Keeping Marine Fish Tanks - What You Need to Know
Salt water environments are described as marine environments. Marine fish need different environments to tropical fish so you need different equipment to keep a marine fish tank than to keep a tropical fish tank.
The biggest difference between fresh and salt water tanks is the salt. This is not like table salt, it is actual marine salt.
Warm salt water can evaporate rapidly, a large size tank can lose over 25 litres a week, and as marine fish are not used to large fluctuations in salinity an automatic top-up device can be used to regulate the environment.
Such a device involves a float switch that is located in the main tank and connected to a pump in the top-up water. When the level drops the switch alerts the pump to top up the main tank.
To show how much salt is in your water you need an essential piece of kit called a hydrometer, which is cheap and easy to use. You should use one when making up water for a water change, and now and again to check the levels in the main tank. Some also come with a built-in thermometer.
Another vital piece of equipment you’ll need is a protein skimmer, as this will help to maintain clean marine water. A protein skimmer should be used alongside a conventional biological filtration system or as part of a natural filtration system in conjunction with living rock in your tank.
Some other equipment that you should have to keep a successful marine tank includes a cooler, or a chiller. This is basically a refrigeration unit that is connected to the main tank and as water gets pumped through it, it is chilled and then goes back into the tank. Chillers are necessary because of all the electrical equipment that gets used in fish tanks nowadays, as it all uses power that produces heat and marine do not require that amount of heat.
You might need some other pieces of equipment too for a marine tank but the ones mentioned are the basic requirements. Be sure to do some research about the kind of fish you’d like to keep and get some advice from an expert before you buy any fish. Remember that keeping a marine tank can be expensive so make sure you look at all the costs before you start.
Tags: Fish