Saltwater Aquarium Set up and Saltwater Tropical Fish

Starting up a saltwater tank can be a lot of fun! However, this can be a long term hobby and as with any major decision the first step is to slow down and learn everything you can about a saltwater setup. If there is one hobby that requires some patience this is the one!

When deciding on a saltwater tank you have three options to design your tank. Your options are tropical saltwater fish only, fish and reef keeping (aka live rock), or reef keeping only. If you decide to go with a saltwater fish only system try to buy equipment that could be used for reef keeping in case you change your mind later.

There are a lot of great saltwater aquarium books for sale. If you are considering a setup that involves reef keeping I would strongly recommend that you look for a newer book. I suggest this because the methods of caring for live rock and corals have been improved upon in recent years. Check out online book sellers as they usually have the best variety and price.

In regards to tank size you can start with something as small as a twenty gallon tank. It is important to point out that saltwater tanks and tropical fish are delicate and a smaller tank will require more frequent monitoring and can be more susceptible to changes in the water condition. Also, if you are going to have aggressive fish a larger tank will give your fish room to spread out and even hide. Most experts recommend the minimum size should be at least fifty gallons if not larger.

Once you have an idea as to the size of your saltwater tank give some thought to where it will be placed. One gallon of water weighs approximately nine pounds. Add some sand, reef and combined with the weight of the tank your setup will easily exceed five hundred pounds or more. As a result be sure that there is adequate support under your tank. Also be sure that it is level. A tank that is not level can leak over time.

Also avoid direct sunlight and placing it away from heating and cooling vents. The sunlight can make your water turn green and the air from the vents can make the temperature in your saltwater tank fluctuate and cause unnecessary stress on your tropical fish and reef. If possible try to find a spot such a family room, TV room, or entry way where everyone in your family will be able to enjoy your saltwater.

A common myth is that the ideal reef tank temperature is somewhere between 72° and 78° Fahrenheit. However, the water where your corals came from was probably a lot higher than that. The best way to figure out the proper temperature is to find out from what part of the world your corals came from and then check out the temperatures. NOAA has a surface temperature map that can assist you. You may find out that a warmer temperature would be better for your tank. Just be careful. If you are still aren't sure go with a lower temperature setting than a higher one.

Having a saltwater aquarium can be a lot of fun. Watching your tropical saltwater fish can be very relaxing. Not to mention if set up properly your aquarium can be a great addition to your home or office. If you want to keep your saltwater tank setup in tip top shape you will have to pay attention to it. I have put together a four part series on do's and don'ts when it comes to managing a saltwater aquarium.

The Do's (Part 1)

Buy a good saltwater aquarium book. This will be a great resource as there are lots of issues that can arise with a saltwater set up. If you haven't purchased a good reference book already it already it should be the next item you purchase. Amazon.com will probably have a better variety than you can find at your local book store and they usually have very good prices.

React quickly when you believe that something could be wrong. The first thing to do is to test your water quality. Look for signs of disease. Consult your aquarium book(s); check out some fish (saltwater tropical) forums on the internet.

Keep a maintenance schedule to help remind you to regularly check things like your water quality, toping off with water, replace saltwater, etc.

Feed small amounts of food regularly.

Look at your tank daily to look for changes in your saltwater fish's health. Are they acting behaving any differently than normal, do they show any damage or signs of sickness.

Be sure you have sufficient circulation in your tank. Consider investing in a power head.

Use a timer if possible on your tanks lights as your saltwater tropical fish like structure with respect to their daytime and nighttime.

Be sure to use good quality activated carbon in your tanks so that unwanted toxins are removed and water stays clear. Be sure to replace your activated carbon on a regular basis.

Keep your tank conditions as close as possible to Natural Sea Water conditions.

Properly acclimate your new tropical fish - this can be anywhere from a few minutes to a few days if you want to quarantine them first. The important thing is not to bring a sick fish into you tank.

Use a protein skimmer if possible. It will work nicely with your mechanical and biological filtration. In some cases this is a must have if you are keeping certain invertebrates.

Always keep some saltwater supplies and top off water on hand for an unexpected problem or emergency.

Make sure you understand the nitrogen cycle. This is the process for how wastes in your tank get converted from toxic chemicals to less toxic chemicals by bacteria that live in your saltwater aquarium.

If possible use natural sea water in your tank. There is nothing like the real thing.

If you use natural sea water make sure you know where it is coming from. You don't want sea water that was collected in your local marina or just offshore as it will not be suitable. Sea water taken from areas close to the shore can contain all sorts of man made pollutants.

Select your new fish carefully. Study ahead of time to make sure you know what signs to look for in a damaged or diseased fish. It is always a good idea to keep new saltwater fish in quarantine before adding them to your display tank.

Always wash your hands before putting them in the tank or working with any equipment that will come into contact with your tank's water. Oils and anything else on your skin (lotion, perfume, soap, etc.) can pollute your saltwater aquarium.

Feed a varied diet that accommodates all your saltwater tanks needs.

Create passages and caves for you saltwater reef fish to enjoy.

There are probably some other Do's that we could add to the list. However, this is a good start. Keeping a saltwater set up going properly takes some work but the enjoyment that you will receive from it are well worth it.

Don't overfeed. This is most probably one of the most common mistakes for a beginner. Fish always appear hungry and it is very tempting to feed them often but this can cause all sorts or problems - the most common being poor water quality. If not corrected this can lead to sickness and death of your fish and other critters in a short time. If you are going to feed them very often then ensure you only feed small amounts and that it all gets eaten immediately. Also test your water quality often (e.g. test ammonia, nitrite and nitrates at least a couple of times a week).

Don't overstock you tank. This is also one of the most common mistakes for beginners. Tanks can only successfully support a certain amount of life in them and this is based upon a number of factors. A few things to consider are volume, surface area, aeration, circulation, filtration (mechanical and biological), maturity, quantity and frequency of water changes, flow, number of fish and inverts etc, etc. It is better to start small and grow your tank over time. Consult reference material online or speak with your local fish store for advice on stocking levels.

Don't use water from your tap without treating it and testing it first. Some local water supplies have unwanted chemicals such as copper (Cu), Iron (Fe), Ammonia (NH4), Nitrites (NO2), Nitrates (NO3) and heavy metals in them. They all have chlorine and chloramines that need to be removed before being added to the aquarium (or even mixing salt in - remove the chlorine first).

Don't use any type of sprays, air fresheners, incense, etc. in the same room as your fish tanks as these products can poison your saltwater inhabitants.
Don't mix inhabitants (fish or inverts) without some research of your own and/or advice from your local fish store because just like people, they don't all get on together.

Don't change any critical aquarium conditions too drastically - stability is your friend. The main ones include salinity (Specific Gravity or SG), pH and temperature.

Don't rush the maturation of your new aquarium. This is another one of the most common mistakes for beginners. Sea water is a complex living thing. It contains thousands of elements, compounds, minerals and organisms that are all reacting together. When setting up a new aquarium it takes time to cycle to sustain higher order living animals such as fish and inverts. Generally it can take from four to eight weeks for the nitrogen cycle to complete and the sea water to stabilize enough to allow for the addition of fish. One thought is to place to one or two hardy fish at first and then slowly add more fish over a period of time. As you are doing this you are keeping a very close eye on water conditions. I would recommend that the water be tested daily for pH, salinity (SG), ammonia, nitrites and nitrates during this phase. After a few months or so if everything is going all right I would then consider basic, hardy invertebrates such as soft corals, algae's, shrimps, anemones, star fish, urchins etc.

Don't use the cheap equipment (hydrometers) to measure your Specific Gravity (salinity) as they can be inaccurate! These include your common floating type (they quite often also contain a thermometer in them as well) and the floating needle types that stick to your glass and a little plastic needle floats in the water. These types are also affected by temperature and may be giving an incorrect reading if not used properly. Most enthusiasts would agree that the most accurate is a refractometer and they are not too expensive.

Don't use only one heater in your aquarium. It may save you a little money but if it breaks (turns off, or even worse gets stuck on) you could lose everything. A safer idea is to use two smaller heaters so that if one breaks you have a back up and if one gets stuck in the on position it won't cook your fish.

There is probably some more we could add but this will go a long ways in helping to keep your critters happy and healthy.

Everything (rocks, fish, cleanup crew, and corals) you introduce to your aquarium needs to be quarantined! This will help make sure that you don't introduce a parasite or some other nasty creature to your aquarium. Skipping quarantine can only lead to big problems sooner or later. While in quarantine you might see anything from aiptasia to unwanted crabs, ich to velvet. Most experts in this field will suggest leaving newly acquired livestock in the quarantine tank for at least 4-6 weeks.

When you move inhabitants from your quarantine tank to your display tank you will want to acclimate them as well. Every time you change the environment you need to acclimate the livestock to the new condition. This can be a pain sometimes but it sure beats getting an outbreak of something. Extra work now will save you from Emergency work later. Be sure to check out http://www.theguidetofun.com for more great information.

The subject of saltwater aquarium lighting is a lot larger than you might think. It is so large in fact that entire books have been written about it. This article is an introduction the subject and hopefully shed some light on the matter (just kidding!). The main types of lighting for saltwater aquarium tanks are:

regular florescent lights
compact florescent high output (HO)
florescent very high output (VHO)
florescent Metal Halide (MH)

The type of light you need for your particular set up depends in large part on what kind of saltwater tank set up you plan to maintain.

The first light is the regular florescent lights. These are the most affordable type of lights. And can usually be found with most starter tanks. The typical output can vary from 15 to 40 watts and have Kelvin ratings from 3,000° to 10,000°. In regards to this discussion Kelvin temperature refers to the actual appearance of the light itself. The higher the temperature the more bluer the color will appear. If you plan to have a live fish only saltwater tank than a regular florescent bulb will work fine. If this is the type of bulb you plan to get look for a "full spectrum" light for your tank. A full spectrum bulb has the capability to blend with the natural sunlight entering your home through windows and skylights.

The next step up is the compact fluorescent light bulb. They usually fall in the range of 10 to 100 watts and have Kelvin ratings from 5,000° to 10,000°. This compact bulb is U shaped with both connectors on the same end. These lights are typically brighter and more intense light than the regular bulb. They also put off heat that may raise the water temperature in the tank. Because of the heat generated by the bulbs special tank hoods are required. These hoods have exhaust fans to help divert the heat away from the water. This is a good bulb for a smaller tank setup.

The ocean has a way of regulating, filtering and supporting sea life. Millions of saltwater fish and plants survive based on the oceans ability to take care of itself. That is not the case with your saltwater fish tank at home. Tropical fish saltwater setup tank maintenance chores are important to keep aquatic life happy and healthy.

When adding saltwater to your new setup first select a salt mix that when mixed will closely resemble the composition of natural seawater. You do not want any chlorine or other chemicals to be in the water. I wouldn't recommend it but I have heard of a few people who filled the tank with distilled bottled water. Others may choose to have natural water tested for bacteria or harmful chemicals. Those using tap water should have the water filtered using reverse osmosis to remove chlorine and other chemicals before using it in the salt water tank. Learn how to do this because you will always have a need to top off your tank as water will evaporate regularly.

Once you have the water chosen, you will want to add in the salt. Chose a salt mixture from the pet store specially designed for saltwater tanks. The most important thing to remember is that the minerals included in the salt should be resilient unless you want to replace the water and minerals regularly. The presence of several major and minor elements and compounds, in appropriate proportion, is necessary for the healthy survival of the marine fish.

Develop a routine for your saltwater tank maintenance that includes all aspects of maintaining your tank. You should check it frequently at first then over time you will determine what interval is best suited for your fish tank.

Saltwater fish tanks are a lot of fun to own and take care off. The fish saltwater setup tank chores can be tough at the beginning but after awhile it will become easier to maintain.

Your tank is ready and you can finally start adding saltwater tropical fish. However, there are a few things to keep in mind before you head for the local fish store or type in "fish for sale" on your favorite search engine.

The first thing to remember is that fish have personalities just like people and not everyone gets along well. Also, the order in which you add fish and how many of the same type can make a difference as well since some fish are territorial. In the next few days I will go over some tropical fish that are easy for beginners to handle and can live together in your new aquarium.

The Powder Blue Tang is a tropical saltwater fish that will be sure to entertain you. The Blue Tang was made famous by "Dory" form the popular Disney movie "Finding Nemo." This tropical fish has an oval body shape with colorful markings. It is primarily blue which is accented by yellow and white. Bright yellow highlights the dorsal and pectoral fins while blue-black markings outline the face and tail. They do best in a larger tank. They like saltwater reef systems with passages that provide them with a sense of security. Unless you have a large tank you should only have one Blue Tang.

You can't think about a saltwater tank and not envision a Clownfish (Nemo). This fish has alternating bands of orange and white. Some varieties will have black lines as well. This is another great saltwater reef fish. The Clownfish is a peaceful fish that will spend most of it's time in its anemone. If you plan to have more than one Clownfish it is best to add them in pairs and have at least one anemone for each pair you add. You should only consider more than one if you tank is at least 100 gallons.

For more info check out http://www.theguidetofun.com

Everything is finally in place. Now to make sure your new tank runs smooth. When monitoring your saltwater tank there are several things you need to monitor. I have ranked them in order of importance. They are pH, nitrate, phosphate, alkalinity, nitrite, ammonia and Calcium (Note: in reef tanks the calcium test kit is more important than nitrite and ammonia). A good pH test kit is critical, and an electronic pH monitor is even better. Ammonia and nitrite tests are only needed occasionally after cycling. A nitrate test kit is a good overall test for water quality after the tank becomes established. Most experts suggest that you perform a pH test once a week and a nitrate test every two weeks. As you advance in your hobby you will find that other kits are not necessary but may be needed to solve particular problems. Especially if you advance to more delicate creatures.

One of the downsides to aquariums is what to do if you will be away from home for an extended period of time. I would suggest you a search for an in home pet sitter. Find someone who would come in and take care of your pets/aquarium while you are away. Here is an example of what to look for at http://wvpetsitter.com.