Tuesday, November 30, 2010

How To Setup a Saltwater Fish Aquarium

This is for anyone interested in learning how to set up a saltwater aquarium. Starting a saltwater aquarium doesn't have to be difficult. It just takes some effort on your part to learn about and research the necessary topics in order to have a good saltwater setup.
What do I need to start a saltwater aquarium?
Well, for the type of saltwater fish tank setup (marine aquarium) described in this article you will need the following equipment:
  • Aquarium
  • Aquarium Photo Background or Paint the background - see Aquarium Aquascape Design for more info on painting the tank background.
  • Aquarium substrate such as live sand or crushed coral
  • Live Rock
  • Saltwater Mix
  • Saltwater Hydrometer or even better a refractors
  • Aquarium filter (not absolutely necessary if running with adequate amounts of live rock, but nice to have if you need to use a mechanical filter or activated carbon, etc.)
  • Replacement filter media like filter floss and activated carbon (if you get a filter)
  • Multiple Power heads (2 or 3)
  • Heater - be sure to get one large enough for the size tank you're getting
  • Protein Skimmer - See the equipment reviews section for protein skimmer reviews
  • Saltwater test kit(s) to test water parameters and monitor the infamous aquarium nitrogen cycle
  • Saltwater fish food
  • Aquarium vacuum
  • Fish net
  • Rubber kitchen gloves
  • Aquarium Glass Scrubber or make your own DIY Algae Scraper
  • Two, clean, never used before, 5-gallon buckets
  • Aquarium thermometer
  • Brush with plastic bristles (old tooth brush) - needed for cleaning the live rock
  • Quarantine Tank for acclimating new arrivals and monitoring for signs of fish disease
  • Power Strip
  • Optional but definitely recommend getting a Reverse Osmosis or RO/De ionization filter for the make-up water.

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