Saltwater Aquarium Basics Guide
This guide is to debunk the myth of “saltwater aquariums are too hard to care for”. I’ve put together this guide of dos and don’ts that I’ve learned to help streamline the learning curve of putting together an awesome saltwater aquarium with the least amount of effort and mistakes (and money!). With that being said, saltwater aquariums are a never ending hobby and there is always something to be learned. There are links at the bottom of the page for further saltwater aquarium resources.
Finding the right aquarium
This will be the single most important part of getting a saltwater aquarium. Aquariums range in size from Nano (<1-10 gallons) up to thousands of gallons. What we are looking for is something that isn’t going to break the bank, but also isn’t too small. My recommended range would be around 30-75 gallons. View this page for more information about the best aquarium to select for a beginner.
Saltwater Aquarium Filtration
There are many different types of filtration for saltwater aquariums, which I would break up into three different types:
Biological
This is going to be the biological process that help filter the aquarium, mainly the natural bacteria process of breaking down ammonia to nitrites, and then to less harmful nitrates. For saltwater aquariums the best way to grow and provide this ammonia reducing bacteria is to have live rock for it to live in. An older, outdated method was with the use of a “wet-dry” filter which would trickle the water over porous media that wasn’t submerged in water.
Mechanical
Just like the name implies, this is the process of mechanically filtering the water, such as having a sponge filtering the water do remove debris. The most popular and best way to mechanically filter a saltwater aquarium is to use a protein skimmer. Note that a protein skimmer doesn’t work in freshwater because the waters specific gravity doesn’t support the micro-fine bubbles required in a protein skimmer.
Chemical
There are various types of chemical filters that you can use in saltwater aquariums, the most popular probably being carbon. There are also other various chemical filters that can help remove specific chemicals from the tank such as phosphate remover.
Lighting
Other than filtration, lighting is a very important aspect of the aquarium. Even if you’re not keeping photosynthetic animals such as corals in the aquarium, lighting plays a big roll in the overall looks of a saltwater aquarium.
Types of lighting:
Florescent: HO, VHO, size T12, T5, compact florescent
When I first started in this hobby, straight florescent tubes were one of the most popular options for aquarium lighting.
Metal Halide
As the need for brighter and higher wattage lights increased, metal halide became the standard for reef saltwater aquariums. There were the standard 175, 250, and 400 watt single ended “mogul” lights.
Then to achieve higher efficiently the next standard was double ended HQI metal halide lights in 75,150, and 250 wattage double ended bulbs. These metal halide style lights usually require an external ballast to fire up and light them.
LED
Nowadays the most common and efficient type of lighting for aquariums is LEDs. LED’s provide the most PAR per watt out of all the types of light available, they also last longer and don’t require the bulbs to be replaced for up to 10-12 years.
Setting up the aquarium
Placement
Where you place the aquarium is going to be one of the most important considerations. You want to have the aquarium in an area that showcases it and allows it to fit in well in the room. There are other factors you will need to consider also such as the windows and lighting and the flooring it will be going on. Next to a window with natural sunlight reaching the aquarium can really help photosynthetic animals such as corals grow, but if there is too much light it could cause problems with algae or even water temperature. The type of flooring the aquarium is going on is also something else that needs to be considered. Usually for smaller aquariums, this isn’t a big deal. But just know that over time, you will inevitably spill water on the floor around the aquarium. The best bet is usually tile or other hard water proof type flooring. You can place the aquarium on wood floors or carpet, but I’ve seen many where the aquarium warps or degrades the flooring underneath after time.
The saltwater itself!
You’re first going to need freshwater to use to make the saltwater and then to also “top off” water to replace water that evaporates out of the aquarium. This is one of the most critical parts of a saltwater aquarium, unlike a freshwater aquarium, you probably don’t want to use your tap water. This is also very dependent on the area you live in, there are a few exceptions, but we wouldn’t recommend taking the risk. So if not tap water, what are you supposed to use?
Reverse Osmosis / Deionized
This is going to be the most common method of creating perfect water for your saltwater aquarium. These water filtration units run anywhere from $50 up to hundreds of dollars for a larger system. Here is one of the most cost effective units that you can find (and the same one that we use). Though if you get to a larger aquarium this will be one of the first things you’ll want to invest in upgrading.
These units can be connected a few different ways, but the most common is temporarily screwing it onto a tap. Here’s a video from the manufacturer that runs over this:
And then there’s actually mixing and making the saltwater
Unfortunately you can’t use just any type of salt, you’ll have to use a salt mix that has been specifically made for saltwater aquariums. Now the actual type of aquarium salt is a very subjective topic, with different types having pros and cons. With that being said, we’ve used Reef Crystals from Instant Ocean with great success.
To mix the saltwater you’ll need some type of mixing container, for a larger aquarium you’ll want something like a brute trashcan and a pump. For a smaller beginner style aquarium you can use a new and clean 5 gallon painters bucket from a hardware store and manually mix it till it is clear and fully dissolved.
After fully mixing the saltwater, you’ll then need to verify the amount of salt in the water or the salinity / specific gravity of the water. There’s two popular ways to measure this, one is with a hydrometer which you fill with aquarium water and then a float shows the specific gravity level. And then with a refractometer, which you put a couple drops of water in and then use light to show the salinity level. Since the price of refractometers has come down so much and tends to be more accurate, we recommend using a refractometer to measure the salinity.
Further resources
http://www.advancedaquarist.com – Online magazine / publication for advanced saltwater aquariums
https://reef2reef.com – Online discussion forums for saltwater aquariums
Most larger cities have local “Marine Aquarium Societies” with local events and meetings. This can be one of the most helpful parts of keeping a saltwater aquarium, meeting and discussing with other aquarium enthusiast.
https://masna.org/membership/directory/masnaclub