Setting up a saltwater aquarium is not going to be as easy as it is with a freshwater aquarium. You will need to put in double effort to create a perfect one. The investment is also high. But the variety that you can create in a saltwater aquarium is simply worth all the trouble that is involved in getting started.
The saltwater aquariums can be decorated with various uncommon corals that will look simply unique. Then there are fishes which will add rainbow colors to the aquarium. This is the reason why many people prefer to set up their saltwater aquarium instead of a common freshwater one.
Here are few tips which will prove to be really helpful for the beginner who is planning to set up a saltwater aquarium.
Essential items for a saltwater aquarium
There are few things that are indispensable for a saltwater aquarium. Here the salt level of the water plays an important role. This is the reason you will need a testing jar and a hydrometer to measure the salt balance of the water. You will need to collect three buckets before you start working on the aquarium.
Dechlorinated water is required for it. Thermometers are needed to measure the temperature of the water. Some plants will be required to decorate the aquarium. They will also act as the natural food of some fishes. Some mild bleach should be included in the list.
Some distilled water and heaters are two important items which you must keep handy. A tank is probably the most important item and you should also collect some decorative items to make the aquarium look beautiful.
Set up the aquarium tank
First of all you need to run a check on the tank to make sure that there are no leaks in it. Then the tank needs to be cleaned perfectly with 1 tea spoonful of bleach for each 5 gallons water. Then the walls of the tank, the plastic plants, rocks and other decorative items should be cleaned so that they do not contain any dust particle or harmful bacteria. In order to do so they should be cleaned with water thoroughly for a number of times.
Now it is time to fix up the filtration system in the tank. The filters already come with particular installation instruction. Follow them to do this perfectly. The substrate of the aquarium should also be cleaned before putting it inside the tank. Then you can put the plants inside the tank.
The tank should be filled with a large bucket full of clean and obviously dechlorinated water. After that you will need to turn the water into salt water. For this use a hydrometer and add salt while measuring the saltiness of the water. The specific gravity of the water should lie between 1.020 and 1.023.
Other factors that you need to check
In stead of filling the entire aquarium tank, leave a gap of 1 inch at the top. Test the filter system if it is working properly or not. Then the heater and thermometer should be used to control the temperature of the water tank. Most of the saltwater fishes are comfortable at the temperature ranging from 75 and 80 degrees. While you use the heater keep checking the temperature.
In fact the automatic heaters can be fixed at a desired temperature. Once the aquarium tank is set up you should leave it like that to settle and run perfectly for minimum three days. Now it often happens that the newly set up aquariums do not contain some good and essential bacteria which are good for the fishes. This is a deficiency of the biological cycle that is there in your saltwater aquarium.
In order to make up for this you will need to get the aquarium cycled. Now when you recheck and come to the conclusion that the chemical balance of the water in the aquarium is ideal as well as the temperature then put the fishes inside it. You will also require a protein skimmer which will extract and remove the biological waste of the aquarium. This will stop the water from getting polluted with the nitrates.
Fishes that should be kept in a saltwater aquarium
Now the choice of fish and other animals that you can keep inside the saltwater aquarium is wide. There are some colorful fishes which will make it look astounding. Some of the common choices of fish are Angelfish. They are available in small and big sizes and you can choose the one that suits your requirement.
The oval shaped butterfly fish is another colorful specimen that will add a lot of beauty to the saltwater aquarium. Blennies are blunt headed fish which are pretty interesting as the saltwater aquarium members. The most jovial and multicolored fish in the aquarium could be the clown fish. The damselfish can easily adapt in the environment of the aquarium.
But make sure they are not kept with bigger saltwater fishes as they will simply eat the damsels up. This is the reason why the sellers of these fishes will allow you an exchange if there is any problem. Eels and gobies are good choice for the aquariums. Hawkfish, lionfish and surgeonfish are uncommon but they can make the aquarium look really interesting. But most of these fishes are carnivores or omnivores in nature. So the food supplied to them should include brine shrimps, worms, insect larvae etc.