A saltwater aquarium opens a world of possibilities for exploring new and creative ideas. If you’re interested in tackling this incredible hobby and taking your aquarist skills to the next level, keep reading!
We will explore how to set up a saltwater aquarium for a beginner, leading you step by step through the process. We’ll be honest: marine aquariums are more complex than their freshwater counterparts. But with a little bit of knowledge and a few simple rules, you’ll be soaring (or swimming) to new heights in no time!
Proper assembly and maintenance of a marine aquarium is necessary if you want your fish to live happy and healthy lives. In today’s article, we’ll be diving into the essentials of setting up and caring for a saltwater aquarium.
Table of Contents
Equipment To Set Up Your Saltwater Tank
You might be surprised by all the equipment necessary to set up a saltwater fish tank. But don’t let it intimidate you; simply think of it as an upfront investment that’s going to reward you for years to come!
Freshwater and saltwater aquariums share many commonalities of basic equipment, which is laid out in detail here. In this article, we will examine those specific details which are unique to saltwater tanks.
The Properly Sized Aquarium
Let’s address the aquarium first. Size is the most important thing to consider here. What determines size? The main consideration is what you plan to place within the aquarium.
Think of saltwater aquariums in three categories:
- Fish only
- Fish only with live rocks (FOWLR)
- Full reef
If you want to start out small and simple, a fish only tank is a good option. While the absolute minimum size you want here is a 20-gallon, the better and easier option is actually a 40-75 gallon tank.
Including some live rocks to make it a FOWLR doesn’t really require a bigger tank, but it does improve the water quality by providing plenty of surface area for beneficial bacteria to colonize. This doesn’t mean you can go without a filter, but it certainly assists it to keep the water clean!
If you want to take your saltwater tank to its highest potential, you may go all the way by adding the beautiful corals to make it a reef tank. This will require a larger tank. While you could technically fit a small amount of coral in a 20-gallon tank, it risks looking too overcrowded. Also, the water parameters are more difficult to maintain at proper levels in smaller aquariums, and corals are very sensitive to that. It’s better to consider 55-gallons or above for a reef tank.
Lastly, consider the space where you plan to place the tank. You don’t want your aquarium to be surrounded by walls on all sides – you need space for maintenance! You should also buy an aquarium that’s proportional to the fishes you plan on keeping.
Think one-inch-of-fish-per-gallon. It’s an easy rule of thumb!
For more information about choosing an aquarium, see Choosing an Aquarium: Top 3 Factors to Consider.
Salt Mix
The saltwater for our marine aquariums is made from a combination of purified water and a dry mix of elements that constitute seawater. This mix can be purchased at your local pet shop or online. Regular table salt will not suffice for the necessities of marine fish and coral.
One word of caution is not to blend different mixes; this could cause one or another element to exceed the proper boundaries.
This should be added to purified water. You can either buy purified water or use a reverse osmosis (RO) filter or deionizer (DI) on tap water. You should never use unfiltered tap water for a saltwater aquarium. Filtering your own water by RO or DI is the best long-term solution, in terms of both money and time.
A Protein Skimmer
Think of a protein skimmer as a long-term investment. While not absolutely necessary, it is an important component that acts as a filtration device assisting the main filter.
Why is this so important?
Because the more effectively you can keep the water clean, the less frequently you will need to change the water. This offers four main benefits:
- The water is kept cleaner for longer, benefiting fish health.
- It cleans the water better than a typical water change would do.
- You save time by reducing the frequency of needed water changes.
- Fewer water changes saves you money, as less saltwater mix needs to be purchased.
How does a protein skimmer differ from a regular filter?
The main difference is the way in which it removes organic waste; that is, it mixes air with water through the use of one or more pumps in order to generate bubbles that collect as foam at the top of the skimmer. The surface of the bubbles attracts and collects small waste particles in a similar way that ocean waves produce sea foam as a natural filter. That foam has only to be removed once the skimmer is full, and you have essentially removed the waste along with it.
Depending on the size of your tank, you may decide to use the simple hang-on-back skimmer which attaches to the aquarium wall. If you use a sump filter, you can purchase a skimmer which can be hidden within the second chamber of the sump. For much larger aquariums, you may choose to go with the larger external protein skimmer which simply must stand alone.
This does not take the place of the main filter, because it cannot filter out the larger particles. But it does improve the overall quality of the water, which is very important to marine life.
Here you can read more about Protein Skimmers For Saltwater Aquariums.
A Powerhead
This submersible water pump, called a powerhead, is specifically designed to improve water movement within the tank. This does three main things:
- It helps keep the water oxygenated.
- Waste particles are less likely to settle into the substrate prior to being filtered out.
- The small currents pass over the fish’ gills, improving their oxygen intake.
- The fish are better exercised when swimming against the small current.
- The moving water makes conditions more difficult for algae to grow.
Powerheads typically are attached to the aquarium wall. One note of caution is not to create a strong current over your corals. So long as you control for the flow rate and place it away from the corals, the powerhead plays an important role in the health of your aquarium.
Starting a Saltwater Tank
To begin, wash the tank to make sure that there isn’t any dust inside. Following that, place it on the spot you’ve chosen for it – use a carpenter’s level to check if the tank is level. Don’t press the tank against a wall, there needs to be some empty space for electronics and maintenance.
Make sure to check for any leaks before you start setting up your electronics! If the tank is faulty, you can return it to the store and get a replacement.
If your tank passes the test, you can add the substrate. Keep in mind that different fishes want different substrate! Some people keep the tank floor level, while others make small hills and valleys.
Now it’s time to install the filter, heater, skimmer, and powerhead following the manufacturer’s instructions, but don’t plug them in just yet.
Put the décor in first, after which you’ll fill the tank up. Once you’ve filled the tank to the desired level, you should start adding your salt until it reaches the desired gravity reading (check this with your hydrometer).
Know that it may take up to 48 hours for your gravity reading to stabilize!
After you’ve completed all these steps, it’s time to plug in all the electronics. Know that your salt gravity reading and water temperature depend on the sort of flora and fauna you’ll be keeping in your aquarium.
Now that you’ve finished setting up your saltwater aquarium, you’ll need to wait for the water temperature and the gravity reading to stabilize! This is called the stabilizing period and it lasts for 48 hours. A number of chemical processes will happen during this period.
You shouldn’t be surprised if the water becomes murky at some point – just wait for it to dissipate before adding fish!
Saltwater Aquarium Temperature
Temperature can easily be defined as the most important factor in your aquarium! Marine animals are very vulnerable to temperature change and you need to keep it perfectly regulated if you want healthy fish! If the water temperature drops or rises too much, the fish can get sick and even die.
The temperature of your aquarium must depend exclusively on the fish you’re planning on having. Many people will swear by one or another range of temperature as ‘the most ideal one’. That sort of thinking is wrong since not all fishes can survive in all marine environments. This is why it’s best to ask the animal keepers in pet shops for advice – their tanks are usually perfectly regulated.
Since you’re buying fishes from their tanks, they’ll know what’s the best temperature for them!
This is another reason why it’s so important to keep fish with the same origin. You can’t have two different species of fish in the same aquarium if the difference between the temperatures they need is too big. Make sure that all the fishes in your aquarium can live in the same environment!
Another thing that you will need to keep an eye on is the temperature swing. Most fishes aren’t used to a five-degree temperature swing within 24 hours. That can be too much for them, which is why you need to make sure that the temperature is stable. It’s especially important to regulate this during cold and hot seasons.
It’s crucial to learn to regulate the temperature in order to start your saltwater aquarium properly.
Adding the Fish to Your Saltwater Aquarium
Adding the fish is a delicate process because they’re vulnerable animals, but it’s the last step to start your saltwater aquarium. You can’t just let them swim around your aquarium immediately, they need to acclimatize first! That’s why the acclimatization process can take over a day and you need to do it carefully and patiently.
To help the fishes with this, turn off the lights and let them float in the bag. After floating for about 15 minutes, they’ll adapt to the water temperature. Then, open the bag and add a cup of aquarium water every few minutes until the bag is full.
Then, pour out half the water from the bag (in a bowl, not in the aquarium) and repeat the cup process. Once the bag is full again, you can use a net to move the fish from the bag to the tank! Get rid of the water from the bags. Once you’ve finished the acclimatization process, leave the fish alone for a day.
Observe your fish over the next 24 hours to make sure that they’re doing well! Check if they’re eating during feeding time! If they haven’t acclimatized, they’ll show you that.
Read more about: Saltwater Aquarium Filter Setup