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Here are a few things you need to know before you jump in and try to convert your existing freshwater aquarium into a saltwater aquarium or attempt to set up a new marine aquarium.
Choosing the tank
When choosing a tank to setup a marine aquarium the first thing to consider is size, fish need room if they don’t have enough they will make space for themselves by eliminating rivals so choose the largest possible tank you can, one of the most important thinks to take into account when selecting a tank is surface area, oxygen is absorbed into the water at the surface where water is in contact with air so the more surface area the more oxygen can be absorbed, lately there has been a trend to long tall wall mounted tanks these tanks are usually between 12cm and 15cm wide, a lot of people who have had these tanks installed have trouble keeping freshwater fish alive so as a saltwater aquarium they are absolutely useless.
Another important consideration is if you opt for a all in one unit make sure that the hood and fitting are not made from metal, these units look great for a sort time but constant exposure to saltwater and soon the metal hoods and fittings can and will cause problems.
Filtration
There are many forms of filtration that can be used on marine aquariums, when setting up a marine tank keep in mind that saltwater needs good filtration, a filtration water turn over of 15 times per hour would be the minimum ideally would be 20 to 25 time and using a combination of several types of filter is a better option than using one filter to try and do the mechanical, chemical, biological filtration and hourly turn over needed by a saltwater aquarium. Another important factor is the need for good water movement, in the ocean there is a lot of current and we can simulate this by using high volume pumps, saltwater does not carry oxygen well so again a lot of water movement is essential in keeping the oxygen levels adequate for the live stock.
Types of filtration
Internal power filters: ideal for mechanical filtration and water movement. These units are easy to install and service.
Canister filters:
A canister filter is a large, powerful aquarium filter, as the name suggests the unit is a sealed canister with several compartments which allows for the use of a variety of filter media to achieve mechanical, biological and chemical filtration, these units sit under the main tank and have an inlet hose to feed water from the aquarium into the canister and a return hose which returns water to the aquarium by a pump which is mounted in the canister.
Wet and dry filter:
Also called a trickle filter is the best biological filter available, the wet/dry filter is another tank or commonly know as a sump and sits under the main tank, the sump has a section for the biological filtering material, the most widely used media are bio balls or ceramic noodles, water flows from the main tank into the sump where it is dispersed via a drip tray or rotating arm, the water falling from the drip tray or rotating arm falls through air to gain maximum aeration before it passes through the filter media after passing through the media water collects in the sump where a high volume pump returns it to the main tank. Recent times have see some tank manufacturers successfully mount wet/dry filters on top of the aquarium and yet others incorporate the wet/dry system as part of the aquarium itself.
Protein skimmer:
A very important part of the filtration system these units can be air operated or driven by a pump, protein skimmers remove unwanted pollutants, a protein skimmer has a reaction chamber where air and water come into contact, by injecting small air bubbles into a flowing column of water, proteins attaches to the air bubbles the bubbles burst on the surface creating a foam which is pushed up another chamber and then collected in a reservoir.
Under gravel filters:
An under gravel filter is a biological aquarium filter. It consists of plates under the gravel, which are fitted with uplift tubes that rise up to just below the surface, air stones or power heads are inserted into the tubes to draw water from underneath the plates. This pulls water down through the gravel; the entire substrate acts as a medium for hosting beneficial bacterial colonies.
Power filters:
Hang on the back or side of the aquarium, water is drawn into the filter and passes through the filter media and gently returned into the aquarium these units offer good mechanical and chemical filtration but do not cause a lot of water movement.
Back pack filters:
Usually only suitable for smaller marine aquariums, back packs are a small biological filter that hang on the back or side of the aquarium unlike power filters back pack filter have a high volume pump mounted in the aquarium feeding the filter.
Lighting
Lighting for a marine aquarium consists of more than putting a certain type or wattage of light over a tank. Factors, such as size and depth of the tank and types of live stock need to be considered when choosing the light set up for the tank. The cost of purchasing and running the lights along with the means for removing the heat that is generated by most types of lights also needs to be taken into account. Lighting systems have come a long way, but there is still no perfect method for lighting a tank. Fortunately, once the pros and cons for each lighting method are understood, it becomes much easier to decide on which system is best for your desired application.
The quality of aquatic life in your aquarium can be directly related to the quality of light, if the correct spectrum and intensity of light is not provided, the survival rate of your corals, or invertebrates will not be good. When designing your aquarium lighting system, your goal should be to duplicate as close as possible natural conditions. Thanks to recent advancements in lighting technology, this has become an easier task.
Fish-only aquariums: Fish, artificial plants and rocks
Lighting system: Standard or a power compact fluorescent system
A lighting system between ¼ to ½ watt per liter should be sufficient to simulate daylight in a fish-only aquarium. Because the requirements of a fish-only aquarium are forgiving, you can choose the spectrum of bulb that best suits your preference. Avoid the use of standard household bulbs, which promote the growth of brown algae.
Saltwater reef aquariums: Fish, invertebrates, corals
Lighting systems: T5, Power Compact, Metal Halide
Many corals and invertebrates rely on light for a major portion of their nutrition, but the amount each type requires varies dramatically. In the wild, many corals come from depths of 15 to 65 feet where the light is extremely intense. However, many other corals have adapted to low-light conditions by hiding themselves within the reef for safety.
To correctly light a reef aquarium that is 24" deep or less, use a lighting system between 1 to 2 watts per liter. Of course, you can relax requirements significantly by choosing only corals and invertebrates that require low light, as well as non-photosynthetic invertebrates.
Heating/cooling
Heating is not a major issue in any aquarium, a good quality thermostatically controlled heater of one watt per liter of aquarium water will keep the temperature at a pre determined setting, temperature control in a saltwater aquarium is more on keeping the water cool rather than warm, due to the heat generated by the pumps and the intense lighting systems, marine aquariums usually need a chiller unit to maintain a temperature of 24°C.
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