How to Successfully Choose and Setup a Saltwater Tank

8/12/2019 How to Successfully Choose and Setup a Saltwater Tank

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HOW TO SUCCESSFULLY CHOOSE AND SETUP A

SALTWATER TANK

NOTE:AS WITH MOST ENDEAVORS,THERE ARE MANY WAYS TO SET

UP A SALTWATER AQUARIUM. THE FOLLOWING IS NOT THE only WAY,BUT THE WAY WE MOST OFTEN RECOMMEND,BASED ON OUR EXPERIENCEOVER THE YEARS.

THE DECISION:

Just planning to buy "a saltwater tank" is not enough. Do notbuy a tankjust because you like the shape, color, or because "it looks like agood (cheap) price". Decide (to the best of your ability) what type of fishand or creatures you want to keep. Do the graceful movements of live coral

intrigue you? Are the interesting antics of invertebrate animals such asshrimps and crabs appealing? Do you envision a tank where the "action" isprimarily fish and everything else in the tank is non-living decoration (coralskeletons, etc.)? Will these fish be small, colorful, peaceful fish such asgobies, tangs, dwarf angelfish or active predator fish such as triggers,lionfish and eels.

Contrary to most newcomer's hopes, you can't have it all. Chances are(unless you're starting 3 or more tanks at one time) you'll have to prioritizeyour desires.

If you can't answer this first question, stop here, close this website, andvisit your bestlocal fish store armed with paper and pen and questions.

THE OPTIONS:

OK, so now you know (with a good degree of certainty) what you want tokeep and what canbe kept appropriately in a given tank. Here are twogeneral directions you might pursue:

THE REEF TANK

If you decide that you want to keep live corals and/or anemones, these arebest kept in a setup we call a "reef tank."

Two characteristics of a reef tank that may affect your choice of an aquariumare:

1. the need to make a "rock pile."


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2. the need for intense lighting.

A proper reef tank holds a large amount of "structure." This is typically awall of rock (preferably "live rock") upon which one will place assortedinvertebrate animals in an attempt to recreate what a coral reef might look

like. Never mind that it usually does not look much like the real thing. Inpractice, this rock pile is really a display shelf for the specimens oneacquires. It allows one to place these mostly light-loving specimens at theproper height in the tank, keeps them spaced apart from each other and,hopefully, from falling over.

Envision your "reef" (rock pile) almost the length of the aquarium, slopingfrom a point at least 4" from the front glass, angled to within 2" to 4" fromthe top of the tank. Making the face slope of this rock pile steeper than 450is not easy. If you think about it, a very tall aquarium with a short front toback "depth" (e.g. a 55 plus at 21" tall and 13" deep) is not too practical.Your best dimension ratio of height to depth is as close to 1:1 as possible(e.g. a 120 gallon at 24" tall and 24" deep or a 75 gallon at 21"tall and 18"deep).

Very tall tanks, as well as those with shallow depth dimensions also maypose lighting limitations, with inadequate space for mounting lights, ordistances too great from corals to provide them with the light they need. Inextreme cases, such as hexagon tanks, one may have problems finding thecorrect type and amount of lights small enough that will fit on a relativelysmall tank top.

So in summary, our best tank choice for reef is the classic rectangle shapewith adequate depth and not extreme height.

OTHER CONSIDERATIONS:

Please keep in mind that if you choose a reef tank, there will be some trade-offs. You will be limited as to fish type(some will eat corals and otherinvertebrates) and quantity. Live corals and other invertebrates do best invery clean "nutrient poor" water. This means that they are not very happyin water with a high amount of fish wastes. Less fish equals better water

quality which in turn means happier invertebrates. Yes you can have somefish but expect to stock no more than 1/3 of what you might were it a fishonly tank. Think of "the reef" as being "the picture" in your tank, and fishare only a part of that picture. If you need for the "main event" to be fish,you may be better off choosing:


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THE FISH ONLY TANK

If your desire is a fish only tank (NO live corals or anemones), your choice offish will only be limited by compatibility and system capacity, but you shouldkeep in mind the time-honored maxim of tank selection: bigger is better.

Especially with a fish tank, the best advice will be to buy the largest tankyou budget and space (and possibly your "significant other") will allow.Large tanks are more stable - that is they are slower to change with respectto water quality, temperature, etc. Saltwater fish need stability. Thesaltwater fish we keep come from the coral reef which is the most stable,unchanging environment on the planet. Most fish from the reef, therefore,have not developed much ability adapt to change. Change can stress fish,upset their natural defenses against disease.

Large tanks also provide more territory for your fish and are less conduciveto "turf wars" among the inhabitants. Remember that all life forms aredriven by the need for their species to survive. Chasing away competitorsfor food and space is merely an expression of this instinct.

FILTRATION:

Aside from choosing the tank, the next most important consideration is howwe will filter the water. It's very important to understand just what an

aquarium filter can (and cannot) do. We generally categorize a filter'sfunctions into three areas:

MECHANICAL FILTRATION

This involves the use of some material such as foam or floss to removevisible particles. This makes the aquarium more pleasing in appearance buthas little or no bearing on keeping your fish alive.

CHEMICAL FILTRATION

This refers to use of an absorbing material, such as activated carbon or ionexchange resins, to remove the byproducts of fish waste, and otherpollutants, from the water. This may have some bearing on fish health, butprimarily keeps the water from becoming off color or odiferous with fishwaste.

BIOLOGICAL FILTRATION


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This is the most important consideration in choosing your filter. Keeping fishin a closed system (like an aquarium) can lead to the problem of ammoniapoisoning. Ammonia is a natural chemical excreted by fish andinvertebrates, and is also created by the decomposition of most organicmatter (e.g. uneaten food). The more fish we put into the aquarium, and

the more we feed, the more ammonia is produced. This can be very toxic,even at low levels. The need to "filter" this ammonia before it gets todangerous levels is crucial. The best "ammonia filter" uses some goodbacteria that "eat" ammonia and, ultimately, convert it into a saferchemical. We call this a biological filter.

There are several designs of biological filters, but the best for our saltwatertank is what is commonly called a "Wet/Dry" Filter. In the typical designof this filter, a box (or "sump") sits beneath the aquarium. In a chamber ofthis box is a material referred to as "biomedia," often in the form of spheresor "bioballs." Over time our good bacteria is grown in the filter (a processwe call "cycling"). During operation, water drains from the tank into thefilter and over the biomedia. A submersible pump in the sump returns thewater back up into the tank.

If the filter is properly designed and sized, the water is caused to constantlyre-circulate over the biomedia and ammonia will continually be removedbefore it becomes a problem.

In choosing a Wet/Dry Filter, there are some very important criteria. Thebiological, or ammonia-removing, capacity of the filter has two variables: a.

The Amountof biomedia and b.the Frequency, or "turn rate" of waterpassing over the media.

As a rule of thumb, bioballs or similar media should amount to about a"gallon" of media (~ the amount in a gallon bucket) for every 15 gallons ofaquarium water. The "turn rate" should be from 5 to 7 tank volumes perhour. This needs to be measured at the outflow of the return hose back intothe tank. Don't rely on the stated pump flow rate - that is a zero feet ofhead and your outflow is usually 4 or more feet high.

So this means that a 75 gallon aquarium should have a filter with at least 5gallons of biomedia and a pump that has an outflow to the tank of at least375 to 525 gph.

PROTEIN SKIMMERS: These are specialized types of filters that do a greatjob of separatingdissolved organic waste from the water by physically


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turning the waste into a foam and collecting it as a liquid in a cup. Despitethe name, this filter removes more than proteins and can remove wasteproducts that no other filter can. If you have a reef tank, a skimmer is "amust." Even if you have a fish tank, get one if you can afford it.

There are basically two types of skimmers: one that foams the water withthe aid of an air pump and one that forces bubbles into the water via a"venturi" valve feeding into a water pump. Both have merits, depending onyour circumstance. Consult your professional store for recommendations.

LIGHTING:

If yours is a fish only tank, the lighting consideration is basically what ispleasing in appearance to you, so long as you use full spectrum lighting (no"black light" you think will "look cool" - bad for the fishes eyes).

If a reef tank, lighting will be critical, with respect to type and intensity. Theoptions vary depending on your situation and your best advice is from yourprofessional aquarium store.

TEMPERATURE CONTROL:

The ideal temperature range for most saltwater aquariums is from750F to 790F. That's a pretty tight range, so we recommend you invest in agood electronic digital thermometer. They cost a few dollars more than theglass tube or stick-on type but are well worth it in terms of accuracy andreadability.

HEATING: Invest in a good quality submersible heater, set it at 75-760Fand check with your digital thermometer. You can leave the heater in yourtank year round. It will only come on when needed. NOTE:Be sure youplace it in a safe spot where falling rocks won't crack it or anemones won'tlatch on to the surface and get "cooked" when it comes on!

COOLING: This is a little trickier than heating. Conventional advice hasbeen to purchase a chiller, which is a fancy refrigeration unit made withexpensive non corrosive tubing, that can easily set you back ~$1000depending on your tank size. We almost never sell these devices in ourstore. We have found that 99% of our customers can control excessive heatvia "evaporative cooling." That's a fancy way of saying you blow air over


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your tank water (at surface of the tank or in filter sump) to increase theevaporation rate and therefore increase the cooling. It's the same principleof early air conditioning ("swamp coolers"), and the way perspiration on yourskin on a breezy day makes you feel cool (also think about how blowing onhot soup really does cool it off!). Simple science - and cheap too! The main

price to pay is that you'll add back (fresh) water more often.

HOW TO BEGIN

Now that you have chosen your tank, filter, lighting, and other accessories,your journey can begin.

Once you've chosen the perfect spot for your tank (good view, no directsunlight) hook everything together carefully, according to your fish storerecommendations. Take your time and be careful about this.

You may have chosen some substrate (e.g. coral gravel or sand) for thebottom of the tank and at least some of the structure (rocks, deco corals,etc.) that will go into it. Thoroughlyrinse the substrate (in a bucket orcolander) and set aside until the tank is partly filled.

Once everything is hooked up, it's time to fill the tank with saltwater.Initially, most folks mix synthetic sea salt and tap water right in the tank. Ifyour water is from a municipal source it probably has chlorine or

chloramines in it and a water conditioner should be added to remove thesechemicals. Mix the salt on the "low side" at first. In other words, if youhave a 50 gallon tank and a bag of salt for 50 gallons, mix only about 80 to90% of the salt at first. Due to the displacement of rocks, etc. the tank maynot hold the stated gallons. Also, we recommend you keep your salinitylower (specific gravity of ~ 1.020) than what most salt mixes achieve.

Mix this salt by hand as well as you can, filling the tank only to about 1/2 atfirst. Then add your rinsed substrate, rocks, etc. Slowly fill the tank therest of the way per the instructions you received at the store. When theproper amount of water has been added, turn the pump(s) on and letcirculate for at least a couple of hours. NOTE:expect your tank to be quitecloudy for at least 12 to 24 hours. After mixing for a couple hours, test thesalinity. It will probably be low and you will add more salt mix, wait andretest until a hydrometer reading of 1.020 is achieved.

At this point let the tank run at least overnight before proceeding to the nextstep:


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How to Successfully Choose and Setup a Saltwater Tank

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