How to Set Up a Saltwater Aquarium Tank

Setting up a saltwater tank is a tough task comparing to freshwater tank. However, once set saltwater tank can accommodate a large variety of fishes that are colorful and vibrant. They enhance the overall appearance of your home. Specialized equipments are required to keep a saltwater tank.

The first and foremost task is to choose the type of tank. There are two types of tanks, glass and acrylic. Acrylic is preferred to glass, since they are better insulators and clearer to allow better light to pass. Acrylic is strong and less prone to leakage and seldom breaks. However acrylic tanks are costlier than glass tanks and they are more prone to scratches comparing to glass tanks.

Fortunately some acrylic tanks are available with life time guarantee. The size of the tank should be as large as possible since a larger tank is more stable and healthier for the fishes and simultaneously requires minimum maintenance. The number of fishes also has to be considered while choosing the size. For every inch of fish almost 4 gallons of water must be available.

Once the tank is decided other equipments should be purchased. Filters such as mechanical, chemical and biological filters should be purchased that ensures the water in the tank is clear and free from toxins and discoloration. A protein skimmer would be required if you plan to add live rock. The skimmer keeps the waste products in the rock from breaking down into the water. Also substrates such as crushed coral, sand and aragonite should be added to the tank.

Equipments such as air pump, thermometer and heater should be fixed to the tank. The decorations for the saltwater tank should not be plastic since the saltwater fish may eat them. A saltwater test kit should be purchased to determine the calcium, nitrate, nitrate, pH balance, ammonia, alkalinity and temperature. To measure the salinity a hydrometer along with saltwater mix must be purchased as well.

Before setting up the tank it is better to clean the equipments before fixing them up. Soap and other cleaning agents are harmful to the fish. Hence you could use plain water to clean the equipments. The saltwater tank should be placed on a firm stand in a well lit room. The temperature should be stable and excess heat is fatal for the fishes. Hence the location where the aquarium is placed should be away from window, door or heat vents thereby avoiding sunlight heat and excess light.

The filters, substrates and other decorative items must be placed before adding water to the tank. The water should be checked for salinity and chlorine. The ideal pH balance is around 8.2 and salinity should be around 1.022. Once the equipments are fixed and tested water is filled up the tank should be allowed to run for about 72 hours and every 24 hours the calcium, ammonia levels, pH balance, nitrate and temperature should be retested. Once the levels are stable, you may add the fishes. Constant monitoring should be done every time new fishes are added to the tank.

When you start buying expensive fishes to make your saltwater tank colorful, you may be annoyed to find the fishes dying due to inexperience in maintenance or other equipment problems. Hence it is always a better idea to begin with inexpensive fishes in your new tank and once you get a hang of maintaining your aquarium you may go for colorful expensive fishes.

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