Aquarist Help

The customer is not the oldest, but his tank is.

This is my very fist saltwater aquarium, I am currently setting it up, I will post more videos of aquarium as I progress. Please rate, comment and SUBSCRIBE!!!!!

Aquarium operations and installations. Learn about the professional installation of a 180-gallon saltwater aquarium in this how-to video. Expert: Marc Grover Contact: www.underwaterdepot.net Bio: Marc Grover is the co-owner of Underwater Depot. He and his business partner, Chris Bernie, have over 30 years of collective experience in the aquarium industry. Filmmaker: Traci Holsey

Started in february 2008, 6 ft, 130g display, 70g sump, 3x MH 400W 20 000 K XM lights, 2x hydor koralia 4, ph meter, refractometer, cheato in sump+ 70 lbs live rock, fans, 1x 250 watt heater, 30g water reserve, 100 gpd RO/DI, KENT MARINE salt… Corals : tabletop Acropora sp, green montipora, orange montipora, salomon pink and orange superman monti digita, frogspawn, different anemones, kenya trees, sarcos, white pumping xenia, purple xenia, green star polyp, green hydnopora, coco worm, different riccordera, orange favia, green brain, orange brain, many kind of mushes, many kind of zoos, candy cane, devil hand, cauliflower coral, elegant coral, blue ridge, green pocillopora coral, and many more! Fishes : 12 chromis, 2 orange ocerallis, 2 onyx clowns, 1 yellow tang, 1 hyppo blue tang, 1 sailfin tang, 2 dragonnets (mandarin), 1 neon goby, many snails, conch, etc.

Expert Advice For Setting Up And Maintaining A Stunning Saltwater Aquarium Filled With Exotic Colorful Fish. After 25 Years Aquarium Storeowner Reveals His Secrets. Revised For 2008. Affiliate Center! Http://affiliate.aquaticexperts.com.
Experts Guide To Saltwater Aquariums Plus 3 Bonus Reports.

The Ultimate Guide To Keeping Happy,healthy Marine Life (fish, Corals And Other Invertebrates) And How To Optimally Set Up A Saltwater Aquarium And Maintain A Pristine Environment For Your Pets. Includes ‘How To Make Money From Your Aquarium’ Bonus Items.
Ultimate Secrets To Saltwater Fish And Invertebrates.

Instant Reef artificial coral reef inserts for saltwater fish aquarium, marine fish only with live rock tank and tropical freshwater aquarium. Realistic Looking Artificial Coral Reef Inserts for both Saltwater Marine Fish Only with Live Rock Aquarium and Tropical Freshwater Fish Tank. FOWLR Packed with Gorgeous Corals, both Color-Fading Resistant and Anti-Algae coating to insure Years of Lasting Beauty. No restrictions for Reef Safe fish, enjoy all the saltwater fish you like Non-Toxic Material Porous / Rough surface for beneficial bacteria to grow on. Soon Instant Reef becomes Artificial Live Rocks. Fish only aquarium is Easy to setup, Clean and Maintain. Reducing live rock and live coral removal and damage from the ocean Get the feel of the Ocean with a Coral Reef Aquarium at Fish Only Tank prices! www.instantreef.com 1-866-272-4378 *120 gallon salt water fish only with live tank, Regal Angelfish, Flame Angel, Yellow Tang, Blue Hippo Tang, Foxface Rabbitfish, butterflyfish, Clown Fish, Green Chromis, Chocolate Chip starfish, hermit crabs, sally lightfoot crab, protein skimmer, t-5 lighting, chiller, ozonizer

1 Gallon Pico Reef, 1/2 gallon sealed SPS reef tank, 19 gallon bog terrarium globe, 75 gallon planted tank with Co2 injection. Keeping ecosystems in odd containers changes the chemistry and dynamics interestingly and has a direct correlation to evaporation rates, nitrate binding or export, and temperature stabilization to name a few. For example, a fluted vase design allows for an inner-diameter resting lid, which changes the salinity and saltcreep maintenance drastically vs any other shape. It also provides an angled surface for detritus accumulation, which is easily wiped for maintenance and this is (nitrogen) export. A small square palmtop design, with an internal plant sub-division, becomes the first and still the only longterm sealed (non evaporating) coral reef aquarium, growing acroporid coral specimens into 3 inch tabular forums documented over a two year course. Shape matters in pico reef design, and pico reef design matters to marine biology as a whole because it influences coral morphology, allelopathy, and new observations for science unique to hyperconcentrated niche environments. thank you for stopping by! I invite everyone to discuss the biology or problems associated with any aquarium care, and feel free to link your own micro reefs if you keep them. Anyone who would like to research pico reef history can start at Reefs.Org and Reefcentral around 2002 and nano-reef.com These forums paved the way for the explosion in popularity and are 95% of the existing …

It is always best to have as many different test kits as you can afford (as they apply to either freshwater or saltwater

I prefer to purchase my test kits separately as most master test kits duplicate test I do not need (high range and low range ph) and leave out ones I need such as kH and GH, or possibly Phosphate, Calcium, or Redox

Here is a list of FRESHWATER Test Kits, what they are for and in order of importance:

[1] Ammonia Test Kit ; Ammonia is very toxic even at low levels, should be kept at or near 0. Ammonia test kits cannot discern between highly toxic ammonia (NH4) and only slightly toxic ammonium (NH3). Products such as Prime , Ammolock, and Amquel will convert NH4 to NH3, so your toxic ammonia level will not test accurately after using one of these products. Ammonium (NH3) will convert to NH4 at higher pH levels, which why high ammonia levels as per test are much more toxic at higher pH.

[2] kH & GH Test Kit; you will notice I placed this above a pH test Kit, this due to the fact that a poor kH will make keeping a stable pH nearly impossible. Also Calcium (as tested in GH) is more important to fish health than many aquarists give credit (see my article: CALCIUM, KH, AND MAGNESIUM IN AQUARIUMS; How to maintain a Proper KH, why calcium and electrolytes are important).

*You want to maintain a KH & GH of around 60 ppm (around 2-3 dKH & dGH) for Discus, Rams, Cardinals, and other Amazon fish.

*A KH & GH of 80 -100 for most tropical fish including Gouramis, Bettas, Angelfish, ECT.

*A KH & GH of 100-200 for Goldfish, mollies, Platties, Guppies, ECT.

*A KH & GH of over 200 for Rift Lakes African Cichlids and Brackish fish such as Monos and Scats.

[3] pH High Range OR Low Range Test Kit; you should only need one or the other based on the type of aquarium you keep.

Does not stress over being exact about pH, as too of many aquarists go WAY overboard here! For example Discus generally do best around 6.5, however I know breeders of Discus using water with a pH well over 7.0

I recommend a High Range Test Kit for Goldfish and livebearers which should have a targeted pH of about 7.5-7.8. Rift Lake African cichlids should have a pH of over 8.0

I recommend a Low Range Test Kit for general community freshwater fish (6.8- 7.4) or Amazon River fish (under 6.8)

[4] Nitrate Test Kit; this test is important to know when to change your water (along with KH), as well as how well your general long term tank health is going. Nitrates will also show you how well your plants are consuming nitrogenous nutrients, and if you are vacuuming the aquarium properly such as removing all the mulm. Some filters such as Under Gravel in particular, and Wet Dry and Canister filters can become nitrate factories if not taken care of properly.

For most freshwater fish a nitrate level under 40 ppm is correct or above 15 ppm for planted aquariums.

[4] Nitrite Test Kit; you will notice I put it last, not because it is not important, only that if budget is a concern or time for testing is a factor, this parameter mirrors ammonia often within hours or days. Nitrite should be at or near 0.

[5] Phosphate Test Kit; generally only necessary in planted aquariums where large amounts of ‘ferts’ (fertilizer) are added or if you have uncontrollable algae growth. This test kit is often more important for ponds where rain water can wash debris with high phosphate content into the pond.

Your aquarium (or pond) should have phosphate levels as close to 0 as possible.

[6] Redox Meter; generally this water parameter will take of itself provided you perform proper aquarium husbandry including, regular water changes with properly ionized water, you maintain a GH and KH level of at least 50 ppm (I find 80 ppm better). This said, this is a good parameter to check if you are having problems with Cyanobacteria (Blue Green Algae) or if you are having unexplained problems and every other test is correct (providing you do not have an unknown disease). I recommend every aquarist be at least familiar with the Redox Potential, here is an in depth article about aquarium Redox: “The Redox Potential in Aquariums (& Ponds) and how it relates to proper aquatic health” . You can use Methylene Blue according to standard dosage to your aquarium water (remove the water for this test), and it stays a brilliant blue, you probably have a positive Redox. If the color dissipates at all (even the slightest) you probably have a reducing number. This test in no way replaces the accuracy of Redox meter, but it is a simple way to get a handle on your aquariums Redox health.

Your aquarium Redox should be around -300 mV.

SALTWATER;

The list remains similar and I will bypass descriptions that are in common with freshwater test kits.

[1] Ammonia Test Kit; this should be 0 as in FW

[2] KH Test Kit; you do not need a GH Test Kit for saltwater. KH (or alkalinity as is called in marine aquariums) should be over 240 ppm (13 dKH)

[3] PH High Range Test Kit; your pH should be between 8.2 – 8.4

[4] Hydrometer; this instrument tests the specific gravity of aquarium water (in simple terms the amount of salts). There are two types; the floating glass hydrometers which are more fragile, but also more accurate or the simple needle hydrometer that you fill with water. It is important with both types of hydrometers to clean these with white vinegar (then rinse thoroughly) to prevent hard water buildup which will then cause inaccurate readings.

[4] Nitrate Test Kit; Nitrates are best under 40 for marine fish aquariums and under 20 (even less if possible) for reef aquariums

[5] Calcium Test Kit; this takes the place of the GH Test Kit in freshwater.

Calcium is important to ALL marine life (this includes freshwater too as it is often sadly overlooked), however it is absolutely essential for proper coral growth in marine aquariums. Bio-availability is also essential, Sea Chem Reef Calcium Polygluconate is probably one of the best, most bio-available calcium supplements available for marine aquariums.

Your marine Calcium levels should be between 400-450 ppm

[6] Nitrite Test Kit; this should be 0 as in FW

[7] Magnesium Test Kit; Magnesium is an essential part of chlorophyll, which is necessary for photosynthesis, plants, including algae and the corals. Maintaining a correct magnesium concentration is very important, and is indirectly responsible for fast coral and calcareous algae growth by virtue of making the maintenance of correct calcium and alkalinity figures possible. Magnesium is depleted by algae and by the use of excessive Kalkwasser. Magnesium is what binds Calcium Carbonate in solution, if levels are low useable calcium levels will also drop. Poor choices of Marine Buffers can further exasperate this problem, this why I STRONGLY recommend Sea Chem Marine Buffer for adjusting alkalinity in marine aquariums (and EVEN freshwater aquariums) as this product has Magnesium, Calcium, and sodium bicarbonate in the proper ratios.

Magnesium levels in marine aquariums should be between 1200 and 1400 ppm.

[8] Redox Meter; as in freshwater, I recommend -300 mV, except Redox is more important in marine aquariums.

[9] Phosphate Test Kit; as in freshwater this should near 0. High phosphate levels in marine aquariums can play havoc with the health and growth of live coral (Phosphates can block the absorption of important minerals)

For the Full Article, icluding pictures and more links, please visit the site in the resource box below.

Saltwater aquariums should generally contain fewer fish than fresh water tanks, because the species tend to grow bigger in size. Marine species may be bred in a captive environment, or caught in the wild. Captive bred species are easier to care for and usually hardier than caught species. It generates a great amount of stress for a fish to be captured in the wild and then introduced into an aquarium environment. It is often difficult for them to figure out how to eat. Whenever possible, purchase your fish from a retailer that deals only with breeders or from the breeders themselves.  There are five different types of saltwater aquariums. The first type of saltwater aquarium is the fish only aquarium. This is probably the easiest to care for of the five types, simply because you are only dealing with one type of species. Amongst the saltwater fish there are both tropical and coldwater types. They can’t be kept together for obvious reasons. The water temperatures vary greatly. Tropical fish are usually brighter in color, and therefore more appealing to aquarium lovers than the fish available in the cold water variety. Most people are somewhat familiar with a few tropical fish such as the Clownfish or the Angel fish. However, few people have heard of such cold water varieties as, the Shanny or the Tompot Blenny. The second type of saltwater aquarium is the invertebrate only aquarium. These types of aquariums usually consist of shrimp, prawn, hermit crabs and perhaps even starfish or sea cucumbers. The third type is the fish and invertebrate saltwater aquarium. These are more difficult to maintain than either of the two categories separately. Certain invertebrates feed on certain fish, and the reverse is also true. Therefore, it is important to research the species carefully to ensure that you do not put predator and prey together in the same aquarium. Diseases can also spread more rapidly and are more difficult to prevent and cure in aquariums containing both invertebrates and fish species.  The next type of saltwater aquarium is the coral reef aquarium. Reef aquariums can be tricky to maintain and must be thoroughly researched before attempted. The last category of saltwater aquariums is the specialty aquarium. An example of a specialty aquarium would be an aquarium full of sea horses. Sea horses should not be kept with any other type of fish or marine life, because they are timid and slow eaters. Their food source could easily be taken away by other tank mates. Seahorses prefer to swim vertically rather than horizontally, and should be placed in a tall tank.  An octopus and a shark or a ray are other examples of fish that require special needs and would fall into the category of specialty aquarium.   Regardless of which type of saltwater aquarium is chosen, research is highly recommended before purchasing any marine life. Make sure you are willing to make the commitment required to care for a saltwater aquarium.