How difficult is it to keep up with a saltwater tank?

Question

I plan on having one when I get my own place, but I hear they can be tricky to care for. How much of a commitment is a saltwater tank? What are things to consider?

Answer 1

I've been keeping reef tanks for nine years, and I don't find that they need much more work once they are set up than do freshwater tanks, as long as they've been planned properly. And I think that's just the key to having success with them is to research first, then get what you need for the set-up you want.

If you've already kept freshwater, much of the maintenance is simialr - scraping the glass, partial water changes weelky. The major differences are you have to mix the saltwater ahead of doing the water changes, and adjusting your water chemistry to fit the needs of the organisms you keep.

Saltwater needs to be mixed according to concentration of salt in the water, and for this you need a hydrometer or refractometer. Most use a hydrometer, because it's less expensive. You want the specific gravity to be 1.020-1.026 for fish (unless your keeping wild-caught Red Sea species, then you want it at 1.027), or 1.024-1.026 if you have invertebrates in the tank. It's not as simple as adding X cups of salt to X gallons of water because the salt will compact as it absorbs moisture from the air. You'll get a general idea of how much to use, then you have to fine-tune it once the salt dissolves and the water gets to the correct temperature.

Since the chemistry of saltwater is fairly uniform, you need to approxinate the conditions in the ocean - this includes things like pH, which you're usually advised not to change in freshwater tanks. Fish are a little more forgiving, but the pH should be above 8.0, and an ideal level is 8.2-8.4, Using an aragonite or crushed coral substrate will help raise it, but depending on the chemistry of the water you use to mix the tank water, it may not raise it enough. The best product I've found for changing the pH is kalkwasser, which is very caustic and needs to be mixed outside the tank and added slowly to bring the pH up. If you want to keep corals or some inverts, the levels of calcium and iodine are also important. And marine organisms are less tolerant of poor water quality, so it's advised to keep up with water changes and test your water. You can also get a protein skimmer which help keep the water quality from getting bad as quickly by using bubbles to remove dissolved organic material and push them into a collecting cup before they add to your nitrates and phosphates.

Live rock will help with the nutrients, because the bacteria on it will convert the ammonia and nitrite to nitrate, which is less toxic to fish and inverts. It gives your tank a more natural appearance as well, and it can be stacked to make "caves" and places for the tank inhabitants to hide. And besides the bacteria, you get loads of other critters - shrimp, sponges, seastars, sea urchins, snails, and other animals have come in on mine.

Another big consideration is the fish. Marine species are generally not like your freshwater community fish. They're more territorial and aggressive with each other, so between their personalities and intolerance of poor water quality, you can't stock as many fish as you can in a freshwater tank of the same size. Fish tend to be most aggressive to species they see as "food" or "competitors" so you need to be very careful when choosing tankmates - a general rule here is not to get fish that are the same body shape or color, or that come from the same family (the exceptions are fish which can be kept as a mated pair, or the few schooling species).

If you plan to keep corals, anemones, or clams, most of these contain photosynthetic bacteria, and need more intense lighting than you get with an average aquarium hood. You would need a compact fluorescent system or a T-5 system at the least, to a metal halide system for large tanks.

You also need to provide a stable temperature at which the fish and organisms can live. Somewhere between 76-80o is best. If the temperature gets above 84o on a consistant basis, the corals can expell their photosynthetic bacteria, effectively killing them. The light system you use can affect your tank temperatre as well. If the water gets too warm, you might need to invest in a chiller to lower the water temperature. Fish can tolerate higher temperatures, so you might start with fish and keep track of the water temperature over a summer before you try any of the photosynthetic organisms.

And for purposes of temperature, water chemistry, and territoriality, it's wise to get the largest tank possible when starting. A 30 gallon is what usually quoted as the smallest for a beginner, but I started in a 29, but move into a 55 in 6 months. There's just such a variety of fish and inverts, it gets addictive once you start.

Does that seem like a lot? It can be when you're first starting, which is why it's so important to learn about what you're getting into first. I read for about 2 years before I set up my first tank, but I never regretted it. Since you seem to be in the planning stages, I would recommend getting a good book to start. Two that really helped me when I was first starting were The New Marine Aquarium by Michael S. Paletta. Microcosm Ltd. ISBN 1-890087-52-1 and The Conscientious Marine Aquarist by Robert M. Fenner. Microcosm Ltd. ISBN 1-890087-02-5. Either of these will help you with equipment, setup, and stocking.

In the meantime, here are some websites that can help you get started:

http://www.fishlore.com/SaltwaterBeginners.htm
http://www.peteducation.com/index.cfm?cls=16
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/
http://saltaquarium.about.com/od/startinganaquarium/How_to_Start_a_Saltwater_Aquarium.htm
http://www.aquariumlife.net/articles/new/71.asp

Answer 2

One thing to know about salt water is the bigger it is, the easier it is. You want to get "Live Sand" and "Live Rock" if you can...your tank will need to sit for a while to "Cycle" it can be very expensive, and needs cleaning every 2-3 day's plus you'll need to do a 10% water change every week...it can be a handle because after all that work, you'll smell like you've crawled out of the ocean..and not in the good way. It can be very rewarding, I believe saltwater fish are much prettier than freshwater. But be prepared to spend $500.00 and more to get a correct setup....you'll need heaters, and chillers, and bio balls, carbon filters, ect, ect, ect, Join the forum, all your answers can be answered by people who live, eat, sleep saltwater fish...

Answer 3

oh god copperhead, you summed it up beautifully!!!!