A fish tank aquarium can be a relaxing and
welcome addition to any home. Below are a few considerations to take into
account when setting up your first salt water aquarium.
Every couple of weeks you will need to clean the tank of algae and do water changes and water testing. The water temperature, PH, and salt content must all be monitored carefully. It is important to have your fish tank aquarium set up properly before adding the fish as salt-water fish are expensive and no one wants a tank full of dying fish.
One question you will naturally ask yourself is "How many fish will my tank hold?". A pretty good rule of thumb is one inch of fish for each 12 square inches of water surface area. It is not a good idea to push this maximum to the limit with a new tank. A more established tank could support more fish.
Lighting will be an issue for you to consider. A full spectrum florescent bulb offering a light spectrum similar to sunlight will be best for brightly colored fish and healthy plants. Light containing more purple wavelengths will bring out the color of tropical fish and light tending toward blue will produce more algae. Lights containing red or orange will facilitate the growth of aquatic plants.
A filter will be a must in your new fish tank aquarium to maintain healthy fish. There are three types of filtering available for your tank. They are mechanical, chemical, and biological.
Mechanical filtration gets rid of fish waste and solid particles that may be in the water. A typical mechanical filter would wok by pushing the water through a sponge, which would capture particles.
An activated carbon filter will provide chemical filtration and remove toxins from the water. It will also remove phosphates and ammonia from the water. Any filter should provide this feature.
Biological filters filter out toxins and decayed material through the action of friendly bacteria that are allowed to develop in the tank. This biological filtration resembles the conditions found in nature and is essential to a healthy tank.
There are many types of filters to choose from but incorporating the three types of filtration mentioned above will insure the quality of water in your tank.