Jan
21
Before you go out and buy anything you should do is some research to determine what equipment will be right for your marine aquarium. You need to get the appropriate aquarium equipment for your particular tank. Here is a basic list of some of the things you will need to research and purchase.
- Aquarium, the bigger the better at buy at least a 55 gallon fish tank. You have a choice between glass and acrylic. Glass aquariums are very hard to scratch but are very heavy and can shatter . Acrylic tanks are easily scratched but are resistant to shattering and have less distortion than glass.
- Live rock if you choose to use biological filtration.
- Heater make sure it is powerful enough for your tank
- Aquarium stand there are may types of stands out there to choose from make sure you buy one strong enough to hold your tank.
- Hydrometer to test the waters specific gravity
- Saltwater test kit for to test the water parameters such as ph, nitrates and ammonia.
- Thermometer to monitor the aquarium temperature
- Protein skimmer to remove organic waste from the water
- Filter (optional when using live rock)
- Filter media (if needed)
- Powerheads to keep a constant constant movement of the saltwater.
- Saltwater mix
- Substrate either live sand or crushed coral.
- Reverse osmosis filter (optional but highly reccomended
- Scrubbers and scrapers to clean the aquarium glass
- Some kind of background for the tank
- Aquarium lighting nothing special is required for fish only tanks but special lighting is needed for tanks with reefs and live rock.
- Fish food
- Aquarium vacuum
This is just a basic list to get you thinking about what you will need to get started with your marine fish tank. Like any project is is sure to grow depending on the size of the tank and the marine fish you plan to keep.