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Home >> Living >> Pets >> Salt Water Fish Tanks
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Salt Water Fish Tanks

Saltwater fish tanks have their own unique qualities and demands. But, for the reef aquarium lover, it's well worth the effort.

You'll get many hours of enjoyment without hassle if you get your salt water fish tank setup correctly. If you miss a few steps, you're sure to have problems. They may not show up right way, but your fish will suffer in the long run. So please, be patient and follow all the steps in order.

Before You Begin


Do your research before starting your salt water fish tank setup. If you haven't yet purchased your system, you find many choices available. Don't hesitate to research and ask questions as you're making your choices. Each set requires different parts and equipment, but most specialized aquarium stores are more than happy to help you get started.

What basic equipment do you need? You'll need filters, pumps, heaters, lights, test kits, and sea salt mixtures, and substrate material (maybe something like coral). There's other optional equipment, but these are the basics.

Once you've chosen your system, you're ready to begin the setup. First you'll need to clean and level the tank. Then you can begin to arrange your background making sure to leave room for the necessary system pieces that must go into the tank.

Starting the Saltwater Fish Tank Setup and Testing


Once your tank is set, level, and the background is installed, you're ready to test your new system. Follow directions for your specific saltwater tank precisely. This may take some time, but it's worth it. Test your system before you put it into your tank. Once that's done, you can go on to the next step of your salt water fish tank setup.

If you have not already put in your saltwater solution now is a good time to do this. Once your solution is in, turn your tank on, and let it run for around 24 hours. During this test run, you can make changes to the water, if necessary. Just make sure everything is working correctly with no leaks.

Saltwater Aquascaping


Turn off any equipment that may be running. Put aside equipment that may get in the way. You have to siphon out half the water in the tank and save it. After removing some water, arrange your rocks and decorations how you want them. Once you like your design, add the water back into your tank to the proper level.

Next, turn on the system and let it run. Let your tank cycle. After the cycling is complete – and never before – you can add your fish. Make sure to do routine tests and add water as needed.

Second Tank


After you have your first salt water fish tank setup, why you should look into another tank? Well, one thing that is important when adding a lot of different saltwater fish is to have a quarantine tank to observe each fish before they are put in with others.

It's important to keep you new fish alone for a while to make sure they're not carrying any diseases. The last thing you want to do is put a new fish who's unhealthy in with your thriving fish. Once introduced to the tank, disease spread quickly. It's better to be safe than to lose all your saltwater fish.
 
Article by Cris Stanford  

Published 27th Jan 2010

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