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Cover glasses of course are those sheets of glass that rest on the strengthening straps at the top of the aquarium. Sometimes they are fitted in plastic holders so they will slide, sometimes they just lay straight on the straps.
Aquarists can use a small arsenal of tests to assure themselves that the seawater quality in their fish only aquariums or reef aquariums is high enough. One of these tests is carried out using a hydrometer.
The canister filter has been in use for decades. Freshwater aquarists were the first to make use of them and they still do. Then along came the marine aquarium and the canister filter was employed to support those to. Canister filters have been around for so long that they are now very dependable and failures are rare.
The fish only aquarium or reef aquarium has a number of devices designed to help maintain the correct parameters, hopefully ensuring healthy livestock with a long life. These are heaters, water level controllers, calcium reactors, lighting controllers etc.
Aquarists use different types of equipment to assist in the running of their aquariums. These can be very important ‘must haves’ such as a protein skimmer and circulation pumps, or labour saving devices such as an automated evaporation top-up device or calcium reactor.
There is a variety of equipment to assist in the maintenance of a marine aquarium. Some are essential such as the heater/thermostat, others are supportive for example the auto top-up system. The calcium reactor is often supportive, but in some circumstances it can be argued that it is essential.
There are various ways of improving the chances of success when designing a saltwater aquarium Using modern effective methods of filtration, correct and appropriate lighting and stocking properly are some examples.
The aquarist when listing the equipment required for a marine system obviously runs into the aquarium questions. These are, first, what size is it going to be, then what shape is it going to be? There may be similar considerations for a sump if one is going to be used. At the point of purchase sometimes another question - or rather choice - arises, glass or acrylic? At this point more often than not the choice is made automatically, as few retailers stock aquariums in both glass and acrylic, particularly in the same size. So what are the advantages or otherwise if there is a choice?
What is the sterilizer? It is a container, usually in a near tube shape, in which an ultraviolet (UV) fluorescent lamp is contained. The lamp emits light at around 254 nm. The lamp is constructed of quartz glass to prevent the UV being absorbed as it would be if ordinary glass were used. The lamp is in a container of its own to shield it from the water, and then there is an outer container. The space between the containers is very small allowing full penetration of UV light. The water is passed between the outer and inner containers by a pump or power head.
Purchasing a used fish tank or even a complete [tag-tec]saltwater aquarium[/tag-tec] system can save you a great deal of money as long as you are careful. As we all know this hobby can become expensive if you allow it to.
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Amino Acids are quickly becoming one of the most popular additives to any serious reef keeper’s arsenal. There are many different reasons why they are being used and many why I suggest everyone should use them.
Many aquarist’s have been bit by the red bug, or the monti nudibranches or flatworms etc etc. In this article I will explain a few ways to prevent these mishaps.
As an aquarium professional I would like to discuss the pressure our hobby as put on the worlds reefs and what we can do to minimize damage. First and foremost we must promote responsible reef keeping by learning and researching these wild animals we wish to care for out of their natural environment. Management through collector and consumer education as well as captive farming and aquaculture we can make this hobby sustainable.
The seas and oceans cover the majority of the planet surface. Within those seas the wild reefs have grown and all of their needs are met, be that calcium or whatever
Most marine systems are set up to house tropical livestock, which means that attention has to be given to maintaining a moderately high seawater temperature
…..I need a very basic list of needs for the basic marine system There are a lot of individual items about setting up a marine aquarium in the blog and article areas on this website, but nevertheless flicking around locating topics for a beginner who has little idea of the basics could be confusing. So an ‘in a nutshell’ list could be of help. We’re told it will be anyway, so here goes! Remember this is basic. At the end I’ve put article locations which could be of use.
Whatever type of marine system is kept lighting is important. With a fish only aquarium the fish need a day cycle and of course need to see where they are going.
Disease in the aquarium is one of the main fears of aquarists. Once the presence of a disease is known the aquarist’s stress level shoots up and quite understandably so – at the worst there could be a full aquarium wipe-out.
These lovely and strange life forms are very endearing and become a household pet very easily. Children in particular seem to be fascinated by them. The care of seahorses is not to be undertaken lightly. They need very similar maintenance to a fish only marine system, so the requirement to carry out maintenance regularly needs to be accepted.
There is understandably great fascination with some anemones, mainly because of their well known association with clownfish. Seeing these colourful little fish nestling in among what are normally dangerous tentacles is amazing.
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Our everyday lives are controlled by time. We may not like it but that is how it is. On the wild reef things are much the same. I know, reef life doesn’t have a lunch hour! What they do have is dawn, day, sunset and night. Life on the reef is controlled by these changes in light intensity. Daylight fish prepare to disappear into their secure holes when sunset arrives. Night life prepares to emerge. At dawn it reverses.
Most marine systems are set up to house tropical livestock, which means that attention has to be given to maintaining a moderately high seawater temperature
I would imagine that all marine aquarists have heard of, and probably seen, the cleaner shrimp (Lysmata amboinensis). This colourful shrimp is very popular, becoming used to the aquarist very quickly and even walking around on the hand if the opportunity presents itself - a large and strangely shaped fish to be cleaned perhaps.
The seas and oceans cover the majority of the planet surface. Within those seas the wild reefs have grown and all of their needs are met, be that calcium or whatever
As we know aquarium live rock is an extremely effective filtration media to use within the saltwater aquarium. Not only does it provide filtration it also makes the aquarium look more natural. With so many different types of live rock available however which one should you choose and how much do you need.
The fish only aquarium or reef aquarium has a number of devices designed to help maintain the correct parameters, hopefully ensuring healthy livestock with a long life. These are heaters, water level controllers, calcium reactors, lighting controllers etc.
As an aquarium professional I would like to discuss the pressure our hobby as put on the worlds reefs and what we can do to minimize damage. First and foremost we must promote responsible reef keeping by learning and researching these wild animals we wish to care for out of their natural environment. Management through collector and consumer education as well as captive farming and aquaculture we can make this hobby sustainable.
The provision of light to a reef tank is a very important aspect and is only second to that of water quality. However providing lighting is not just about purchasing a [tag-tec]metal halide[/tag-tec], fluorescent tubes etc and placing them above the aquarium. We need to think about colour.
Water quality (in which I include water movement) is top of the list in importance when it comes to keeping a saltwater aquarium. Closely following water quality is aquarium lighting, as much life on the reef depends on it. The lighting used for a reef aquarium is more intense than on any other type. The reason for this is that we are trying to simulate the sun as far as humanly possible. Reef aquarium lighting is normally more towards the blue end of the colour spectrum as we are trying to produce the lighting colours present at between 10m and 30m in water depth.
Please note that these are guideline numbers (apart from toxic items such as ammonia) - I can hear aquarists saying that theirs is different and their reef is fantastic!