Helpful Tips in Setting Up A Saltwater Aquarium
- Picking the Fish and Selecting the Spot
Start by carefully picking the fish and other marine creatures such as aquatic plants and live corals are the beginning of an interesting journey to the world of saltwater aquarium. Identifying the fish that you want can give you the ideas for other materials that you need to consider. You can have your picked fish on standby and proceed to the next step which is selecting the spot for your saltwater aquarium. In selecting the right spot for your aquarium, you must ensure that the location should not receive direct sunlight as it will be a pandora’s box for algae built up that can contaminate the entire ecosystem.
The materials that you will buy should be appropriate from the fish that you have picked. First and foremost, the fish and other marine creatures that you have picked can fit comfortably to the size of the tanks that you should buy. You must have a checklist of various materials needed for your saltwater aquarium which include among others, salt, lighting, hydrometer, thermometer, filters, powerheads, bleach, pH testing jar and strip, non-chlorinated water, fish net, stones, heater / chiller, hoses and 5 gallon buckets. Carefully check all the items before you do any purchases. Check for damages to avoid future problems.
When setting up your aquarium tank, make sure that you get a stable and adequate base. It should be strong enough to support the entire weight of your saltwater aquarium. Putting a Styrofoam is a good choice as the base for your aquarium. After this, clean the tank with one teaspoon of bleach for every five gallons of water. Scrub the tank, and other accessories gently then rinse thoroughly with non chlorinated water. Never use detergents or any solvents. Avoid beaching the live rocks or corals, otherwise they will die instantly. After this, place the tank for the spot that you have identified and install the filtration systems very carefully. Following this is the placing of substrate, plants, rocks and other ornaments in the tank.
Continue by installing the heater or chiller together with the thermometer into the tank and aim for a temperature between 70F and 80F. Install your powerhead carefully and turning it on will start the nitrogen cycle in the tank. It is suggested that you do this for at least three days but some experts would do this over and over again for four to six weeks. Doing this will stable the chemical mix. While checking the tank cycle, you may now buy your fish and leave it to the fish owner for a number of weeks. Unhealthy fish usually die a couple of days after they were moved out from their original aquarium.
After spending a couple of week from your buyer, get the fish and place it in a fish bag. After thirty minutes, pour saltwater from the tank into the bag. Add another ¼ cup of saltwater and do the same for an hour.