Saltwater aquariums will experience salt creep, there is no way around it. You will probably find that it is best to not let salt creep get out of control. Salt creep can quickly become cumbersome to clean if you let it go. Salt will build up on key hardware too, and can hamper effectiveness. Salt will build up on heaters. Salt will build up on your protein skimmer. Salt creep will build up on your aquarium hood and lighting hardware. I could keep going, but you get the idea.
Carpet Destruction
Salt will fall into the carpet, if you have carpet near your tank. Salt is tough to clean out of the carpet if it builds up to the point where it becomes a thick crust. Ugh. This is especially a danger if there is dripping or leaking from your tank or tank hardware.
Dripping and Leaking is a Bad Thing
Keep an eye on the area behind and around the base of your tank to make sure that you don't have any drip issues. You might have hardware or tubing that drips or leaks in a way that doesn't immediately get your attention. You'll want to make sure that you don't let any consistent leakage happen for an extended period of time for any type of aquarium, whether your tank is freshwater or saltwater.
Saltwater leaks will have more cleanup consequences than freshwater leaks, at least in my experience. Saltwater has salt in it, obviously, and that is not a good thing for carpets and other peripheral materials near your aquarium.
Damage to Your Aquarium and Surrounding Area
Salt creep can damage many of the components that are used in or around your aquarium. Salt can be corrosive and fearsome if you let it get out of control.
Salt will corrode cables in certain cases. Salt will sometimes damage wood, carpet, paint and varnished surfaces.
A Negative Effect on Aquarium Lighting
Salt could possibly build up on aquarium bulbs and lighting depending on how well the lighting is protected from the water. If salt layers start to build up on bulbs, they will not be as effective in lighting your aquarium.
Salt buildup and is also not good on your acrylic or glass aquarium tops. This type of salt buildup will have the same negative effect on lighting. Transparent hoods need to be cleaned regularly if there is a lot of salt built up on the surfaces.
Just Do It, Clean Up the Salt Creep Often
Take a few minutes to wipe down your aquarium and remove the salt creep every couple weeks or more often if required. This type of cleanup might seem like trivial work at times, but it's much easier to clean up salt creep before it builds up into a think crust or starts to fall on the floor. Your aquarium will be much more presentable as well!
Luke Petterson has been maintaining a saltwater aquarium for a few years now and has had quite a few good and bad experiences. Taking care of an aquarium takes patience and discipline, but it's not bad at all if you do your research. Aquarium keeping is also a very rewarding experience.
Visit http://aquarist-refuge.com to learn more about aquariums and aquarium keeping or to browse aquarium videos and other tidbits.
No comments:
Post a Comment