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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.
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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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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.
Mother Nature provides the habitat for the livestock that we aquarists keep in our fish only aquariums or reef aquariums, and this, of course, is the wild reef. Mother Nature is also the provider of the other obvious essential, and that is seawater. Having written the above it would seem absolutely wrong to state that natural seawater is not recommended. So it would be - natural seawater is recommended.
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?
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.
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.
…..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.
Aquarium lighting for a reef aquarium is very important. It is second in importance only to seawater quality. The lighting system needs careful consideration if corals are to prosper. In a fish only system the lighting is not particularly important. The fish need to see and also be seen, that’s all. Two fluorescent tubes¸ one white and one actinic blue are sufficient. Two tubes are required in order to create a ‘dawn and dusk’ cycle. Of course, the aquarist could use more tubes if desired.
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.
Obtaining a new aquarium is exciting. The aquarist becomes immersed in it (no pun intended!) considering aquarium equipment, fish, and corals etc. There is a clear vision of a beautiful healthy reef tank which is stunning to see. With proper planning this can all become reality. The cost of setting up a marine aquarium system is not low, but in time the investment will pay dividends in enjoyment. Or will it?
This is not a complete scientific discussion or description of alkalinity. It is simply intended as a base, as there isn’t a requirement for an aquarist to be a scientist and understand all. A basic understanding allows the aquarist to ensure the seawater in his/her aquarium is at the parameter desired and why.