Lastly, focus on getting the lights back on. After that issue has been resolved, ensure that the temperature is within reasonable levels, then make sure the chemistry has not fluctuated wildly. If you suddenly lose power or have a major system or equipment failure, the most important thing is to get the water moving to provide oxygen to the tank. Changing out the air/water is a temporary solution for a sudden problem.įlow, Temperature, Chemistry, Light, in that order. We will talk more about water changes later in this guide, but doing a water change is equivalent to opening a window in your home if you accidentally burnt popcorn in the microwave. If you make a mistake related to the water quality, the easiest solution is to “dilute” the water with a moderate water change. When dealing with aquatic animals, water quality is one of the most important things to monitor. This is a very hard part of the hobby, but the general consensus is that doing things slowly will benefit the aquarium inhabitants Things on the natural reef change very slowly, so if you see something unusual in your tank you need to determine if this is something that requires immediate action or if you should wait a day or more to see if things improve. In this guide we will provide you with the basic concepts needed to get started and point you towards many great resources you can use to learn about all of the things needed for a healthy tank.īut before we begin, let’s review some basic suggestions for owning a tank. Owning and managing a reef aquarium is an incredibly rewarding hobby, full of learning and adventure, and we would like to help make your journey as fun and successful as possible. Apart from waiting for the water to clear up from adding the water, you now have to wait for the cycle.Congratulations on taking your first step into the wonderful world of reef aquatics. After this step is where the PATIENCE comes in. When pouring the water in, attempt to pour in the rocks because this will cause less sand disturbance. 001 above or below but this is ideal for everything that will go into the tank. The first saltwater I got was bought from my Local Fish Store(LFS) because I wanted to be sure the salinity was perfect. After pooring your sand into the aquarium and arranging the rock the way you want, you can add the SALTWATER. When choosing rock I found one good piece of rock then a few medium size pieces to pu around it creating caves and crevices which fish enjoy. This is because it creates better water circulation through the pores. 1 pound per a gallon of rock is the average, but 1 or 4 pounds over is always a plus. (Don't worry 'cycling' is coming up) LIVE ROCK part of aquarium keeping because it gives the tank the look you want. I found that florida crushed coral works well because it is sold in smaller portions, however the live sand cycled the tank faster than the crushed coral. This sand already has good algae and chemicals that is important for you tank. As far as sand, the best by far is the live caribean sea sand sold in bags that have water with the sand. The next step is to buy the SAND live rock for your aquarium. Another important piece of equipment will be your HYDROMETER because this will measure how much salt is in your aquarium. Coral life/sun is a good bulb that can be bought at any fish store and I suggest a 50/50 bulb. so I bought a 30 gal.) You should also buy a LIGHT HOOD for your aquarium. Always buy it 20-30 gallons bigger than the aquarium you have. (This tutorial will assume you have chosen a smaller tank) After you have decided the size of the aquarium you will want to buy a POWER FILTER. This tutorial is really based on a nano tank (20 gallons or less) because that is what I have experience with and that is all I can afford at the moment. I started with a 10 gallon because it costs less, but what I save in cost I make up for in daily to every-other-day maintanance. The first thing you need is of course the aquarium. The first is good equipment and the second is PATIENCE. There are two keys to a good salt water aquarium.
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