Our experience has lead us to see that there are seven basic things you need to think about before starting a saltwater aquarium, and maximize your chances at being successful and having that beautiful reef you have always wanted. You will need to think about what you want in your saltwater aquarium. You will need to consider an approximate size of an aquarium. Then you will need to think about filtration, lighting, corals, fish; it sounds like a lot but it really is nothing to worry yourself over.
There are many different kinds of tanks out there for you to setup. There are FOWLR fish only with live rock tanks, reef tanks, seahorse tanks, coldwater reef tanks, and possibly more than what I have listed. They just want beautiful fish with captivating colors, without having to worry about meeting the care requirements, of the corals. To compensate for that, they may install artificial coral reef inserts.
Most beginning reef keepers tend to begin caring for soft corals. Corals like leathers, zoanthids, and mushrooms are corals that are very hardy and can adapt to many different ranges of conditions.
A saltwater aquarium with these kinds of corals is the best way to ease your way into the world of reef keeping. You may have also seen other corals such as hammer and frogspawn, which imitate the movements of anemones and bring life to the tank. Sometimes you can get away with buying water mixed with a high quality salt that will reintroduce those elements in the water for you.
However, these tanks are recommended for more experienced hobbyists, and will require more equipment to keep parameters stable and the water in a pristine state. Once, you have decided on the kind of system you would like it is time to decide on the size of aquarium that would better suit your needs. Many new aquarists usually tend to start with a nano aquarium. A nano aquarium is cheaper, in most cases, to setup up than a larger aquarium. However, they tend to create more problems than a larger aquarium as well mainly due to the volume of water.
A 40 to 55 gallon aquarium is perfect for those new to the hobby. The cost of getting one setup and going is not much more than setting up a nano.
The water volume tends to help new aquarists by giving them more room to correct their mistakes, if any are made, by taking longer for any mistakes made to affect the livestock. Now, in this hobby, bigger is always better. So the bigger tank you can start with, the better. Now that a tank has been selected, a filtration system must be added to keep the water clear and clean of pollutants, such as fish waste and uneaten foods. This decision will weigh heavily on the type of aquarium chosen.
So considering filtration when purchasing an aquarium is a must. From the start, the best kind of aquarium is one that is drilled and has an overflow built in. Here you will have all your filtration components, pumps, heaters, etc. It is strongly encouraged that you do not use the bio balls. Bio-balls are said that they harbor bacteria that eat the debris passing through the bio-balls. But they seem to create more of a problem than a benefit.
Detritus passing through tends to build up and get stuck over time causing nitrate problems. To eliminate this, most switch out the bio-balls for rubble rock which can harbor the same beneficial bacteria and other beneficial little critters to process all the food and detritus.
Sometimes, new aquarists are not able to acquire a drilled tank. However, this is not a reason to become derailed. The combination of the earthy colours and sleek lines of freshwater fish and fauna can look particularly striking in a luxurious interior. Freshwater inhabitants tend to be much hardier and generally less expensive than saltwater aquarium inhabitants. If any problems ever were to occur in the maintenance of the aquarium environment, freshwater creatures are more forgiving and less fragile than saltwater.
Variations and combinations of rocks, woods, plants and sands can be sculpted to suit your preferences. With that come the vibrant, colourful, delicate creatures, fascinating corals, reef fauna and live rock. Saltwater aquarium in particular can be more expensive. And they are a bit more precarious to maintain than their freshwater counterparts.
If you choose to house plants or you would like to see the fish at night, you will need to add a light. A saltwater tank should be at least 30 gallons for best results. Small fluctuations in water quality are amplified in smaller tanks, making them difficult for housing a marine system. In addition to the components for freshwater aquariums, most hobbyists recommend a protein skimmer for saltwater tanks to remove organic wastes. The protein skimmer works in conjunction with the filter and will need to be emptied and cleaned about once per week, depending on the size aquarium and number of inhabitants.
Corals in saltwater tanks have special lighting requirements with regard to the intensity of the light and the number of hours of lighting. There are a variety of lighting options, some with automated light cycles to mimic natural sunlight. A substrate that many hobbyists include in their saltwater tanks is live rock, a porous rock that is inhabited by microscopic organisms including algae and bacteria that will benefit your tank.
Rock is sold per pound and can be used as a base for corals and anemones. The cost of freshwater fauna can be very reasonable, with varieties of common fish selling for a little as five dollars. Some of the larger and more ornate fish, like plecos and koi, can be several hundred dollars and are recommended for more experienced aquarists. Building a freshwater aquarium does not have to cost a lot of money. You can start modestly with a ten- gallon tank that is often packaged with a hood, filter and gravel for under 50 dollars.
Maintaining a freshwater aquarium does not have to be very time consuming, as most freshwater fish are relatively hardy and forgiving of the mistakes made by new tank owners. With a small investment, a newcomer can build on to the tank as their interest in the hobby grows.
Marine aquariums, however, are an investment in money and time. More equipment is needed for a marine set-up and it is significantly pricier hundreds to thousands of dollars. Saltwater livestock is considerably higher in cost than freshwater.
While there are some fish priced below 20 dollars, most saltwater fish are priced at 50 dollars and up. If owning a saltwater aquarium is something that you are contemplating, be sure to do extensive research and find an experienced hobbyist who is willing to offer advice while you get your feet wet.
Published: November 22, Freshwater or Saltwater? The Livestock Both saltwater and freshwater aquariums feature an amazing cast of characters.
0コメント