The Saltwater Aquarium Do's and Don'ts List (Part 1)
Having a saltwater aquarium can be a lot of fun. Watching your tropical saltwater fish can be a very relaxing hobby. Not to mention if set up properly your aquarium can be a great addition to any room. If you want to keep it in tip top shape you do have to pay attention to it. I have put together a list of some do's and don'ts when it comes to managing a saltwater aquarium. In this week's edition you can read about the Do's.
The Do's
o Buy a good saltwater aquarium book. This will be a great resource as there are lots of issues that can arise with a saltwater set up. If you haven't purchased it already it should be the next item you purchase. Amazon.com will probably have a better variety than you can find at your local book store and they usually have very good prices.
o React quickly when you believe that something is wrong. Test your water quality. Look for signs of disease. Consult your aquarium book(s); check out some fish (saltwater tropical) forums on the internet.
o Keep a maintenance schedule to help remind you to regularly check things like your water quality, toping off with water, replace saltwater, etc.
o Feed small amounts of food regularly.
o Look at your tank every day to look for changes in your saltwater fish's health. Are they acting behaving any differently than normal, do they show any damage or signs of sickness.
o Be sure you have sufficient circulation in your tank. Look into a power head.
o Use a timer if possible on your tanks lights as your saltwater tropical fish like structure with respect to their daytime and nighttime.
oBe sure to use good quality activated carbon in your tanks so that unwanted toxins are removed and water stays clear.
o Regularly replace your activated carbon.
o Keep your tank as close as possible to Natural Sea Water conditions.
oAcclimate your new tropical fish appropriately - this can be anywhere from a few minutes to a few days if you want to quarantine them first.
oUse a protein skimmer if possible. It will work nicely with your mechanical and biological filtration. In some cases it is a must have if you are keeping certain invertebrates.
o Always keep some saltwater supplies on hand for an unexpected problem.
o Make sure you understand the nitrogen cycle. This is the process for how wastes in the saltwater get converted from toxic chemicals to less toxic chemicals by bacteria that live in your saltwater aquarium.
oIf possible use natural sea water in your tank - there is nothing like the real thing.
o If you use real sea water make sure you know where it is coming from. You don't want sea water that was collected in your local marina or just offshore as it will not be suitable. Sea water taken from these areas can contain all sorts of man made pollutants.
o Select your new fish very carefully. Study ahead of time to make sure you know what signs to look for in a damaged or diseased fish. It is always a good idea to quarantine new tropical fish in a separate salt water tank before adding them to your display tank.
o Always wash your hands before putting them in the tank or working with any equipment that will come into contact with your tanks water. Oils and anything else on your skin (lotion, soap, etc.) can pollute your saltwater setup.
o Feed a varied diet that accommodates all your saltwater tanks needs.
o Create passages and caves for you saltwater reef fish to enjoy.
There are probably some other Do's that we could add to the list. However, this is a good start. Keeping a saltwater set up going properly takes some work but the benefits are well worth it.
In the next article we will cover the Don'ts list for your saltwater aquarium.
The Author, Elliot Lawson, offers tips and advice about keeping tropical saltwater fish. Please check out [http://www.theguidetofun.com] if you would like to learn more about setting up a saltwater aquarium and saltwater tropical fish.
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