5 of 27

Write now Article Tools

Bringing The Reef Home

Imagine having a window onto a tropical reef right in your living room! Beautiful corals and colorful ocean fish make a breathtaking centerpiece for almost any room, and provide a living sanctuary for many kinds of exotic marine life. Even if you are a novice to saltwater aquaria, you can own a slice of the ocean using proper equipment and techniques...

There are five main things which come into play in a marine reef aquarium:

1. WATER VOLUME - Larger bodies of water are more stable as far as your water quality is concerned, so the larger the tank, the less maintenance you actually do. It is not recommended to try a reef aquarium in a tank smaller than 30 gallons.

2. WATER CHEMISTRY AND TEMPERATURE - The basics here consist of using distilled water as your foundation. This eliminates for the most part any purification due to undesired elements in the water, especially chlorine. Next you add a quality sea salt, such as Instant Ocean by Aquarium Systems, or Kent Sea Salt. You want to have your tank water at 74-82 degrees Fahrenheit and using a hydrometer add salt, stirring as you pour until arriving at a reading of 1.026, which is the salinity of natural seawater. If you have trouble maintaining temperatures below 82 degrees, due to warm climate, you may have to purchase a marine chiller, to keep temperatures at optimum... Next, using a test kit form your local store of choice, you must test for water pH. Natural seawater has a pH of 8.3, so you may have to use a buffering agent to raise or lower your pH value. There are also products like Perfect pH, which will set your levels up right with little fuss. pH has a tendency to decline over time, so you will want to check on it periodically. Test your phosphate and Calcium levels next, ensuring that your phosphate levels are as low as possible. This will help prevent algae blooming in your reef tank. Calcium should be maintained at about 400mg\L. Your Alkalinity will be last, and seawater is fairly alkaline, so your readings here should be in the area of 3.5Meg\L. As your tank water evaporates, use distilled water between water changes to compensate.

You are almost ready for your first fish, but lets take care of some other considerations first...

3. BIOLOGICAL AND MECHANICAL FILTRATION - This part of your aquarium will be very important.Once you add your first fish or living creature to your aquarium, a process begins, unseen by you. The fish will excrete ammonia, which is toxic to marine

• 1
• 2
• next page >>

Add your voice

Know something about Saltwater aquariums: Critical water parameters for reef tanks?
We want to hear your view. Write now!