Marine Fish Care

Live rock has many benefits to a marine fish aquarium while providing a touch of natural beauty. Live rock acts as a natural filtration system and creates an environment for algae, small invertebrates, and natural bacteria, which are all beneficial to the aquarium, to grow. In addition these small inhabitants provide a more natural environment for the fish in the aquarium, contributing to their overall health and well-being.

Live rock is generally coral that has broken off from large pieces of living coral. When placed inside a saltwater aquarium, microscopic bacteria, algae, and tiny bacteria begin to grow. These organisms immediately begin to act as a natural filter in the aquarium, making an artificial filter unnecessary and seemingly intrusive. The organisms, occurring naturally in the rock, help to convert the ammonia in the water into nitrate. Nitrate is far less harmful and in fact contributes to water health and quality and makes the water more suitable for salt water fish. In addition live rock eliminates the common problem of clogging that most artificial filters have. Live rock also does away with the task of cleaning the filter, which is unnecessary as it occurs naturally due to the small organisms the rock fosters. Live rock in this ways acts as a natural filter that is creates an environment that is sound and healthy for the aquarium’s inhabitants.

In addition, live rock provide natural shelter for the creatures in the aquarium. It’s natural holes and niches provide what fish would naturally find in their environment and allows them to participate in activities that are the most basic of fish behaviors. The natural environment created by the live rock also helps to acclimatize new creatures, fish and invertebrates alike, to the aquarium environment causing a reduction in stress for them and the current inhabitants, helping all to enjoy greater health. Also, the small, microorganisms that live rock fosters also lend themselves to the growth of certain larger organisms such as worms, that the fish and other creatures in the aquarium can use as a natural source of food in addition to what they receive.

Live rock provides an all natural filter to a saltwater aquarium that also creates a positive and healthy environment for the inhabitants of the tank while beautifying the aquarium in the process. Live rock fosters small microorganisms that act as filters and balance the chemistry of the water making artificial filters unnecessary and intrusive. In addition live rock eliminates many of the issues that come with artificial filters such as clogging and cleaning. Lastly live rock helps to foster a natural environment for fish to hide, play, and even find natural food sources. Live rock is a positive addition to any saltwater aquarium.

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.