plateboy3293
New member
I did not write any of this. All credit should go to LION_CRAZZ. I thought some people might be interested in this.
A little while back, I decided to begin an informational post that would cover all aspects of a marine aquarium from beginning it to maintaining one, in order to ease the stress of a new hobbyist. Beginning a marine aquarium is a wonderful journey to embark upon, but after one sees the many aspects and facets of beginning an quarium, it is very easy to become overwhelmed and want to give up. I have already posted a thread that contains a ton of fabulous links to read if there is any one aspect that you are not sure of. However, you look at all of those links and that can be a bit overwhelming. Where would you start? In this informational thread below, I have listed 101 tips and bits of advice that will greatly help any aquarist. It starts with a table of contents below of all of the tips and then below them is a more detailed statement that explains the tip. You can read straight through the tips, and if there is any one that you want more info on, just scroll below, find the number, and you can read up on it. This thread is going to be edited and added to as it sits here. I want your suggestions and comments. If I forgot anything, tell me and I will add it, of course giving you credit for the suggestion. This thread is not meant to be read all at once. It took me quite a while to compose and took up many, many pages on my computer (I actually deleted some things that I felt were unneeded or redundant).
*Please note: All tips and bits of advice below are from my experience both in the hobby and from years of working in the commercial end of fish keeping as well. I have a ton of experience in the hobby, plus, I have listened to stories and experience of thousands of others.
Many will disagree with some of the things said, and that is okay with me. I am not writing this as an end all, be all. If you don’t agree, no problem. There will be some people who say that they have done some of the things that I do not recommend below. And to them, I say, nothing is impossible, but the odds are certainly stacked against you. Many people have alternate ways of doing things, but the methods below will serve as a nice guide to make your fish keeping experience easier, more fun, and less stressful. They are tried and proven by not only the experts, but by highly experienced aquarists as well. Thanks for reading and please feel free to ask any questions on anything you read.*
All rights reserved and no information in this entire thread may be copied or distributed without author's written permission. The only exception to this is printing strictly for personal use.
Reply With Quote
The Tips
1. The first thing you should do is find out what you like.
2. After you know what you want to do, get a good book to explain the basics.
3. Save a list of acronyms and abbreviations for quick referral.
4. Be prepared to spend money.
5. Do not spend money without first shopping around.
6. Get the biggest tank you and your wallet can afford.
7. Do not skimp on filtration.
8. Natural is always better.
9. Do not waste your time and money on a cheap protein skimmer.
10. Flow is key in keeping a healthy tank.
11. Pick your substrate wisely.
12. Buy two smaller heaters as opposed to one larger one.
13. Own a refractometer.
14. Set up a quarantine tank and use it.
15. Quarantine all new additions for no shorter than three weeks.
16. “Reef safe†medications do not work like advertised. Do not believe the gimmicks.
17. More lighting is always better than not enough.
18. A chiller may be needed if your tank is in a warm area.
19. UV sterilizers are not necessary.
20. Air bubbles are bad for a saltwater tank.
21. When you go to fill the tank, fill it first with tap water to perform a leak test.
22. Use RO or RO/DI water in your tank.
23. Always premix water before adding it to your tank.
24. Live rock is one of the most important things in a saltwater tank.
25. Strongly consider a refugium for your aquarium.
26. When placing live rock in your tank, do not put it on top of your substrate.
27. Own your own test kit and know where your water levels should be.
28. Test strips are not accurate.
29. Patience is key when beginning a new tank.
30. Do not cycle your tank with damsels and do not add any fish until your cycle is over.
31. Support the good aquarium stores and stay away from the bad ones.
32. Get to know the staff at your favorite stores.
33. Get to know the operations at your favorite stores.
34. The first thing in your new tank (once it is cycled) should be a clean-up crew.
35. Before you pick your first fish, read my guide of which fish to absolutely avoid.
36. Research the needs of the fish before you buy it, not after.
37. If necessary, carry a small fish guide with you in the LFS.
38. Be very selective when choosing your fish.
39. Always watch a fish eat at the LFS before buying it.
40. Only add one fish at a time.
41. Pick up a variety of fish foods.
42. Pick up some garlic and vitamins to use in fish food.
43. Acclimate your new fish to your tank properly.
44. Create good habits for doing water changes.
45. Always keep some back up equipment in case something breaks.
46. Have a battery powered air pump.
47. Never feed a fish freshwater feeder fish.
48. If necessary, gut load any live feeders.
49. The more you can automate, the easier your tank will be to keep.
50. Always use freshwater (not saltwater) to top off your tank for evaporation.
51. Know the difference between salinity and specific gravity.
52. Never add any chemicals that you cannot test for.
53. Nitrates are lowered through proper water changes.
54. Do not begin to buy hard corals (LPS or SPS) until your alkalinity and calcium are where they should be.
55. Create the proper light schedule for your aquarium.
56. Know which animals are poisonous/venomous so that you do not put yourself or others in danger.
57. Lionfish will eat fish that are smaller than them.
58. Triggers and lions do not mix.
59. Do not attempt to keep two different species of clowns together.
60. Before buying an anemone, make sure your tank is ready for it and that you are selecting the right one.
61. Tangs need a lot of swimming space. Choose your tang appropriately.
62. Butterflies need very mature tanks.
63. Angels are not a reef safe fish; add them to your reef with caution.
64. Pseudos and basslets have attitudes; add them last if you must have one.
65. Do not expose puffers to air.
66. Provide puffers with hard-shelled foods to grind their teeth down.
67. Sharks and sting rays do not mix with angels, puffers, triggers, wrasses.
68. Starfish have very specialized needs.
69. Many crabs will nip at corals.
70. Tangs of the same family do not usually mix well.
71. Do not attempt to keep more than one angel per tank.
72. Be aware of what fish are jumpers so that you can prevent them from winding up on your floor.
73. There are different snails for different tasks.
74. Provide empty shells for hermit crabs.
75. Kill the aipstasia and majano anemones as soon as you see them.
76. Remove flat worms the second you see them.
77. If interested in sea horses and pipefish, set up a separate tank for them.
78. Mandarins need tanks with an over-abundance of copepods.
79. Replace your power compacts every 6 to 8 months.
80. Replace your metal halides every 10-14 months.
81. Replace your T-5 bulbs every 16-24 months.
82. Never, ever, ever add copper to your display tank.
83. There are certain fish that you cannot put through copper.
84. There are only two ways to totally kill marine ich.
85. Brooklynella is a serious disease that needs to be treated immediately.
86. Lymphocystis is easily curable; don’t use medications.
87. There is a big difference between salts. Test yours before adding it to the tank.
88. Calcium in powder form works better than calcium in liquid form.
89. Running carbon in your tank is always a good idea.
90. Always have a small thermometer in your tank, regardless of whether you have a digital reader or not.
91. SPS corals need very high light and extremely strong water flow.
92. Always dip your corals before placing them in your tank.
93. Keep schooling fish in a school; they will do much better.
94. Bio balls are not always bad; don’t believe the myth.
95. Know what corals/inverts need to be spot fed.
96. Get the right Kelvin bulbs to fit your needs.
97. Deep sand beds can be very beneficial in a reef tank.
98. Have a grounding probe and use it to prevent stray voltage.
99. Use a GFCI on your tank.
100. Use white vinegar to clean out old pumps, filters, tanks.
101. Share your experience in this hobby as much as possible.
1. FIND OUT WHAT YOU LIKE. Know what you like and what you want to keep. Do you like fish or coral? What do you want your tank to be mostly of? This one step will make everything else much easier. It will allow you to choose the right size aquarium, the right type of set-up, and will allow you to buy the right equipment in order to keep everything that you want. Many things in the saltwater hobby are not compatible, so, knowing what you want will allow you to set up a tank that gives you the things you want to keep the most.
2. GET A GOOD BOOK TO EXPLAIN THE BASICS. Once you know whether you want your tank to be centered around fish or corals, pick up a book to get yourself acquainted with all that is the saltwater hobby. This does not mean that you need to be an expert after reading the book, but you should know the basic terms such as protein skimmer, live rock, flow, lights, etc. All of this can be very overwhelming when you know nothing about saltwater. A good book will give you a little preview of what you are getting into. Some books that are very worthwhile are “The Conscientious Marine Aquarist†by Robert Fenner, “Aquarium Corals†by Eric Borneman, or “The New Marine Aquarium†by Michael S. Paletta.
3. SAVE A LIST OF ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS FOR QUICK REFERRAL. There are many abbreviations in this hobby. Seeing SPS, FOWLR, PC, QT, LFS, and MH all over the place can get confusing. Have a list available so that you can refer to it until you learn what all of the acronyms mean. We have a great one right here on this website. http://www.saltwaterfish.com/vb/show...light=acronyms
4. BE PREPARED TO SPEND MONEY. Get it in your mind that you are going to spend a substantial amount of money setting up your saltwater aquarium. If you go into this hobby thinking that it is an inexpensive one, you will be lying to yourself, and ultimately, will make your experience a very unhappy one when you try to cut corners and save money. The only way you are truly going to save any money is if you look for used equipments on classified sections of message boards, online, or in the newspaper. Any other way you try to save money, such as getting a less effective piece of equipment, will do only negative for you and your tank. Get the best you can afford if you really want to do this right.
5. DO NOT SPEND MONEY WITHOUT SHOPPING AROUND. With these four things done, now you are ready to purchase your saltwater aquarium. Before doing this, compare prices of some of your local stores. You may think that they are all around the same price, but this could not be any farther from the truth. There is sometimes a huge difference in price from shop to shop. If you are going to buy your equipment new (and not used), comparing prices is an absolute necessity. You will see a huge difference in prices and this will save you greatly. Take all of those savings and put it towards good equipment.
6. GET THE BIGGEST TANK YOU AND YOUR WALLET CAN AFFORD. Now that you have found a store that has reasonable prices, you are ready to buy your tank. Buy the absolute biggest tank that you can afford. It may seem like a lot of work, but quite the contrary, the bigger the tank, the easier it is to keep. With a bigger tank, you are allowed much more room for error. In a smaller tank, when one thing goes wrong, it can greatly impact the water quality because there is less water to make a change in.
7. DO NOT SKIMP ON FILTRATION. There are many ways to filter a saltwater tank. Many of them work, but some of them work much better than others. For example, when going with a larger tank, a sump or wet/dry is an absolute must. If planning a reef tank, a sump with a refugium is your best bet. If it is just going to be fish with live rock, a wet/dry will do just fine.
8. NATURAL IS ALWAYS BETTER. Setting your tank up naturally is always better. A sump with a refugium, live rock, and sand replicates how the ocean operates. This is what you want to achieve. The ocean has been there for millions of years. It must work well. Not that the unnatural way is bad (wet/dry with bio balls), but it will definitely be more work (cleaning the bio balls, cleaning ornaments, etc.).
9. DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME AND MONEY ON A CHEAP PROTEIN SKIMMER. There are dozens of protein skimmers on the market. Do yourself a favor and get a good protein skimmer right from the start. Avoid Seaclones, Red Sea Berlin skimmers, Visi-Jets, and all of the other junky skimmers on the market. Coralife and AquaC are good brands for smaller tanks, while ETSS, GSM, Deltec, and EuroReef are all great bands for larger tanks. (And yes, there are tons of people who use the “cheap ones†but you need to know how to adjust it and modify it if it is going to work decently. Save yourself the headaches.)
10. FLOW IS KEY IN KEEPING A HEALTHY TANK. Having adequate amounts of flow in your tank will largely determine how clean your tank stays. If you do not have enough flow to keep the water movement and to prevent dead spots, you will deal with algae issues, detritus and debris build-up, and nitrate issues. Shoot for at least 15 times the turnover of your tank volume per hour, but preferably, 20 times. This means that if you have a 55 gallon aquarium, you want to be turning it over 55 times 20, which equals 1100 gallons per hour coming from your filter, powerheads, skimmer, etc. Anyone with a larger tank or who does not like the look of powerheads should consider running a closed loop (which is very simple to set up).
11. PICK YOUR SUBSTRATE WISELY. There are a few different types of substrates out there. Crushed coral is the thickest, followed by finer aragonite, and then very thin sand. The type of tank you have will determine what kind of substrate you will need. If you are planning a reef aquarium, you want a fine substrate so that you can get tons of critters to sift through it and keep it clean. However, if you are planning an aggressive fish tank, you want something more on the coarse side so that you are able to keep it clean on a weekly basis. In an aggressive tank, you will not be able to rely on other animals to keep the substrate clean. This will be your job, as the aggressive fish will eat your cleaners.
12. BUY TWO SMALLER HEATERS INSTEAD OF ONE LARGER ONE. Take the size of your aquarium (in gallons), and multiply that by five. This is how much wattage you need in heaters. If you need 600 watts in heating, it is always much better to go with (2) 300 watt heaters as opposed to (1) 600 watt heater. This is due to the fact that if one heater fails, you still have the other to back you up. Also, if one heater sticks on, you will only have 300 watts of heat pumping consistently until the problem is realized, and not 600 watts.
13. OWN A REFRACTOMETER. This is an absolute must. Simply put, hydometers are an inaccurate tool. Don’t buy a hydrometer. Refractometers only cost $30 more than a hydrometer and unlike hydrometers, a refractometer will always be accurate and will never need to be replaced. You can find a great refractometer, new, for $40. Invest in one when you begin your tank.
14. SET UP A QUARANTINE TANK AND USE IT. Not using a quarantine tank is a sure way to introduce disease and parasites into your aquarium. You are either going to set up a quarantine tank when you begin your tank and prevent disease from entering, or you will set one up when you notice that you have a parasite in the tank. By quarantining all new introductions (fish, inverts, live rock), you will not have to worry about any kind of parasite in your display. A large tank is not necessary unless you plan on keeping very large fish. Usually, a 10 to 20 gallon tank will work just fine. Put a small hang-on power filter on the back, a little heater, and some fake decorations, and you have yourself a very simple, yet effective quarantine tank for $50-$70. That’s a small price to pay to greatly protect your animals and aquarium. And what’s better is this â€"œ you do not need to keep it running 24/7. Use it when you need it. Put a big block sponge in your sump or wet/dry to accumulate biological bacteria. Everytime you get a new animal for your tank, take the block sponge out of your tank and put it in your quarantine tank. This will move enough biological bacteria from your display to your quarantine in order to prevent disease. NOTE: Corals do not need to be quarantined UNLESS they are kept in tanks or a system that also has fish in it. If there is fish in the system, they too can carry a parasite with them.
15. QUARANTINE ALL NEW ADDITIONS FOR NO SHORTER THAN THREE WEEKS. While we are on the subject of quarantine, make sure that everything gets at least a three week quarantine. Keep a close eye on fish while they are in quarantine. If you notice any sign of disease, treat them appropriately and immediately. As for quarantining inverts and corals, no observation is needed. Though inverts and corals can carry a disease on their shell or rock, parasites cannot host an invert or coral. Thus, after three weeks, the parasite will die off without a host.
16. REEF SAFE MEDICATIONS DO NOT WORK AS ADVERTISED. DO NOT BELIEVE THE GIMMICKS. Marketed “reef safe†medications do not always “workâ€Â. There are many times when people have reported that they have actually hurt more than things than they have helped. There are even some cases where they have wiped out a person’s entire tank. When in doubt, do not take the “convenient†or easy way out.
17. MORE LIGHTING IS ALWAYS BETTER THAN NOT ENOUGH. If you plan to have corals, clams, anemones, etc., you will need very good lighting. Always get more than enough. If you try to get away with “just enough†light, your tank will show it. Small polyp stony (SPS) corals and clams NEED metal halide lighting, as do many anemones. Bite the bullet when setting the tank up and spend the extra few hundred dollars for the higher end lighting if this is what you like or plan to keep. It will pay off in the long run.
18. A CHILLER MAY BE NECESSARY. This one relates to tip 17. If you get high-end, expensive lighting, you may need a chiller. Metal halide lights give off some heat. You do not want your tank fluctuating wildly every day. Anything more than a couple degree fluctuation will qualify you for a chiller. If the tank is going in a warm area in the house, a chiller needs to be in your budget.
A little while back, I decided to begin an informational post that would cover all aspects of a marine aquarium from beginning it to maintaining one, in order to ease the stress of a new hobbyist. Beginning a marine aquarium is a wonderful journey to embark upon, but after one sees the many aspects and facets of beginning an quarium, it is very easy to become overwhelmed and want to give up. I have already posted a thread that contains a ton of fabulous links to read if there is any one aspect that you are not sure of. However, you look at all of those links and that can be a bit overwhelming. Where would you start? In this informational thread below, I have listed 101 tips and bits of advice that will greatly help any aquarist. It starts with a table of contents below of all of the tips and then below them is a more detailed statement that explains the tip. You can read straight through the tips, and if there is any one that you want more info on, just scroll below, find the number, and you can read up on it. This thread is going to be edited and added to as it sits here. I want your suggestions and comments. If I forgot anything, tell me and I will add it, of course giving you credit for the suggestion. This thread is not meant to be read all at once. It took me quite a while to compose and took up many, many pages on my computer (I actually deleted some things that I felt were unneeded or redundant).
*Please note: All tips and bits of advice below are from my experience both in the hobby and from years of working in the commercial end of fish keeping as well. I have a ton of experience in the hobby, plus, I have listened to stories and experience of thousands of others.
Many will disagree with some of the things said, and that is okay with me. I am not writing this as an end all, be all. If you don’t agree, no problem. There will be some people who say that they have done some of the things that I do not recommend below. And to them, I say, nothing is impossible, but the odds are certainly stacked against you. Many people have alternate ways of doing things, but the methods below will serve as a nice guide to make your fish keeping experience easier, more fun, and less stressful. They are tried and proven by not only the experts, but by highly experienced aquarists as well. Thanks for reading and please feel free to ask any questions on anything you read.*
All rights reserved and no information in this entire thread may be copied or distributed without author's written permission. The only exception to this is printing strictly for personal use.
Reply With Quote
The Tips
1. The first thing you should do is find out what you like.
2. After you know what you want to do, get a good book to explain the basics.
3. Save a list of acronyms and abbreviations for quick referral.
4. Be prepared to spend money.
5. Do not spend money without first shopping around.
6. Get the biggest tank you and your wallet can afford.
7. Do not skimp on filtration.
8. Natural is always better.
9. Do not waste your time and money on a cheap protein skimmer.
10. Flow is key in keeping a healthy tank.
11. Pick your substrate wisely.
12. Buy two smaller heaters as opposed to one larger one.
13. Own a refractometer.
14. Set up a quarantine tank and use it.
15. Quarantine all new additions for no shorter than three weeks.
16. “Reef safe†medications do not work like advertised. Do not believe the gimmicks.
17. More lighting is always better than not enough.
18. A chiller may be needed if your tank is in a warm area.
19. UV sterilizers are not necessary.
20. Air bubbles are bad for a saltwater tank.
21. When you go to fill the tank, fill it first with tap water to perform a leak test.
22. Use RO or RO/DI water in your tank.
23. Always premix water before adding it to your tank.
24. Live rock is one of the most important things in a saltwater tank.
25. Strongly consider a refugium for your aquarium.
26. When placing live rock in your tank, do not put it on top of your substrate.
27. Own your own test kit and know where your water levels should be.
28. Test strips are not accurate.
29. Patience is key when beginning a new tank.
30. Do not cycle your tank with damsels and do not add any fish until your cycle is over.
31. Support the good aquarium stores and stay away from the bad ones.
32. Get to know the staff at your favorite stores.
33. Get to know the operations at your favorite stores.
34. The first thing in your new tank (once it is cycled) should be a clean-up crew.
35. Before you pick your first fish, read my guide of which fish to absolutely avoid.
36. Research the needs of the fish before you buy it, not after.
37. If necessary, carry a small fish guide with you in the LFS.
38. Be very selective when choosing your fish.
39. Always watch a fish eat at the LFS before buying it.
40. Only add one fish at a time.
41. Pick up a variety of fish foods.
42. Pick up some garlic and vitamins to use in fish food.
43. Acclimate your new fish to your tank properly.
44. Create good habits for doing water changes.
45. Always keep some back up equipment in case something breaks.
46. Have a battery powered air pump.
47. Never feed a fish freshwater feeder fish.
48. If necessary, gut load any live feeders.
49. The more you can automate, the easier your tank will be to keep.
50. Always use freshwater (not saltwater) to top off your tank for evaporation.
51. Know the difference between salinity and specific gravity.
52. Never add any chemicals that you cannot test for.
53. Nitrates are lowered through proper water changes.
54. Do not begin to buy hard corals (LPS or SPS) until your alkalinity and calcium are where they should be.
55. Create the proper light schedule for your aquarium.
56. Know which animals are poisonous/venomous so that you do not put yourself or others in danger.
57. Lionfish will eat fish that are smaller than them.
58. Triggers and lions do not mix.
59. Do not attempt to keep two different species of clowns together.
60. Before buying an anemone, make sure your tank is ready for it and that you are selecting the right one.
61. Tangs need a lot of swimming space. Choose your tang appropriately.
62. Butterflies need very mature tanks.
63. Angels are not a reef safe fish; add them to your reef with caution.
64. Pseudos and basslets have attitudes; add them last if you must have one.
65. Do not expose puffers to air.
66. Provide puffers with hard-shelled foods to grind their teeth down.
67. Sharks and sting rays do not mix with angels, puffers, triggers, wrasses.
68. Starfish have very specialized needs.
69. Many crabs will nip at corals.
70. Tangs of the same family do not usually mix well.
71. Do not attempt to keep more than one angel per tank.
72. Be aware of what fish are jumpers so that you can prevent them from winding up on your floor.
73. There are different snails for different tasks.
74. Provide empty shells for hermit crabs.
75. Kill the aipstasia and majano anemones as soon as you see them.
76. Remove flat worms the second you see them.
77. If interested in sea horses and pipefish, set up a separate tank for them.
78. Mandarins need tanks with an over-abundance of copepods.
79. Replace your power compacts every 6 to 8 months.
80. Replace your metal halides every 10-14 months.
81. Replace your T-5 bulbs every 16-24 months.
82. Never, ever, ever add copper to your display tank.
83. There are certain fish that you cannot put through copper.
84. There are only two ways to totally kill marine ich.
85. Brooklynella is a serious disease that needs to be treated immediately.
86. Lymphocystis is easily curable; don’t use medications.
87. There is a big difference between salts. Test yours before adding it to the tank.
88. Calcium in powder form works better than calcium in liquid form.
89. Running carbon in your tank is always a good idea.
90. Always have a small thermometer in your tank, regardless of whether you have a digital reader or not.
91. SPS corals need very high light and extremely strong water flow.
92. Always dip your corals before placing them in your tank.
93. Keep schooling fish in a school; they will do much better.
94. Bio balls are not always bad; don’t believe the myth.
95. Know what corals/inverts need to be spot fed.
96. Get the right Kelvin bulbs to fit your needs.
97. Deep sand beds can be very beneficial in a reef tank.
98. Have a grounding probe and use it to prevent stray voltage.
99. Use a GFCI on your tank.
100. Use white vinegar to clean out old pumps, filters, tanks.
101. Share your experience in this hobby as much as possible.
1. FIND OUT WHAT YOU LIKE. Know what you like and what you want to keep. Do you like fish or coral? What do you want your tank to be mostly of? This one step will make everything else much easier. It will allow you to choose the right size aquarium, the right type of set-up, and will allow you to buy the right equipment in order to keep everything that you want. Many things in the saltwater hobby are not compatible, so, knowing what you want will allow you to set up a tank that gives you the things you want to keep the most.
2. GET A GOOD BOOK TO EXPLAIN THE BASICS. Once you know whether you want your tank to be centered around fish or corals, pick up a book to get yourself acquainted with all that is the saltwater hobby. This does not mean that you need to be an expert after reading the book, but you should know the basic terms such as protein skimmer, live rock, flow, lights, etc. All of this can be very overwhelming when you know nothing about saltwater. A good book will give you a little preview of what you are getting into. Some books that are very worthwhile are “The Conscientious Marine Aquarist†by Robert Fenner, “Aquarium Corals†by Eric Borneman, or “The New Marine Aquarium†by Michael S. Paletta.
3. SAVE A LIST OF ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS FOR QUICK REFERRAL. There are many abbreviations in this hobby. Seeing SPS, FOWLR, PC, QT, LFS, and MH all over the place can get confusing. Have a list available so that you can refer to it until you learn what all of the acronyms mean. We have a great one right here on this website. http://www.saltwaterfish.com/vb/show...light=acronyms
4. BE PREPARED TO SPEND MONEY. Get it in your mind that you are going to spend a substantial amount of money setting up your saltwater aquarium. If you go into this hobby thinking that it is an inexpensive one, you will be lying to yourself, and ultimately, will make your experience a very unhappy one when you try to cut corners and save money. The only way you are truly going to save any money is if you look for used equipments on classified sections of message boards, online, or in the newspaper. Any other way you try to save money, such as getting a less effective piece of equipment, will do only negative for you and your tank. Get the best you can afford if you really want to do this right.
5. DO NOT SPEND MONEY WITHOUT SHOPPING AROUND. With these four things done, now you are ready to purchase your saltwater aquarium. Before doing this, compare prices of some of your local stores. You may think that they are all around the same price, but this could not be any farther from the truth. There is sometimes a huge difference in price from shop to shop. If you are going to buy your equipment new (and not used), comparing prices is an absolute necessity. You will see a huge difference in prices and this will save you greatly. Take all of those savings and put it towards good equipment.
6. GET THE BIGGEST TANK YOU AND YOUR WALLET CAN AFFORD. Now that you have found a store that has reasonable prices, you are ready to buy your tank. Buy the absolute biggest tank that you can afford. It may seem like a lot of work, but quite the contrary, the bigger the tank, the easier it is to keep. With a bigger tank, you are allowed much more room for error. In a smaller tank, when one thing goes wrong, it can greatly impact the water quality because there is less water to make a change in.
7. DO NOT SKIMP ON FILTRATION. There are many ways to filter a saltwater tank. Many of them work, but some of them work much better than others. For example, when going with a larger tank, a sump or wet/dry is an absolute must. If planning a reef tank, a sump with a refugium is your best bet. If it is just going to be fish with live rock, a wet/dry will do just fine.
8. NATURAL IS ALWAYS BETTER. Setting your tank up naturally is always better. A sump with a refugium, live rock, and sand replicates how the ocean operates. This is what you want to achieve. The ocean has been there for millions of years. It must work well. Not that the unnatural way is bad (wet/dry with bio balls), but it will definitely be more work (cleaning the bio balls, cleaning ornaments, etc.).
9. DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME AND MONEY ON A CHEAP PROTEIN SKIMMER. There are dozens of protein skimmers on the market. Do yourself a favor and get a good protein skimmer right from the start. Avoid Seaclones, Red Sea Berlin skimmers, Visi-Jets, and all of the other junky skimmers on the market. Coralife and AquaC are good brands for smaller tanks, while ETSS, GSM, Deltec, and EuroReef are all great bands for larger tanks. (And yes, there are tons of people who use the “cheap ones†but you need to know how to adjust it and modify it if it is going to work decently. Save yourself the headaches.)
10. FLOW IS KEY IN KEEPING A HEALTHY TANK. Having adequate amounts of flow in your tank will largely determine how clean your tank stays. If you do not have enough flow to keep the water movement and to prevent dead spots, you will deal with algae issues, detritus and debris build-up, and nitrate issues. Shoot for at least 15 times the turnover of your tank volume per hour, but preferably, 20 times. This means that if you have a 55 gallon aquarium, you want to be turning it over 55 times 20, which equals 1100 gallons per hour coming from your filter, powerheads, skimmer, etc. Anyone with a larger tank or who does not like the look of powerheads should consider running a closed loop (which is very simple to set up).
11. PICK YOUR SUBSTRATE WISELY. There are a few different types of substrates out there. Crushed coral is the thickest, followed by finer aragonite, and then very thin sand. The type of tank you have will determine what kind of substrate you will need. If you are planning a reef aquarium, you want a fine substrate so that you can get tons of critters to sift through it and keep it clean. However, if you are planning an aggressive fish tank, you want something more on the coarse side so that you are able to keep it clean on a weekly basis. In an aggressive tank, you will not be able to rely on other animals to keep the substrate clean. This will be your job, as the aggressive fish will eat your cleaners.
12. BUY TWO SMALLER HEATERS INSTEAD OF ONE LARGER ONE. Take the size of your aquarium (in gallons), and multiply that by five. This is how much wattage you need in heaters. If you need 600 watts in heating, it is always much better to go with (2) 300 watt heaters as opposed to (1) 600 watt heater. This is due to the fact that if one heater fails, you still have the other to back you up. Also, if one heater sticks on, you will only have 300 watts of heat pumping consistently until the problem is realized, and not 600 watts.
13. OWN A REFRACTOMETER. This is an absolute must. Simply put, hydometers are an inaccurate tool. Don’t buy a hydrometer. Refractometers only cost $30 more than a hydrometer and unlike hydrometers, a refractometer will always be accurate and will never need to be replaced. You can find a great refractometer, new, for $40. Invest in one when you begin your tank.
14. SET UP A QUARANTINE TANK AND USE IT. Not using a quarantine tank is a sure way to introduce disease and parasites into your aquarium. You are either going to set up a quarantine tank when you begin your tank and prevent disease from entering, or you will set one up when you notice that you have a parasite in the tank. By quarantining all new introductions (fish, inverts, live rock), you will not have to worry about any kind of parasite in your display. A large tank is not necessary unless you plan on keeping very large fish. Usually, a 10 to 20 gallon tank will work just fine. Put a small hang-on power filter on the back, a little heater, and some fake decorations, and you have yourself a very simple, yet effective quarantine tank for $50-$70. That’s a small price to pay to greatly protect your animals and aquarium. And what’s better is this â€"œ you do not need to keep it running 24/7. Use it when you need it. Put a big block sponge in your sump or wet/dry to accumulate biological bacteria. Everytime you get a new animal for your tank, take the block sponge out of your tank and put it in your quarantine tank. This will move enough biological bacteria from your display to your quarantine in order to prevent disease. NOTE: Corals do not need to be quarantined UNLESS they are kept in tanks or a system that also has fish in it. If there is fish in the system, they too can carry a parasite with them.
15. QUARANTINE ALL NEW ADDITIONS FOR NO SHORTER THAN THREE WEEKS. While we are on the subject of quarantine, make sure that everything gets at least a three week quarantine. Keep a close eye on fish while they are in quarantine. If you notice any sign of disease, treat them appropriately and immediately. As for quarantining inverts and corals, no observation is needed. Though inverts and corals can carry a disease on their shell or rock, parasites cannot host an invert or coral. Thus, after three weeks, the parasite will die off without a host.
16. REEF SAFE MEDICATIONS DO NOT WORK AS ADVERTISED. DO NOT BELIEVE THE GIMMICKS. Marketed “reef safe†medications do not always “workâ€Â. There are many times when people have reported that they have actually hurt more than things than they have helped. There are even some cases where they have wiped out a person’s entire tank. When in doubt, do not take the “convenient†or easy way out.
17. MORE LIGHTING IS ALWAYS BETTER THAN NOT ENOUGH. If you plan to have corals, clams, anemones, etc., you will need very good lighting. Always get more than enough. If you try to get away with “just enough†light, your tank will show it. Small polyp stony (SPS) corals and clams NEED metal halide lighting, as do many anemones. Bite the bullet when setting the tank up and spend the extra few hundred dollars for the higher end lighting if this is what you like or plan to keep. It will pay off in the long run.
18. A CHILLER MAY BE NECESSARY. This one relates to tip 17. If you get high-end, expensive lighting, you may need a chiller. Metal halide lights give off some heat. You do not want your tank fluctuating wildly every day. Anything more than a couple degree fluctuation will qualify you for a chiller. If the tank is going in a warm area in the house, a chiller needs to be in your budget.