones or clams.
They can contain some mobile invertebrates mainly for helping keep the tank clean.
This set up is easier to set up and less costly then a reef tank.
This type of tank can be classified into two different areas as well, fish only or fish only with live rock.
Reef Aquarium A Reef Aquarium contains a lot of life with the main focus being corals or anemones.
This type of system generally contains a huge variety of species that require an extremely specialized setup.
The needs of the corals or anemones take priority whereas fish in these tanks are considered secondary.
Although we generally classify all tanks with corals in it as a reef tank, there are still different types of reef tanks such as softy, LPS (large polyp stony) and SPS (small polyp stony) tanks.
These three tanks also have different requirements as well.
What's the Difference Between Salt Water and Fresh Water? So what's different about saltwater versus freshwater? As alluded to before, saltwater fish are more sensitive to changes in their environment.
Freshwater fish are found in rivers, streams, ponds and lakes, saltwater fish are collected from oceans and seas.
As such, their natural environment is quite stable and they do not readily adapt to major changes in water chemistry or temperature.
In addition, since nearly all saltwater fish and invertebrates are captured in the wild (many freshwater fish are either tank or pond raised), there are greater risks associated with handling and shipping.
The risks, shipping and collecting costs, and supply-and-demand also make saltwater specimens more expensive than their freshwater counterparts.
Important Factors The important factors of a saltwater tank are pH, nitrate, salinity, and temperature.
During the cycling process, ammonia and nitrite can also be a problem.
These elements are not different from those of a freshwater tank, but the degree to which they may stray is vastly different.
PH of a Marine Tank The pH of a marine tank is one of the most important factors.
Marine fish and invertebrates are especially sensitive to rapid changes in their pH, so keeping pH fluctuations within 0.
2 each day is very critical.
All marine creatures like a pH near 8.
2, ranging from 8.
0 to 8.
4.
The pH should never drop below 8.
0.
Nitrates The next important factor is nitrates.
Saltwater fish are more tolerant of higher nitrates than invertebrates (in general), but still like nitrates lower than 20ppm, with less than 5ppm being required for most invertebrates.
Reef keepers tend to quote anything higher than 0.
5ppm as unacceptable, but this is an unrealistic goal for fish-only or minimal invertebrate tanks.
Salinity The next factor of concern is salinity, or specific gravity.
Loosely (very loosely), specific gravity is the amount of salt in the water.
Many aquarists treat specific gravity and salinity as one and the same, but technically speaking, they are not.
Specific gravity is temperature dependent and salinity is not.
Most hydrometers (hydrometers measure specific gravity) are calibrated to read the correct specific gravity at 59F.
Since this is a little low for most tanks, hobbyist grade hydrometers are usually temperature corrected to read the correct specific gravity at or around 77F (25C).
Specific Gravity In any case, most creatures will acclimate to almost any specific gravity (within reason), so long as it does not vary widely.
The specific gravity of a saltwater tank should be around 1.
022.
It's worth noting that the salinity of natural sea water varies according to location (ocean, to lagoons, to estuaries), ranging anywhere from 1.
020 to 1.
030.
So different fish might be native to different salinities, and may need some time to acclimate to a different salinity.
Temperature Finally, the temperature of a saltwater tank is basically the same as a freshwater tank.
Anywhere between 75F to 80F (24C - 27C), with 77F (25C) being a good midpoint.
Wild temperature variations increase fish stress and invariably lead to disease, so a good heater (or chiller) is a must.
As an aside, submersible heaters tend to be preferred over hang on the back kinds.
Also, they seem to be somewhat more reliable than the less expensive `clip-on' kind.
Other factors worth keeping an eye on are alkalinity and calcium.
The alkalinity of a saltwater tank is really critical for long term success.
Without a decent alkalinity reading, the pH of the tank will drop over time and endanger the lives of your pets.
The alkalinity of a saltwater tank should be around 2.
5 to 3.
5 meq/l.
Calcium is more of a reef keeper's issue than a fish-only tank.
However, once you advance and wish to keep invertebrates, monitoring calcium levels becomes a must.
Without calcium, and other trace elements, invertebrates can not properly form their exoskeletons and will not survive.
Calcium levels should be 400 to 450 ppm Ca++.
Some of the more easier to keep invertebrates, such as shrimps, also need regular supplements of iodine and other trace elements.
Most foods will supply the necessary amounts of these elements.
However, if you are using a protein skimmer, these elements will be stripped from the water and need to be replaced manually.
Most people believe that marine aquarium keeping is infinitely more difficult than freshwater.
Not so.
The simple truth is that saltwater fish and invertebrates are not necessarily more difficult to keep, they just have different requirements than freshwater fish and are a bit less forgiving when it comes to mistakes.
The key to fully understanding this is to understand the basics presented here.
With the outstanding assortment of beautiful saltwater fish to choose from, it is no wonder that so many hobbyists dream of maintaining a marine aquarium.
This guide is intended to answer many of the questions a novice marine aquarist may have, and to provide some basic guidelines for selecting and caring for saltwater fish and invertebrates.
In addition, we hope that every saltwater hobbyist will read several good, current books on the subject.
Reef Tank and Fish Tank: What's the Difference? There are many different ways you can set up an aquarium depending on what you would like to keep and what interests you most in the hobby.
Accordingly hobbyists tend to put names on the different types of aquariums that can be set up because they have similar general requirements depending on the classification of tank.
Fish Only Tank A Fish Only Tank is a tank that is dedicated to keeping fish, without any sort of corals, anemones or clams.
They can contain some mobile invertebrates mainly for helping keep the tank clean.
This set up is easier to set up and less costly then a reef tank.
This type of tank can be classified into two different areas as well, fish only or fish only with live rock.
Reef Aquarium A Reef Aquarium contains a lot of life with the main focus being corals or anemones.
This type of system generally contains a huge variety of species that require an extremely specialized setup.
The needs of the corals or anemones take priority whereas fish in these tanks are considered secondary.
Although we generally classify all tanks with corals in it as a reef tank, there are still different types of reef tanks such as softy, LPS (large polyp stony) and SPS (small polyp stony) tanks.
These three tanks also have different requirements as well.
What's the Difference Between Salt Water and Fresh Water? So what's different about saltwater versus freshwater? As alluded to before, saltwater fish are more sensitive to changes in their environment.
Freshwater fish are found in rivers, streams, ponds and lakes, saltwater fish are collected from oceans and seas.
As such, their natural environment is quite stable and they do not readily adapt to major changes in water chemistry or temperature.
In addition, since nearly all saltwater fish and invertebrates are captured in the wild (many freshwater fish are either tank or pond raised), there are greater risks associated with handling and shipping.
The risks, shipping and collecting costs, and supply-and-demand also make saltwater specimens more expensive than their freshwater counterparts.
Important Factors The important factors of a saltwater tank are pH, nitrate, salinity, and temperature.
During the cycling process, ammonia and nitrite can also be a problem.
These elements are not different from those of a freshwater tank, but the degree to which they may stray is vastly different.
PH of a Marine Tank The pH of a marine tank is one of the most important factors.
Marine fish and invertebrates are especially sensitive to rapid changes in their pH, so keeping pH fluctuations within 0.
2 each day is very critical.
All marine creatures like a pH near 8.
2, ranging from 8.
0 to 8.
4.
The pH should never drop below 8.
0.
Nitrates The next important factor is nitrates.
Saltwater fish are more tolerant of higher nitrates than invertebrates (in general), but still like nitrates lower than 20ppm, with less than 5ppm being required for most invertebrates.
Reef keepers tend to quote anything higher than 0.
5ppm as unacceptable, but this is an unrealistic goal for fish-only or minimal invertebrate tanks.
Salinity The next factor of concern is salinity, or specific gravity.
Loosely (very loosely), specific gravity is the amount of salt in the water.
Many aquarists treat specific gravity and salinity as one and the same, but technically speaking, they are not.
Specific gravity is temperature dependent and salinity is not.
Most hydrometers (hydrometers measure specific gravity) are calibrated to read the correct specific gravity at 59F.
Since this is a little low for most tanks, hobbyist grade hydrometers are usually temperature corrected to read the correct specific gravity at or around 77F (25C).
Specific Gravity In any case, most creatures will acclimate to almost any specific gravity (within reason), so long as it does not vary widely.
The specific gravity of a saltwater tank should be around 1.
022.
It's worth noting that the salinity of natural sea water varies according to location (ocean, to lagoons, to estuaries), ranging anywhere from 1.
020 to 1.
030.
So different fish might be native to different salinities, and may need some time to acclimate to a different salinity.
Temperature Finally, the temperature of a saltwater tank is basically the same as a freshwater tank.
Anywhere between 75F to 80F (24C - 27C), with 77F (25C) being a good midpoint.
Wild temperature variations increase fish stress and invariably lead to disease, so a good heater (or chiller) is a must.
As an aside, submersible heaters tend to be preferred over hang on the back kinds.
Also, they seem to be somewhat more reliable than the less expensive `clip-on' kind.
Other factors worth keeping an eye on are alkalinity and calcium.
The alkalinity of a saltwater tank is really critical for long term success.
Without a decent alkalinity reading, the pH of the tank will drop over time and endanger the lives of your pets.
The alkalinity of a saltwater tank should be around 2.
5 to 3.
5 meq/l.
Calcium is more of a reef keeper's issue than a fish-only tank.
However, once you advance and wish to keep invertebrates, monitoring calcium levels becomes a must.
Without calcium, and other trace elements, invertebrates can not properly form their exoskeletons and will not survive.
Calcium levels should be 400 to 450 ppm Ca++.
Some of the more easier to keep invertebrates, such as shrimps, also need regular supplements of iodine and other trace elements.
Most foods will supply the necessary amounts of these elements.
However, if you are using a protein skimmer, these elements will be stripped from the water and need to be replaced manually.
Source...