Beginning Saltwater -- Long-term Success
The cycling process will undoubtedly be the most tense time for you
and your new tank. So below is a guide to the first few days and
months of your tank.
Over the course of the first 4 to 6 weeks your tank will
demonstrate the typical cycling process (which is described in detail
the BEGINNER FAQ). During this critical time,
you should carefully watch the ammonia and nitrites in the tank. If
the fish look stressed (darting around the tank, gasping for air, or
not moving at all), a partial water change might be in order. If the
fish look really bad, they may have to be moved to another tank or
storage location until the toxicity of the tank is reduced. You
should always keep salt mix and dechlorinated water on hand for
impromptu water changes.
Along with monitoring ammonia and nitrites, you should keep a
careful eye on the pH (you should always watch the pH, not just
during
the cycling process). The pH will tend to fall over time and needs to
raised. The easiest way to raise the pH is through additions of
sodium bicarbonate (i.e., baking soda). Mix a tablespoon or so of
baking soda in a cup of dechlorinated water and slowly add it to the
tank. Slowly means over the course of an hour or two. Baking soda will
cause a short term drop in the pH, but will bring the pH to 8.2 over time.
As time marches on, water will evaporate from the tank and need to
be replenished. The water that evaporates is freshwater and needs to
be replaced with freshwater. You should never use saltwater for
makeup water (unless you want to increase the salinity of the tank).
As the tank matures, algae will start to grow (usually around
week
2 or 3). Typically brown algae, otherwise known as diatoms, will be
the first algae that shows up in the tank. Brown algae will usually
cover everything in the tank and need to be cleaned every week or
so.
With time green algae should overtake the diatoms and the brown
algae
will disappear all together. If it doesn't, there might not be enough
light for the green algae to out-compete the diatoms.
After the tank completes cycling, it will be time for your first
major water change. Although the amount of water you change is
really
up to you, it should be a significant portion of the water. Something
like 40 to 50%, with 100% of the water not being uncommon. When
changing the water, the gravel should also be cleaned. There are
many
commercially available gravel cleaners on the market.
The chemistry of the change water should be as close to the tank's
water as possible. The pH should be within 0.2 and the temperature
should be within 1-2 degrees. It is better to have the change water
warmer than cooler (imagine the shock of a cold shower and you will
know how your fish will react to cooler change water).
After the first water change you should establish a regular
maintenance schedule. Something like monthly water changes,
weekly algae scrapings, and bi-weekly feedings are normal.
A note on nutrition. Saltwater fish need varied diets. Constantly
feeding your fish flake food may provide it with all the necessary
vitamins and minerals, but this may ultimately cause a nutrition
deficiency of sorts. Alternating between cut up shrimp
and clam, flake food and frozen/live brine shrimp makes a good
combination. Herbivorous fish, like Yellow Tangs, also like romaine
lettuce or Nori (an algae regularly sold at oriental markets) on a regular
basis.
One of the most frequently asked questions in the news groups is how
to convert from freshwater to saltwater. What equipment needs to
replaced, what needs to purchased, etc..
Most equipment used in freshwater can be used in a saltwater
system, with a few exceptions. You should start by replacing your
gravel with some sort of calcerous material. Examples include crushed
coral, dolomite and argonite. Using these types of substrate tend to
help buffer the water and produce a more stable environment. Next,
you need to check all your equipment for anything metal. Saltwater
will rust anything except the highest grade stainless steel. There
are stainless steels on the market which will rust when exposed to
saltwater. Needless to say, you need to replace or get rid of
anything made of metal.
The filtration system used in your freshwater system will usually
be adequate for a saltwater system. However, you can use this
opportunity to upgrade or change filtration mechanisms. Also, which
ever type of filtration system you are using, you should add some
sort of extra water circulation to the tank. Saltwater has a lower
dissolved oxygen content than freshwater, so you need to keep the
water in the tank moving. Actually, it needs to do more than move.
You need to disrupt the surface of the water to maximize oxygen
transfer with the atmosphere.
The lighting you used for you freshwater system should also work
for a fish-only saltwater tank. However, if you want to keep
invertebrates, you will need to upgrade (more that just your
lighting).
One part of a freshwater system that needs to be replaced is the
food. Marine fish need varied diets. You need to supply your fish
with a combination of fresh, frozen and live food. Flake food,
although adequate, should not be the major portion of your fish's
diet.
Finally, when you are ready to make the switch to saltwater, you
really should replace all the water in your system. It is best to
start with nitrate free water to minimize the potential for algae
problems. Also, many people think that adding salt to a cycled
freshwater tank will yield a cycled saltwater tank. Experience have
shown this is not true. Saltwater nitrifying bacteria are different
than freshwater nitrifying bacteria, so they must be cultured from
scratch. As a note, nitrifying bacteria seem to be pH and temperature
sensitive. So moving some gravel from a warm saltwater tank
(~85F/24C) to a temperate saltwater tank (72F/21C) will shock the
bacteria enough to nullify any advantage from using the gravel (e.g.,
to shorten the cycle time).
Keeping a quarantine tank is especially important for saltwater
tanks. It can be very difficult to treat a sick fish when it is
continually being harassed by healthier fish. Also, some medications,
namely copper, will kill invertebrates. You should NEVER
put
copper into your main tank. Contrary to popular belief, you will
never be able to get all of the copper out of the tank. Also, using
copper in a tank which contains live rock will decimate the life forms
populating the rock, as most of them are invertebrates.
Source water for saltwater tanks is also very important. Although
the water authority says that tap water is fit for human
consumption,
it may not be fit for your fish. Tap water typically contains
chlorine and chloramine, which will kill your fish. Although these
will have an immediate effect on your fish, there are usually other
contaminates in tap water which need time to affect the tank. In
particular, phosphates will cause massive growths of hair algae and
potentially cyanobacteria outbreaks (red slime algae). Without good
quality source water, your tank will not be the continuous joy you
hoped it would be.
The best water purifiers on the market are reverse osmosis units.
These, coupled with de-ionizing resins, produce water which is 98%
pure. If the price of a RO/DI combination is too much, then you can
always use distilled water (not spring water). However, distilled
water may have been stored in copper containers which will kill
invertebrates.
Before you start your saltwater tank, find a good store near you.
Good stores will have knowledgeable staff and exhibit a general
concern about the care of the animals. If the store has few saltwater
tanks, with a lot of sick or dying fish, don't buy any fish there,
even if they look healthy.
The last point about keeping saltwater fish is to read, read, read.
The FAQ is no substitution for reading a good book. Some of the best
are The Marine Aquarium Handbook by Martin Moe,
The Book
of the Marine Aquarium distributed by Tetra Press, and
The
Marine Aquarium Reference also by Martin Moe. Also, don't be
afraid to post to *.aquaria. Just don't forget to include all the
importance specifications (e.g., ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH,
temperature, how old the tank is, how big the tank is, and what the
inhabitants are). Happy fish keeping.
30 gallon tank $30
Custom Hood $20
Custom Stand $30
1 Phillips Ultralume $11
1 Coralife Actinic Blue $15
Wizard Electronic Ballast $28 (now $49 including the endcaps)
DIY w/d filter $30
Amiracle Prefilter $50
Eheim 1250 $69
DIY 30" Air-driven skimmer $50
Hagen 801 powerhead $22
Tetra Luft G Airpump $20
Hagen 301 (circulation) $15
Ebo Jaeger 100W heater $16
20 lbs dolomite $8
Misc. Rocks $15
2 Domino Damsels $10
Total $439.00
 End of Saltwater Beginner FAQ.
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