How To Take Care Of Saltwater Aquariums

Aquariums at home are said to be the best stress relievers. Aquariums can be big or small depending on the maintenance and care possible at home. There are two types of aquariums fresh water aquariums and salt water aquariums. The salt water aquariums are difficult to maintain than the fresh water aquariums as the ecology of the salt water aquarium differs and needs to be handled and taken care of with proper knowledge.

A Salt water aquarium looks more beautiful, appealing and colorful for the simple reason it can have wide range of fishes and mammals, live corals, anemones, crustaceans or jelly fish. You can also keep some extravagantly colored reef fishes to enhance the beauty of the aquarium and the movement inside it looks vibrant and colorful. Some popular salt water fishes are Comical blenny, Angelfish, Clown fish, Blue lined triggerfish and Damsels and can be kept in salt water aquariums.

Some skilled and advanced aquarists keep squids and octopuses which creates an exact replica of the marine life at your desired place. The variety of fishes and marine life which is chosen to make the aquarium more vivacious and full of life is the main reason of its popularity.

Before going for a salt water aquarium, it is always better to study and research the ecosystem of salt water fishes, their food habits, the environment and surroundings conducive for their growth and development and the water temperature required for their survival. The extra time devoted for the study and research and knowing the exact requirement will prove beneficial in the long run as starting a salt water aquarium will definitely prove to be a gratifying experience.

To start with you will require a fish tank, Substrates, Filtration System, Heater or Thermometer, power head, protein skimmer, air pump and water pump. Whereas you can chose any one of the basic forms of salt water aquarium. Either you can go for the fish only, Fish with Live Rock or Reef system.

Salt water Aquarium Dos and Don'ts

The aquarium should be at least of 200 litres, as smaller one will have a problem of maintaining water quality and balance. The material of the aquarium should to be either glass or acrylic.

The location should not be in too much or too little sunlight. Excess sunlight will result in the growth of algae and too little sunlight will also be harmful. Always maintain a constant temperature.

Make sure that the decoration kept, in the aquarium is salt proof otherwise it may poison your aquarium. Filter the aquarium whenever required. The filtration processes are mechanical filtration, biological filtration and chemical filtration.

Dont use ordinary salt water in your aquarium. Always use aquarium salt water available in fish store and mix in water following the proper instruction.

The cleaning should never be done with detergent and soap as they pollute the water and harm the ecosystem. A cupful of pure bleach added to 10 gallons of water will do the needful. Then clean it with fresh water afterwards.

To maintain balance between the salts and water levels it is very essential to use a hydrometer. The water from the aquarium keeps evaporating buy the level of salt remains the same. To compensate the level of evaporated water salt water is not required. But to know the exact salinity of water Hydrometer is very helpful and will help you to add water as per requirement.