saltwater aquarium?

Question

what are the basic neccesities of a saltwater aquarium. and how do i set up the eqipment ,and what does each tool do?

Answer 1

I already answered much of this in one of your previous questions. I think you were planning to convert a tank you already had, but just in case you're planning to start with everything new, here's a complete list:

tank - the larger the better - larger tanks make water conditions more stable, and give you room to keep larger and more fish. Since the fish in saltwater are more territorial, you can keep as many in a tank as you can in freshwater, or you'll have problems with aggression between your fish. Also, many of the cool fish get fairly large, so you'll need to keep the adult size and activity level in mind when planning the tank. I always suggest if you're starting from scratch, plan out the fish you want to keep, then plan the tank size and equipment around them. I wouldn't recommend with starting with a tank smaller than a 29 gallon, and for some fish, you might need a 55, 75, 90, or larger.

heater - I would suggest one that is fully submersible and has an adjustable temperature. If your tank is 36inches or longer, I would suggest getting two heaters for more even heating, and to have a backup in the even that one fails.

a filter - You want one that will turn over at least 10 times the volume of water in the tank per hour, so check the GPH rating. There are a number of types you can buy, from a regular hang-on-tank (cheapest), biowheel (more expensive), canister (most expensive), or wet/dry trickle filter or refugium (expensive if you buy, but there are directions on the web for DIY models). Obviously, the more efficient the filter, the more expensive it will be, and you can easily spend over $100 for a good canister or trickle filter.

protein skimmer - This isn't 100% required, but is strongly recommended if you're keeping anything other than fish. These use a stream of small bubbles to remove dissoved organics from the water and deposit them into a collection cup. The organics would otherwise contribute to your ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate.

salt mix - If you only plant to keep fish, Instant Ocean is economical and good. If you plan to keep invertebrates, you may need to use supplements, or go with a higher-end brand. If you plan to get a larger tank, you will get more for the money if you buy salt mix by the bucket (enough for 150-160 gallons in most brands).

hydrometer - This is used for mixing salt to the proper concentration. You'll need a specific gravity of 1.020-1.026 for fish, 1.024-1.026 if you keep inverts.

substrate - This should be aragonite or crushed coral to help stabilize the tank's pH. Saltwater should be maintained at 8.2-8.4. The aragonite won't raise it this high itself, but will keep it from dropping below 7.8. If you can't get the needed pH with the buffers in the salt mix and the aragonite alone, you'll need to use additives to raise it. The best I've found is kalkwasser (calcium hydroxide).

live rock - While not strictly required, it's strongly recommended to use. The live rock has bacteria to help break down the wastes from your fish, some of which are toxic to them. You can make "caves" for them to swim in and out of, and these give the tank a more natural appearance. The recommended amount is 1 lb per gallon of Pacific origin rock to 1 1/2 to 2 lb per gallon for Atlantic/Carribean origin. The difference here is that Pacific rock is more porous, so there's more surface area for bacteria to colonize and less is needed for the same effect.

glass cover - This keeps the water from evaporating too quickly or from splashing the lights, and keeps fish from jumping out of the tank.

lighting - This will vary depending on what you intend to keep. For $25, you can get a basic lighting set-up that can be used if you only keep fish and non-photosynthetic inverts. If you want to keep corals or anemones, you'd need a minimum of a compact fluorescent system and these will run about $150. If you have a deep tank (18 inches+) it may be worth it for you to get a metal halide system if you plan to keep anything that's photosynthetic. For metal halide and compact fluorescent, you'll need to replace the lamps once a year at the very minimum, even if they haven't burnt out - they stop producing enough light in the wavelengths needed for photosynthesis after 10-12 months.

Cleaning supplies - 5 gallon bucket (for dirty water), large plastic container with lid for mixing saltwater (a plastic garbage can is great for this), optional powerhead to mix saltwater, siphon, long-sleeved gloves (you shouldn't put your hands in the tank), algae scraper.

Saltwater test kit - for testing your water quality - API Saltwater Master kit is a good one.

A reference book - I highly recommend 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

There are lots of other things you could get or may need, but the list above will give you a good idea of what you should have on hand to start. Others you can add after you've gained some experience and have researched saltwater fish a little more to decide for yourself if you really want them. Addatives like the kalkwasser you won't know if you'll need until you set up the tank and have a chance to test the water. Your best bet is to get one of the books I've suggested and read through it. These will explain all the types of equipment in more detail and give the pros and cons of each (there are reasons these books top 100 pages - there is more than one way to set up a tank, and what you equipment you choose and what will work best for you will depend in part on what you want to keep, size of tank you get, budget, and personal preferences. The wetwebmedia website (mentioned above and in my previous answer) also has a lot of good info.

Answer 2

The best thing to do is figure out what size tank you are going to do. Get as large of a tank as you can, because Saltwater fish need more room than freshwater since Saltwater holds less oxygen than freshwater and most saltwater fish get larger. Supplies Tank/Stand/etc Lights. Are you doing coral? Hard or soft? Look into T5 lighting and Metal Halides. You will want around 3-5 watts per gallon. Heater- Submersible, marineland is a good brand or hydor Filter- Get a canister filter. The new FX5 is crazy awesome by Fluval, get one that will circulate all of the water in the tank at least 5 times per hour. Protein Skimmer- Coral Life makes some great ones. Substrate- Use either crushed coral or aragonite (aragonite is sand and crushed coral looks more like gravel. Either will buffer the pH to where you need it (8.2-8.3) After the equipment is taken care of, you set up the tank as you would a freshwater tank, but you add in the sea salt. I prefer Oceanic or Coral life. A hydrometer is needed to read the level of salt in the water(specific gravity) Live Rock is needed once the tank is setup and running. About 1lb per gallon is recommended but you can also mix live rock with base rock(it is dead live rock. It will eventually become live rock though) I did a 3/4 LR to 1/4 BR ratio because it is cheaper and works just fine. Give it a few weeks to cycle, and start with some fish. I'd recommend some Blue/Green Chromis to start because they are a peaceful damsel fish whereas most of the other damsel fish get aggressive as they get older. That should be about it, it is really easy so do some research and get to it! Best of luck

Answer 3

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John A
S Best Answer - Chosen by Asker

i just started a ten gallon marine tank. its my first one too. but ive done freshwater for a few years.
its actually not that bad as far as difficulty goes. a lot of people will tell you a small tank is too hard. mine actually tests out pretty good every week. ph 8.3, salinity keep at 1.022 with RO water topp offs a few times a week, ammonia, nitrates, and nitrites keep at 0 with water changes when any are seen. temp 78 degrees

i have 10lbs of live rock, 20lbs of live sand
sand= 30$
rock 5.99lbs X 10lbs

i used a ten gallon kit from walmart that had freshwater in it before. 30 dollars

bought heater seperate 15 dollars

thermometer 2 dollars
hydrometer 10 dollars(measures salt)

lighting, for such a small tank as mine i use compact flourescants .. 2 at 13$ a piece. 40 watts in my ten gallon

4 hermit crabs at 1.5$ each
3 snails for algae control at 2$ a peice
one feather duster at 2 $ each
2 tank raised oscerllris clownfish at 26$ a peice.
i might get an anenonme today for 50$ and some stuff to bring up my Kh as they like it high. as well as food for it too.

my store says i can keep coral and even more fish but i dont think i will do coral. you have todo a lot more to the water for that. but Fish only with Live Rock isnt that hard

damels are cheap 7-10 dollars each at my store

clownfish 26 dolllars each like the NEMO ones.

start out slow and add gradually till you have a cool looking tank.

mines doing pretty good at about 2 months old. i will be adding some more live rock thought because it looks good.

check your ph every couple of topp offs and add reef buffer when needed (raises Ph)

keep ph around 8.3

check salinity every few days

hope this helps

John A

its not that hard dude. ppl told me on here not to do a ten gallon as my first saltwater tank but i havent lost anything.

Answer 4

Dude, entire volumes of books have been written attempting to answer your question. Go to http://www.wetwebmedia.com/index.html
They have tons of articles that will answer most of your questions.