Salt Water Tanks- Are They for You?

So what's really the difference between salt water tanks versus fresh water tanks besides we know there is salt in one?

Well to start one of the main things is salt water fish are much more sensitive to different changes to their environment or tank. A few of the most critical items to remember with salt water tanks are the pH, the nitrate, salinity, and especially the tanks temperature. None of these parameters however are any different from your typical fresh water tank, but the degree to which they may vary is incredibly different.

The pH of salt water tanks is the most important factor. Tropical fish are extremely sensitive to rapid and multiple fluctuations in their pH, so be sure to keep the pH fluctuations within 0.2 each day as this is very critical element in keeping your salt water fish happy.

The next critical item that needs your attention are the nitrates. Salt water fish are much more tolerable of higher nitrates than your typical invertebrates. But make sure that you keep the nitrates in your salt water tank lower than 20ppm, but less than 5ppm is really needed for most other invertebrates.

The next item for concern and your attention is salinity, or specific gravity. Specific gravity could be considered the amount of salt in the water. Many salt water aquarium enthusiast tend to see specific gravity and salinity as one and the same, but, they are not. Specific gravity is temperature, salinity is not.

Other items worth keeping an eye on are alkalinity and calcium. The alkalinity of salt water tanks is most critical for the long term success of your salt water tanks. If you don't have a good alkalinity reading, the pH of your salt water tank will drop and then over time this can endanger the lives of your tropical fish and we all know we don't want that to happen.

And then finally, the temperature of your salt water tanks is around the same as fresh water tanks. Your temperature should always stay between 75F to 80F, with 77F being the best midpoint so you should try to keep your tank at this temperature on a steady basis. Temperature variations may increase the stress in your fish and this may lead to disease, so an excellent heater for your salt water tank is a must.

So now you can see that having salt water tanks is really not as big of a difference then having your own fresh water tanks.

Yes, salt water tanks do take a little more patience and know how but I absolutely believe if you are going to spend the time and money to set up a fresh water tank then why not just go ahead and set up a salt water tank?

I have found this wonderful book that has helped me and my family members tremendously when setting up our second salt water tank and gave us specific incite on what we were doing wrong with our other tanks. I had no idea!

This book has been hailed as a "Fish Bible"... It gives you all the secrets to help make your salt water tanks setup and care as simple as possible and all in one place!