Small home saltwater aqauriums?

Question

What is the ideal temperature for a 55 gallon aqaurium for saltwater fish, the salinity, the pH, ammonia, and other stuff like bacteria?

Answer 1

There really is no "ideal" number - it's more of a range. And I'm sure if you poll a number of aquarists, they'll each give you slightly different ranges. What is the absolute "ideal" is that you find the parameters specific to the preferred ranges of the organisms you plan to keep and use these as a guideline for your tank.

That said, here would be my recommendations.

Temperature - for tropical systems, I like 76-80. Saltwater fish can tolerate temps up to 85 without much of a problem, but corals and anemones can start to expel their photosynthetic bacteria at temperatures this high. Some fish (Catalina goby for one) can be maintained at even lower temps. Stability is as important here as the actual temperature.

Salinity - for a fish-only tank 1.017-1.023 is fine, unless the tank contains wild-caught fish species from the Red Sea - then you should be looking closer to 1.027 because these would have a naturally higher salt content in their environment. If you plant to maintain any inverts, the range should be 1.024-1.026. The previous fish-only (FO) range is lower than natural seawater - fish are more tolerant of decreased salinity than are inverts (including parasites), so the lower salinity will keep your fish healthier (and you'll save a lillte money by using less salt). Remember that salinity can be affected by temperature, not just the amount of salt, so wait for the water to be near room or tank temperature berfore measuring (the salinity changes 0.001 for every 10o F, so don't measure if you just mixed salt into cold tapwater - I (and several marine aquarium authors) don't recommend using hot to get a higher temperature, as hot water potentially contains more dissolved metals and minerals that will be introduced to your tank). If you want to be very accurate on the salinity measurements, you can calibrate your hydrometer - you can find directions to do this on the web.

pH - this actually varies, even in the ocean depending on your location, from 7.8 - 8.4. Higher values are harder to maintain in most home aquaria, but are generally maintained at 8.2-8.4 - this range is preferred by inverts and "good" macroalgaes, which we use in refugia to out-compete "nuisance" algae. This range usually requires addition of kalkwasser unless you are blessed with a naturally high pH tapwater. If you've been using buffers and you don't have an algae problem and want to try lower, just adjust gradually by not adding buffers in the next few water changes.

Ammonia (and other nitrogen products) - ammonia is best at zero, as is nitrite. If you're cycling the tank using fish, try not to let the ammonia get above 0.01ppm, nitrite above 0.1ppm. Nitrate should be kept as low as possible, I try not to let mine get above 20ppm, although some sources set an upper limit of 25-30ppm.

As noted above, a home aquarist can't reliably measure the number of bacteria in the tank. As long as you have an adequate enough population to process the ammonia produced so your test levels are below the ranges for ammonia and nitrite shown above, you have enough. Nitrates should be removed by water changes or macroalgaes (although you will still need to do water changes, plants will use some nitrate as a nutrient source.

Hope I was able to give you the info you were looking for. I'd recommend a good book or two for maintaining a saltwater aquarium, if you don't have one already - these are always availble to you for future questions and problems. For a new hobbyist, I'd recommend either of these two: The New Marine Aquarium by Michael S. Paletta. Microcosm Ltd. ISBN 1-890087-52-1 or The Conscientious Marine Aquarist by Robert M. Fenner. Microcosm Ltd. ISBN 1-890087-02-5

If you need more specific information than what you've received in the answers so far, I'd recommend posting your question on wetwebmedia: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/
Bob Fenner, author of the second reference I recommended and a marine scientist and aquarist himself moderates a number of their forums and should be able to help you out.

ADDITION: Here are some further websites where you can get information on setup and maintenance for saltwater:

http://www.fishlore.com/SaltwaterAquariumSetup.htm
http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=16&cat=1789&articleid=3355

Answer 2

ooooh. sorry bud 10 gallons in saltwater is close to impossible. I actually have a 50 gallon reef (40 breeder with 10 gallon sump) and a 10 gallon freshwater with 8 cardinal tetras. 10 gallons in saltwater will only reason problems. there are tanks on youtube that look large at 10 gallons yet they might desire to bypass via maximum of corals and fish because of the fact of deaths. undergo in strategies, an inch drop in a 10g saltwater tank could make the water salinity(how lots salt is in the water) bypass wayy to severe and each thing will die. Saltwater is via a procedures my wide-unfold, yet you will get pissed off and end indignant in case you bypass with a 10.(protein skimmer, lighting fixtures, salt, etc all upload up and via the time you understand it you have spent $500 on a 10 gallon tank while you're starting to be a 30 or 40 for $2 hundred extra. in case you do it, do it top. do not want to teach you off yet its the puzzling fact. so a procedures as fish blue eco-friendly chromis are large. Get 4 of them and that they are flamboyant and lovable. Clownfish are large, yet slightly extra high priced(30 as a replace of $5 chromis). perhaps a goby, and get a cleanup group. i like to function a hearth or skunk shrimp as nicely. (dont get the different shrimps) examine out YT vids and reef necessary for extra records. desire I helped!

Answer 3

Temp 78
pH - 8.2
Ammonia - 0 ppm
Nitrites- 0 ppm
Nitrates - less than 20 ppm 0 ideal
phosphates - 0 ppm
Calcium - 350-450 ppm more of a concern for reef tanks
Alkalinity - 8 - 12 dkh
Salinity - 1.022 for fish only 1.024 is better for reef tanks

You can only measure the bacteria by measuring for its byproducts the ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates.

Make sure to research starting up a tank. You sound very new to this hobby and saltwater is not as forgiving for errors as most freshwater are. Saltwater is more expensive as well. I do not recommend a saltwater tank as your first tank unless you have friends who can assist you with it. If you do start with saltwater after you are done cycling your tank try out damsels at first. They are probably the hardiest and cheapest of all saltwater fish. The chromis damsels are the best choice as they are not aggressive or territorial.

If you do start a saltwater tank take it slow and learn as much about it as you can. Saltwater may be slightly harder but it is extremely rewarding.

Answer 4

Although DanielleZ and copperhead are the two experts here, temperature should be around 82-85 depending if you have corals or not. Average is 82. Salinity 1.022-1.025 again depending on inverts or not.
the PH should be between 8.1-8.3
Ammonia less than .5 Always
Nitrates with inverts less than 20 without less than 40-60
Bacteria, mature not just cycled
The two I mentioned will be able to tell you more.

Answer 5

temperature would depend upon the type of fish you put into you tank.
(when i was in college i had a 150 gallon salt water tank that was kept in the biological sciences lab..it was stocked with fish from long island sound.)
For your tank: 55 gallon
Salinity: 1.021 - 1.025
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Ph: 8.0 - 8.2
Nitrates: 20 ppm
Go to www.google.com
type in 55 gallon saltwater tank..and see what you come up with!!

Answer 6

Parameter: Reef Aquaria Recom Ocean Value:1
Calcium 380-450 ppm 420 ppm
Alkalinity 125-200 ppm CaCO3 125 ppm
Salinity 1.026 1.025-1.027
Temperature 83° F Variablereef 83
pH 8-8.5 OK 8.1-8.3 Magnesium 1250-1350 ppm 1280 ppm
Phosphate < 0.03 ppm 0.05 ppmvaried
Ammonia <0.5 ppm Variable (typically <0.3 ppm)
Silica 2 ppm, <0.06 - 2.7 ppm
Iodine 0.06 ppm total of all forms Same
Nitrate < 20. ppm Variable (typically below 20.4 ppm)
Nitrite < 0.3 ppm Var (typically below 0.001ppm)
Strontium 5-15 ppm 8 ppm
Boron < 10 ppm 8.4 ppm
Iron Below Kit Detection Limits (additions OK) 0.000006 ppm


Thank you for the confidence.