Aquarium Saltwater Basics Article

Aquarium Saltwater (Marine) Basics

These basics are intended for a marine fish aquarium, not an advanced marine reef aquarium. They are based on my experience of keeping and professionally maintaining marine fish (and reef) aquariums for over 27 years with one of the largest maintenance companies in Los Angeles, California.

[1] Filtration; Good filtration is a must for a successful marine aquarium. There are many different filters available too.

Canister filters are good for their capacity, but can become Nitrate factories is not rinsed very regularly. I do not recommend Fluvals due to their poor impeller design. Via Aqua. Eheim, Jebo, and Magnum are the ones I recommend.

Wet/Dry filters are good, but usually are poor mechanical filters. The bio ball media in them also should be rinsed regularly in de-chlorinated water to prevent a buildup of organic material, increasing nitrates.

Sump systems with live rock, plants, and sponge filters work well. The live rock is excellent for aerobic filtration (ammonia and nitrite removal) and anaerobic filtration (nitrate removal). The live plants and green algae are good for nitrogen fixing and phosphate removal. The sponge filter is a simple to clean aerobic bio-filter and mechanical filter.

Hang on back filters are very limited, but can be used too, especially if combined with other bio filters. Internal filters are also limited, but once again are good combined with others.

Filter redundancy is also important, as filters/pumps can break down. Extra filters also increase bio and mechanical filtration. An economical combination would be a sponge filter, internal filter, and a hang on back (power filter).

[2] Lighting; A 10,000 K Daylight bulb is a start, better would be a 50/50 daylight/ 420nm actinic bulb, or better yet would be one of each.

[3] Test Kits; an ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, ph, and KH (alkalinity) test kit are all important.

[4] Water Chemistry; Start with a good marine salt and mix it to a specific gravity of 1.019- 1.021 for fish. Change water regularly (see my blog Reasons for cleaning). Add trace elements and buffer. SeaChem makes an excellent product called Reef Calcium which maintains KH, adds calcium and magnesium. Many products available do not add both calcium and magnesium (such as Kalkwasser), and they are BOTH necessary together for proper chemistry and fish health. It should be noted, that unlike freshwater fish which absorb the water around them, marine fish drink the water constantly, which affects their internal body chemistry to the surrounding water.

[5] UV Sterilization; UV Sterilizers are in my opinion, not essential, but are VERY important. UV Sterilizers help with disease prevention and also help maintain a proper Redox Potential (oxidation properties of water). The Redox Potential is often overlooked by many aquarists. For more information please see my article about "Why Use an or Pond UV Sterilizer - How UV Sterilization Works"

[6] Proper Fish and feeding; do not over crowd a marine aquarium. The amount of fish depends on the surface area and the type of fish. My article "Basic Principles" addresses this subject. Feed your marine fish according to the type of food they naturally eat in the wild. Aquatic based foods such as HBH Marine Flake or Spirulina 20 Flake are good generic fish foods for Tangs, angels, clown fish, ECT. (Angels also need sponge in their diet).

This is a basic article, for more information, find a good local dealer, see my blog "Aquarium Answers", or "Aquarium Information".

By Carl Strohmeyer

http://aquarium-info.blogspot.com/

http://www.americanaquariumproducts.com/

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