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A lot of people, when considering the possibility of starting their very own Salt water aquarium are initially put off because they either believe or have been told that keeping a marine aquarium is hard.
When a beginner starts to research this hobby cost obviously becomes a factor and for very good reason. The larger the aquarium which is chosen the more equipment which is required, more water, more lighting, more salt etc. The list goes on and on.
When setting up a marine aquarium one of the trickiest, most frustrating and ultimately most neglected things is when you get to the stage where you are ready to aquascape your marine aquarium.
Whilst doing your research (which if you have not gathered by now is very important!) you will have probably heard of a term called the ‘Berlin Method’ but do you actually know what it is and what it means?
This article is aimed more at aquarists who are interested in keeping corals. Aquarists who decide to keep a fish only aquarium do not need to concentrate on lighting as much as aquarists who keep corals do. Fish only aquarists need to use lighting to create a day/night cycle to provide an inhabitant which the fish feel safe in and also to make the aquarium more visibly attractive to the aquarist.
The purpose of acclimatisation is simple - the water that the animal is packaged in may have a different temperature, pH and salinity than that of your aquarium. Aquatic life (especially corals and invertebrates) are very sensitive to minor changes in water parameters therefore acclimatisation is a requirement for success. There are two ways which are recommended to acclimatise your new purchase to your aquarium. Neither of these should be rushed and should both be performed with the aquarium lights off. The lights should also remain off for a further 6 to 12 hours after the animal has been introduced to the quarantine tank, or the main display tank, whichever you are using.
Once all the research, planning and waiting is complete and the aquarium is full of water and has finally finished cycling you will finally be ready to introduce your first fish. It is important to ensure that you make the right choice though as there are some fish which are suitable to be added at this stage and there are fish which are not. Do you know what you are looking for in the selection of your first fish?
For me I just love the sight of an anenomefish living in symbiosis with an anemone. An anemone which due to its very nature loves to eat fish and any other animal which fall prey to it. But not the anenomefish. It could be said I suppose that the anemone uses the anenomefish as a lure for other fish. Whatever it is it is a sight to behold.
Stability in the saltwater aquarium is key to success (as well as research and patience). Stability is created by the aquarist and the filtration within the aquarium. The aquarist provides assistance in this area by ensuring that the correct care and maintenance is provided to the aquarium. The filtration within the aquarium allows for pollutants within the water to be processed, therefore producing a pollutant free environment. In the aquarium, however there are areas where Mother Nature can help a bit more!
If you have an aquarium where it is all self contained ie. all the equipment is installed in the main display aquarium then you wont have to worry about any plumbing - with the exception of course of external protein skimmers, canister filters, denitrators etc. If, however you have decided or are in the process of deciding whether to have an external sump, refugium etc then you are going to need to get the water down and back up again - this is where aquarium plumbing comes in.
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.
You can use a tank which can be either glass or acrylic - it does not matter which, neither does it need to be large. Think about it how many fish are you actually going to be keeping in it - one, possibly two. Of course if you keep large fish then you need to take this into consideration when planning your quarantine tank. In the tank put a very fine scattering of sand over the base - this is not for filtration, decoration or any other purpose - it is purely for the benefit of the fish which will temporarily inhabit this quarantine tank. Before placing the sand into the tank ensure that you clean it well and if possible run a magnet over it to remove any metal which may be in there.
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.
s we know stabilty is required in a saltwater aquarium. Stability of salinity again is very important. When the water evaporates the salt is left behind and the [tag-ice]specific gravity[/tag-ice] can slowly rise. If water is not topped up then the specific gravity reading of the aquarium when checked will be wrong. If you do not use overflows and use fluorescent tubes for lighting then probably you will be able to maintain control of the water top ups required due to evaporation. It could be twice a week, it could be once a week who knows - but you might be able to stay on top of it.
Over and over again I have said that research is imperative prior to starting your first home marine aquarium and I still stand by that it is and I am sure that lots of other people would agree with me. However with research comes the belief that the costs may be higher than they actually need to be. One of these such costs is the calcium reactor. For some reason there is a belief amongst many people that a calcium reactor is required right from the offset. A calcium reactor is a great device to install into the aquarium to ensure that the calcium requirements etc of the aquarium inhabitants are met and maintained.
With keeping a saltwater aquarium there is one thing that you are definitely going to need to do : Keep the water warm. Not just warm but at a constant level with as few fluctuations as possible. Fish do not like fluctuations in temperature and corals are even more sensitive to it. Aquarium heaters come in all sorts of shape and sizes and this is where confusion can sometimes set in.
After water quality and then lighting water circulation, in my opinion comes next. Not just any water circulation though - you can’t just chuck powerheads left right and centre into the aquarium and turn it into a washing machine - you have to create the right water flow. The water flow which you need to create depends upon the livestock you keep in the aquarium. If you are a fish only aquarist then the water circulation requirements are minimal. Corals, however are more demanding in water circulation for various reasons. Years ago the only option which was available to saltwater aquarists was the powerhead and to be honest we had to be creative as to the ways we positioned these powerheads to achieve optimum results.
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.
This is a question which I get asked quite a lot. I have my own personal preference but in reality it is down to you as an aquarist to make your own decision based upon your personal preferences. I suppose really it depends upon whether the aquarium has water in it or not.
A refugium can be made from many things in the aquarium but for the concept of this article we shall classify a refugium as an area which contains a sand covering and macro algae being grown. This type of refugium allows for two things to be completed : 1. A safe refuge for for animals to populate without fear of predation. 2. Excess nutrients to be removed by the macro algae growing.
Many reef aquarists see hard corals as the height of achievement and the closest thing to a real coral reef in captivity. This isn’t quite true of course, as parts of coral reefs are dominated by soft corals. Nevertheless, a hard coral reef can be very beautiful, and if the aquarist has selected the corals for shape and colour carefully it makes a stunning picture. The very first requirement for a successful hard coral reef is seawater quality - it must be high and consistently so. This includes the necessary levels of calcium, alkalinity etc. Water movement must also be appropriate, and hard corals generally prefer considerable movement, more so, again in general, than the soft corals.
In the refugium we are attempting to grow macro algae. The reason for this is that as they grow they remove nutrients like nitrate and phosphate out of the water. In a previous post I have discussed what type of lighting should be used so that you can get optimum algae growth plus I have also talked briefly about harvesting the algae from time to time. One thing which I have not really touched upon is how long you should provide lighting for. There are two methods available - one which I agree with and one which I don’t.
Aquarium filtration is at the very heart of the aquarium. Without it fish waste, uneaten food etc cannot be processed and with the aquarium being a closed environment before long the aquarium inhabitants are going to suffer. An aquarium cannot function without filtration. There are various ways to implement a filtration system to the aquarium one of which is the bio ball. But are they any good - do they work?
The filtration system of any aquarium is absolutely essential. This filtration is the life blood of the aquarium system. It is especially more so in a marine tank as the life maintained is more sensitive to change. You must implement an effective and efficient filtration system. Think of it this way, when you are building a flat pack piece of furniture you slowly assemble everything using as much patience and care as you can muster, you follow the instructions to the letter and at the end you have a fantastic piece of furniture which will take pride of place in your home. However….
The function of the filtration is to ensure that the relevant nutrients in the water are processed. These nutrients occur due to the inhabitants being kept in a closed environment - the aquarium. Of course life in the ocean also creates waste yet the ocean is so vast that the waste/nutrients are controlled. Look at the oceans filtration - huge sumps, loads of live rock, the biggest deep sand beds ever, mangrove swamps etc.
A deep sand bed is probably one of the most common additions to live rock filtration utilised within the marine aquarist world at the moment. The other is called a plenum which I will cover in a future post. A lot has been discovered over the years in relation to sand beds perhaps the biggest of which is the importance of the sand particle size and the depth of the bed. Let’s concentrate on the sand particle size first of all.
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.
Live rock is very effective and efficient when it comes to saltwater aquarium filtration however dependant upon the size of the aquarium can be quite expensive to purchase. There are, of course other filtration methods you can utilise in the saltwater aquarium. These range from deep sand beds, plenums, canister filters to name just a few. So if you are put off by cost or are looking to utilise another type of filtration then what else can you use inside the aquarium to provide hiding places for fish and places to attach corals to.
A refugium (or a fuge as they are commonly known) is a small aquarium which either sits next to, hangs upon, is below the aquarium or is above the existing aquarium. A refugium is normally a mixture of a deep sand bed or a mud bed combined with macro algae, however a refugium can also easily be made using a shallow sand bed and macro algae. If a substrate is provided that the macro algae can grow in then a refugium can be made. A refugium is similar to that of the sea grass beds which are used in nature albeit on a smaller scale.
Using mangroves as a type of filtration in a salt water system was started by Julian Sprung several years ago. He planted a mangrove into one of his aquariums just to see what would happen and to his surprise it actually started to grow and flourish. An article was produced by Julian Sprung detailing the benefits of utilising mangroves in an aquarium and many aquarists started to utilise mangroves as an additional form of nutrient export.
One of the questions which I am asked quite a lot is how do I hide all the plumbing and/or wires around the back of the tank so that they are not visible from the front. And I agree it does not look natural. You set your aquarium up and all the rock is aquascaped perfectly yet all you can see through the back of the tank is the wall, wires, pipework etc.
There are many aspects in the aquarium which generate heat. There are pumps, heaters and of course the lighting. The choice of lighting normally determines if you will actually use a hood or not. If you choose to use fluorescent tubes then quite likely you will implement a hood or canopy as they are sometimes known. An aquarium hood may be used with metal halide lighting, however this will probably be determined by the choice of metal halide. If you elect for a pendant type then you may not use a hood, however if you use another type of metal halide then you may choose to use one.
As with most hobbies there are some things that are definitely undesirable. Keeping a saltwater reef aquarium or saltwater fish only aquarium is a most fulfilling hobby, but irritating problems can occur. For example, outbreaks of filamentous green algae, brown/black/red smear algae, glass anemones and bubble algae (sailor’s eyeball algae) are four of the major culprits. These problems can develop into major headaches if proper action during setting-up and the following care and maintenance are not taken.
Calcium is a building block on the reef and is essential. Many corals, invertebrates etc depend on it. Let’s discuss parameters first, then look at how calcium can be provided. It is generally accepted that in a home marine reef aquarium a calcium reading between 350ppm and 450ppm is acceptable. A calcium level in the aquarium which is higher than 550ppm will normally precipitate out of solution. This means the water becomes calcium saturated and no more can be held. Because of the water being saturated the calcium forms calcium carbonate. This is not a state of affairs that we realistically want.
When the aquarium is clean it can look amazing to the eye - both for yourself and for anyone who see’s it. The trouble is they don’t keep themselves clean do they.
When you start a saltwater aquarium and have purchased your live rock or whatever decorations you are going to use then there will probably not be that much coralline algae in the system (especially if you have chosen not to use live rock!) If you are using live rock then dependant upon the quality of the live rock you should have some coralline algae of some type or other.
Coralline algae in the marine aquarium in my opinion makes the overall appearance much more attractive and natural. There are some people who dislike coralline algae and each to their own. I have a personal hatred to having any on the front glass and as soon as I spot any out comes the blade to scrape it off!
Recently Approved Articles
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.
Random Articles
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.
Aquarium filtration is at the very heart of the aquarium. Without it fish waste, uneaten food etc cannot be processed and with the aquarium being a closed environment before long the aquarium inhabitants are going to suffer. An aquarium cannot function without filtration. There are various ways to implement a filtration system to the aquarium one of which is the bio ball. But are they any good - do they work?
A refugium can be made from many things in the aquarium but for the concept of this article we shall classify a refugium as an area which contains a sand covering and macro algae being grown. This type of refugium allows for two things to be completed : 1. A safe refuge for for animals to populate without fear of predation. 2. Excess nutrients to be removed by the macro algae growing.
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.
Fresh water is used constantly by the marine aquarist, first when the aquarium is initially filled and then for ongoing routine water changes. Of course, an appropriate amount of dry salt mix is added. Fresh water is also used for evaporation top-ups. On the face of it using tap water seems reasonable - but is it?
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.
Mantis shrimps are not the shrimps normally chosen by a marine aquarist to live in their display aquarium, and for good reason. They are very efficient predators. Aquarists are much happier with cleaner shrimps etc.
The filtration system of any aquarium is absolutely essential. This filtration is the life blood of the aquarium system. It is especially more so in a marine tank as the life maintained is more sensitive to change. You must implement an effective and efficient filtration system. Think of it this way, when you are building a flat pack piece of furniture you slowly assemble everything using as much patience and care as you can muster, you follow the instructions to the letter and at the end you have a fantastic piece of furniture which will take pride of place in your home. However….
Whilst doing your research (which if you have not gathered by now is very important!) you will have probably heard of a term called the ‘Berlin Method’ but do you actually know what it is and what it means?
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.