Marine Fish Care

Maintenance is a critical when it comes to your keeping your marine fish alive and healthy. Creating a schedule for daily, weekly, bi-weekly and monthly checks and maintenance will help in making your marine aquarium a success. The type of tank and fish you have will change the schedule in some ways but here is a list of the basics.

Daily Schedule

• You should give your marine fish tank a good look over check the temperature with a aquarium thermometer to make sure its within its parameters.
• Observe the condition and behavior of your marine fish look for signs of disease or stress.
• Make sure the pumps and powerheads are functioning properly.
• Look for leaks.
• Remove any leftover fish food before it starts to decay.
• Check tank level and top off if necessary.

Weekly Schedule

• Scrape any algae that might have build up on the sides of the tank.
• Clean any filters that appear to have a buildup of waste and leftover food.
• Check the water with a aquarium test kit for ph, ammonia, nitrate and nitrite if necessary.

Biweekly Schedule

• Do a 10 percent water change.
• While removing the water vacuum the substrate to remove any waste and leftover food.
• Clean your filter elements with the water you extracted out of the tank.
• Clean any salt buildup from the top of the fish tank and the cover so not to block any light.

Monthly Schedule

• Inspect all electrical connections for any type of corrosion
• Change filters and carbon.
• inspect all plumbing and airstones for leaks and proper operation replace if necessary.

How to do a water change in your Marine Aquarium.

The water in your aquarium should be changed at least every two weeks sometimes sooner which is why testing the water is important. The more fish you have in the fish tank the more waste will be brought into the tank. Check with your local pet store about what needs to be done with water in your area to make it marine fish friendly.When changing the water you will want to disconnect anything electric to you tank as a safety precaution. Remove about 10 percent of the water from your tank. In a bucket or some sort of container add water and the salt mix according to the manufactures instructions. Check the specific gravity of the water with a hydrometer and check the water with a test kit to make sure both the aquarium and the new water are within the same parameters. Once the temperature of both are about the same you can start slowly add the water. You can now turn your electrical components and make sure everything is running smoothly. Remember excellent water condition is crucial to marine fish care.

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.

Marine aquarium location may not seem like something you have to put much thought into but there are quite a few things to look at. The last thing you want to do is have to move it after everything is set up or even worse loose your fish. Find a location in the house  where you will have plenty of room to work on the fish tank and do maintenance but most importantly where you are going to enjoy it . There is no point in having a aquarium full of beautiful marine fish or a reef aquarium in a room where nobody is going to see it. You are going to need access to electricity so choosing a location with a wall plug is a must. My old roommate had a aquarium that was hooked to a extension cord. They never determined exactly what happened but it ignited and the only reason the house is still standing was because the heat broke the aquarium and extinguished it . If the location that you want the tank does not have a outlet I would recommend having a licensed electrician hook one up for you. The room the tank is kept in should not be drafty (marine fish don’t like cold water conditions), avoid it being near a outside door or window that would cause a fluctuation in temperature. Depending on the size of the fish tank you need to determine if the floor is strong enough to hold it. You might need to  consult with a contracter to determine this. Depending upon where you live you might have to get some kind of flood coverage in the event water leaks from your aquarium to the apartment below you. Carpet should also be avoided changing water  is sure to lead to a little spill here and there that can not easily wiped up. Marine fish can be very nervous so having them in a high traffic area is not recommended. The aquarium should not be near windows or in direct sunlight especially if live rock is being used. Special aquarium lighting should be used to control the growth of the living organisms in the live rock. One last thing you need to look at is how you are going to drain and refill the marine fish tank with water. Having to run a hose through your house every time you do a water change could become cumbersome after a while. Having a water supply and a drainage point nearby should be something else to consider.