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STARTUP BASICS FOR THE NEWCOMER TO MARINE REEF AQUARIA By Michael Jones SO YOU WANT A MARINE AQUARIUM? You have been keeping freshwater aquariums for years then huh? And have decided to take the plunge and want a marine aquarium with a clown fish (or Nemo to you) and an anemone and wonder if you can use any of your existing freshwater equipment. You’re currently keeping African Cichlids and wonder if you can take them out of the tank and just add some salt and its ready for your first fish, in a word, NO, You cannot. Ok then what do I need to do? You’re asking yourself, what equipment is needed? What skimmer? How big? What lighting? What filtration? Oh it’s so complicated is it worth it? Ok slow down and read this, here's some information for you the beginner.
CAN I USE MY EXISTING AQUARIUM? Yes you can, providing you have never used any copper medications in the tank, copper is absolutely lethal to all corals and invertebrates’ and it’s pointless attempting to use the tank if you ever want to own a reef aquarium. I suppose it’s a possibility that with vigorous cleaning with bleach you may rid the tank of any copper traces, but id suggest it’s just not worth the risk, all your hard work could be for nothing if any copper ever entered the water stream. Providing Copper medication has never been used then there’s no reason why the aquarium cannot be used for your new marine set up. Firstly you need to empty the tank of all existing water and soak it in a white or even malt vinegar for 24 hours, as this is the first part of the cleaning id suggest 1 part vinegar to 3 parts water. Then you need to flush out the vinegar and water mix and scrub any algae of the glass so the tank looks clear. Then flush the tank through thoroughly lots of times with cold fresh tap water to rid any traces of the initial vinegar you added. Once you are 100% sure the tank is spotlessly clean, and all traces of algae, vinegar and anything else that may have been in there has gone then you’re ready to start. CAN I USE ANY OF MY EXISTING EQUIPMENT? As you intend to keep a reef aquarium then it’s unlikely that much if any of your existing equipment can be used. Basically the reef aquarium needs special lighting, (we will come onto that a little later) and the tropical bulbs you currently own just wont be any use at all. Canister filters are rarely used in reef aquaria but can be useful; I won’t go into specific details about them here, however here is a link to a previous article I wrote about them: http://mrkmonthly.com/canister.html WHAT TYPE OF LIGHTING DO I NEED? Basically there are 2 main types of lighting for reef aquaria, metal halide and fluorescent. However a third is now becoming more common place and is called LED lighting. As LED lighting is still relatively new we wont get too involved with it as it hasn’t had enough testing to confirm if coral growth is a reality with it yet in trials which are taking place by reefers world wide. So then metal halides and fluorescent lighting are the big 2 when it comes to lighting reef aquaria. Metal halide lighting has been the front runner for 20 years now, most tank of the month aquariums on most web reefing sites are lit by metal halide, it’s a very bright white spectrum light which is fantastic for coral growth and penetrates the water to depths which our aquariums wont go to, so its ideal for reefs as corals will get the benefits from the beaming white powerful light. It comes in various lamp wattages and there are literally dozens of makes and units easily available on the market today, making it affordable and practicable. Fluorescent lighting is ever more popular now as well, new technology has enabled manufactures to develop a smaller lamp in circumference size and yet with new gases developed the wattage ratings and par outputs are far superior to the previous fluorescent lamps available which most fresh water aquarists usually light their tanks with. It has been confirmed by thousands of reefers world wide that t5 lamps with individual reflectors which also help to double the light output are as good a match as metal halide lighting, It also produces a lot less heat and is rapidly overtaking metal halides now as the front runner. Both options are adequate for keeping corals.
WHAT FILTRATION DO I NEED? As a freshwater aquarist you are used to 3 types of filtration, biological, mechanical and chemical, all three has a place in reef aquaria but they are used differently. Biological filtration in reef aquaria is usually accomplished by the use of “live rock” and is the mainstream filtration for the reef. It is rock removed from the ocean bed which contains billions of bacteria capable of breaking down waste and ensuring that the nitrogen cycle takes place in the reef tank. To ensure this filtration works power heads which are stuck to the side of the aquarium by suckers or magnets create water movement (flow) in and around the live rock, it’s this process that creates the biological filtration in your reef tank. Mechanical filtration isn’t really a major concern with reef tanks, mesh bags/filter socks are usually the only method applied, occasionally a sponge is added and both methods are normally carried out in a sump under the main tank. Chemical filtration is usually carbon and phosphate removing media, it can be used in a mesh bag/filter sock in the sump or used in a canister filter or phos reactor. A phos reactor is a plastic tube and water is pumped into it one end and through the media and back into the tank or usually the sump via a flexible pipe. Another very useful and some aquarists insist essential piece of equipment is a protein skimmer, a skimmer not only removes proteins and organic waste from the water stream it also adds oxygen to the aquarium. It is a plastic tube and billions of tiny bubbles are forced via a pump into the tube and then a collection cup for the waste is situated at the top, the bubbles force the proteins into the cup and hence keep the water clean.
CAN I USE TAP WATER? No not really, I suggest you buy a RO-DI water filtration system from a local aquarium centre; tap water may well have been ok for your guppies and platys but won’t be acceptable for your new marine tank. It contains many chemicals which are dangerous for marine animals and is best avoided. A RO-DI filter is almost essential in today’s modern home reef, it will removal all nitrate phosphate and chemicals from tap water and ensure your aquarium gets off to the best possible start. CHECK LIST Here’s a checklist of equipment needed for starting your reef aquarium RO-DI filter GOOD LUCK You now have the essential check list for starting up your aquarium; you know what existing equipment is useful and what is now redundant and are ready to start. There is a basic method to cycling your tank, all cycles are slightly different, some tanks never cycle but most do, the basic method to confirming the cycle is testing and monitoring, here’s my method for monitoring the cycle. Buy a pen and a note pad and then ensure every time you test the water you write down the readings and dates/times so you know what’s happening and it will also tell you when you are done. Basically test daily for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate, you will see ammonia rise slowly and nitrite with it, eventually it will rise quite high and then nitrate will start to become evident with your testing, the ammonia and nitrite will eventually stop and start to fall, nitrate however wont fall and may well keep rising, when ammonia and nitrite have been 0 for 2-3 days do a 20-25% water change to dilute the nitrate formed and you are cycled and ready to add some snails. Always take your time, research the fish and corals you want to buy and you should have success with your new aquarium, good luck and add stock slowly. |
