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luken5 asked in PetsFish · 1 decade ago

Salt water aquarium maintenence?

I am interested in getting a saltwater aquarium setup for my home. How much maintenence is involved with this? I have never had one but thought they were so much nicer then fresh water. Any tips or tricks... kinda need to no all the basics. thanks

6 Answers

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  • 1 decade ago
    Favorite Answer

    Do you know what kind of saltwater tank you want? Live reef tank? The maintaining is easy once you get the hang of it.

    heres some basic set up steps:

    Install the filtration system. Follow the manufacturer's instructions carefully since models vary in their installation. Wash the substrate thoroughly before you put it in the tank. Figure on 1 lb. of gravel per gallon the tank holds. Put the plants in, anchoring the bottoms in the substrate. Fill a large bucket with clean, dechlorinated water. Using a hydrometer (a device used to read how much salt is dissolved in the water), add salt. Your goal is a specific gravity between 1.020 and 1.023. Fill your tank with the saltwater, leaving about an inch at the top. Start the filter system. Add the heater and thermometer. Most marine fish do best between 75 and 80 degrees. Let everything run for at least 72 hours and get the temperature settings right and the water moving. Cycle the aquarium. A just-set-up fish tank lacks the bacteria that it needs to form a steady biological cycle. Add your fish when the chemical levels are all okay and the tank temperature is within suggested limits. Buy a powerhead. In saltwater aquariums, water movement is an absolute must. Be careful not to get one so big that it causes a whirlpool effect. Get a protein skimmer, which is a necessity for marine tanks. This removes organic debris from the water before it has time to convert to nitrates. Keep in mind that you'll also need an external water pump and possibly an air pump for your skimmer.

    As for maintaining it:

    Check your tank daily to make sure none of the fish are dead or dying. Observe them for a few minutes, checking each fish. This will familiarize you with their behavior, and will make it easier for you to notice if one is sick. Feed your fish every three days. Be sure to vary their diet. Top off the evaporated water with dechlorinated water and add calcium. Add iodine twice a week. Scrape the algae from the tank walls weekly. Schedule a weekly chore: Once a week remove 10 to 15 percent of the tank water and replace it with fresh dechlorinated water. This helps dilute unwanted chemicals in the tank. It also helps keep the tank's chemistry close to that of your own tap water. This means that you'll have fewer problems if you ever need to do an emergency water change. Siphon the debris from the gravel when you change the water. Test the water every two weeks. Wait at least a day after a water change. Check the ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, calcium, pH levels and copper if you have invertebrates. Check the filter pads every two weeks. Clean or replace them as necessary. Test the alkalinity monthly. Do a water change of 25 percent once a month.

    Oh also keep extra salt mix and dechlorinated water handy for emergency water changes.

    Source(s): Over 10 years in the pet business and maintained salt water tanks.
  • 5 years ago

    smaller tanks are more work because you have to do water changes regularly because the water quality can degrade faster. It costs alot of money to start up a bigger tank depending on what you want to keep. a skimmer will cost you about 100-200 dollars Lighting 150-400 dollars or more Cost of salt, 160 gallons worth is about 50 dollars Most important, live rock ,spend your money here. for a 75 it costed me about 300 dollars. I suggest a pound or a pound and a half per gallon. smallest tank for a "nemo" would be IMO a 20 gallon. Most clowns get huge and the perculas are the only ones that get 3 inches if i'm not mistaken. they can tend to be very territorial as well. A small tank is great to introduce you into the saltwater hobby and a lesser expense just make sure you do not over stock your tank and research all of your purchases. You may get different answers from mine.

  • Anonymous
    1 decade ago

    It's not as easy as it seems.

    It's expensive and very high maintenece.

    One of the expenses that people don't think of is electricity. Lights, heaters, coolers, filters, are necessary to life. Sometimes you actually have to re-wire a home to accomidate one.

    One person I know has an entire generator just for the aquarium in case of a black out.

    Experts that have had aquariums for years will tell you that you are always one step away from total disaster.

    Even when you're doing everything right, the entire tank can up and die on you.

    Get a mentor. Talk to lots of folks that have them. Read lots of care sheets for all the critters and instructions for keeping a salt water aquarium healthy.

    It also poisons the environment.

    Many of the species don't breed in captivity, so people go out and destroy the reefs. Reefs that are already endangered. They use Cynide, rat poison, to flush fish from hiding places. The fish get a good dose of the poison as well as the stress of being shipped halfway across the world for your viewing enjoyment.

    The Cynide kills fish as well as coral and other critters making the entire area toxic.

    I just don't think they are worth the money or the cruelty that goes into them.

  • Kay B
    Lv 4
    1 decade ago

    Research as many saltwater aquarium sources of information as possible.

    The levele of maintenance will vary depending on what type of set up you have, so there's no 'one answer fits all' response to your question (the same could be set for freshwater set ups).

    The 'basics' may include having a high quality protein skimmer, having a refugium, and performing regular water changes. These will ease the maintenance somewhat.

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  • 1 decade ago

    There is more maintenance, however this depends on filtration, type of fish and creatures kept, and the size of your tank.

    Basic maintenance consists of these:

    *Filter Care (rinsing, media change if used, emptying protein skimmer [if used])

    *Water changes (vacuuming), including prep of new water for changes.

    *Tests from ammonia, to nitrites, to specific gravity and more.

    *cleaning of sides

    *Feeding

    *Topping off for evaporation.

    This is VERY basic information.

    I recommend reading this article and much more:

    http://www.americanaquariumproducts.com/Basic_Salt...

    I have kept saltwater since 1975 and it is very rewarding if done right, which does not always mean throwing a ton pf money at it either, just start with a budget and dont bite off too much more than you have time or money for.

    Good luck if you decide to try this!

    Source(s): 27 years aquarium maintenance experience http://aquarium-info.blogspot.com/
  • 1 decade ago

    BEST ANSWER

    www.liveaquaria.com

    BEST ANSWER

    lots of articles, bio's on everything from fish to corals.

    great for fresh water salt water pond

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