Saltwater Aquarium Advice

Hey fellow saltwater aquarium fans,

I have been getting so many emails and messages on facebook at the moment about how to deal with pest algae outbreaks that I have decided to dedicate an entire post to this issue!

Algae is not all bad, there are two groups you will encounter in saltwater aquariums: pest algae which is micro-algae (meaning small) and beneficial algae which is macro-algae (meaning big).

Macro-algae are marine plants like Caulerpa and encrusting species found on live rock for example, these are good because they add oxygen to the water, are healthy snack foods for fish and suck out toxic nutrients like nitrates and phosphates.

Pest algae on the other hand, is algae we dont want, it can grow over everything and suffocate corals and other sessile invertebrates and makes the aquarium look horrible and unclean. Pest algae examples are hair algae, blue-green algae (cyanobacteria), some coraline algae, bubble algae to name but a few.

Now we have established not all algae is bad, how do we get rid of pest algae?

First of all there is probably pest algae growing in your saltwater tank because there are too many nutrients kicking about in the water, this means dissolved organic compounds (DOC), nitrates and phosphates mainly. Too much nitrates and phosphates are especially damaging for corals in reef aquariums.

Nutrification (a science geek word for too much nutrients ;)) is commonly caused by overfeeding (underfeeding is better than overfeeding!) fish food, not doing regular enough partial water changes, perhaps not using a pure enough water source and not vacuuming the bottom of the tank often enough (having no gravel at all makes this easy, a bare glass bottom will rapidly be populated by encrusting live rock organisms anyway). Excess nutrients can also be from adding too much trace elements/vitamins and even be from the type of substrate itself!

Another reason for excessive pest algae is too much natural light, and to a lesser extent too much artificial light. Pest algae outbreaks are favoured by lesser intensity lighting with a longer photoperiod. Old bulbs that have lost their intensity can advantage algae too.

Here are some steps to getting rid of your pest algae once and for all, if you want to find out what is causing your outbreak go through the steps one by one to see which action gets rid of your algae, this will teach you the cause. If you just want it gone, just go nuts! Some and definitely all of these steps will solve your problem.

1. Do more frequent regular water changes: this will dilute out those pesky, algae feeding nutrients. I recommend 10% every week.
2. Reduce light levels where possible: this is easy if you have a fish-only saltwater aquarium, otherwise try and reduce the photoperiod down if possible or replace your bulbs with newer, higher intensity items.
3. Use a filtered water source: Tap water can have high amounts of phosphates and nitrates, my water of choice is RO filtered water, this is especially beneficial for reef aquariums.
4. Get some Live Rock and/or some macro-algae species: Macro-algae will effectively outcompete pest algae by naturally mopping up nutrients before they get to the pest algae causing them to starve YAY! They look cool too…
5. Get some tank janitor algae-busting species: Like Tangs, Turbo & Astrea snails, Sea Urchins, Blennies which will happily mow through algae.
6. Reduce Pollutants: Feed less, make sure you are paying attention to everything you are putting in the water for example trace elements you may not really need.
7. Purchase a protein skimmer: These babies reduce dissolved organics at the source, they work amazingly well when set up correctly, get one!

I hope this article helped to give you some algae fighting options for your saltwater aquarium.

M.A.M.

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The process of lighting a saltwater aquarium serves two purposes; the first is to allow us to view the marine life and also to showcase and highlight the amazing colours that lie within. The second function is to mimic natural sunlight as closely as possible; to give our marine life some sort of day/night rhythm and provide food for the photosynthesising organisms such as corals, plants, coralline algae, phytoplankton and other invertebrates which use light as their energy source through photosynthesis. Ultimately this means they turn light and carbon dioxide into food (carbon), oxygen and water. The light requirement for this process is between 350- 750nm and is partly UVA.

To adequately light your marine aquarium the only 3 parameters you must consider are quality, quantity and duration of light.

Regular 12-16 hour lighting periods are optimal for good marine life health, a great idea is to use timers and have the actinic bulbs only on for 1-2 hours each end to simulate dawn and dusk.

The best lighting system will be a combination of actinic (blue) and daylight bulbs.

As a general rule of thumb the bulbs needed to sustain photosynthetic light should have a colour temperature of around 6500°K - 12000°K for general reef applications (colour temperature increases with depth so much deeper water species require higher colour temperatures, these are very specialist). You should also aim for 3 (soft corals) to 5 (hard corals) watts of light per gallon of saltwater as another general rule, this will help you decide how many bulbs at what wattage you will need.

Optimal lighting is a delicate arrangement that is dictated by the type of saltwater aquarium you plan to keep and what creatures you plan to keep in it. Photosynthesising marine life falls into 3 different catergories: low light species such as large polyped stony corals (LPS), moderate light species such as many soft corals and high light loving including many small polyped stony corals (SPS) and Tridacnid clams.

The trick here is to try and get compatible species that thrive under similar light conditions or get very creative at placing high light species higher up towards the lights and moderate light species lower in the aquarium this way you wont saturate some species with too much light (damaging) or cause some species to not receive enough lighting for good growth. Species that are not getting as much light as they should be can to some degree be compensated with supplementary feeding such as plankton.

The most simplistic lighting requirements can be used for fish only aquariums where all you want to do is be able to view your fish and give them a day/night cycle. Fluorescent lights of normal/standard output (NO) are all that is required here; full spectrum bulbs produce a more natural looking light and actinic blue lights bring out colourful pigments nicely.

Fish Only with Live Rock (FOWLR) aquariums typically include the photosynthesising coralline algae encrusting the live rock and a handful of select invertebrates, depending on how many and which type of corals and/or photosynthetic anemones you have you may want to go up to high output fluorescents (greater luminosity than normal output fluoros) such as a T5 set up. T5 lights have become extremely popular in the past few years. If combined with electronic ballast they run cooler, longer and more energy efficiently than other lighting set ups, they also penetrate the water better than many other types of thicker bulbs.

If you have little more than Live rock in your FOWLR simple actinic blue fluorescents will suffice to keep the photosynthetic creatures and algae happy and thus increase water quality too.

As you may have guessed by now a reef aquarium requires the most intensive lighting set up and to a reef lighting is as important for good health as filtration. Often times lighting will be one of the most expensive components in a reef aquarium.  I recommend HO fluorescents (such as T5’s) to VHO (very high output) fluorescents for deeper, larger aquariums or more sensitive species, with a combination of actinic blue and daylight bulbs. Many aquarists use metal halide lights but because of their expense, excessive heat output, high UV radiation (use shields here), high electricity usage and limited lighting penetration over fluorescents I don’t really see the real advantage of the additional costs involved.

Retrofit systems and other fluorescent lamp housings should have the light bulbs no more than 3 inches above the water surface. Reflectors should be used to direct light to the water, many bulbs no have reflectors built in, these are very efficient.

When choosing a lighting set up other than knowing what marine life you plan to keep you should always take into consideration the initial cost of the system, the operating costs (electricity), bulb replacement costs (and frequency of replacement), whether or not you would need a chiller for the aquarium and the ease and eventual need for any upgrading. Some systems maybe cheaper initially but may require more frequent bulb changes or chilling systems because of heat generated making them more expensive in the long run.

As an avid marine aquarist, I have watched over the years as reef aquariums grow massively in popularity.  These days nano reefs and pico reefs are very popular as people are drawn toward smaller size (and perceived lower cost) of these tiny reef set ups. Typically nano reefs are less than 30 gallons (140L) in volume and pico reefs are super tiny at 5 gallons or less.

A reef aquarium is defined as a marine aquarium with the focus on corals and invertebrates rather than fish.  The key component of a reef aquarium is live rock used to “landscape” the tank and also as a primary mean of biological filtration.  As reef aquariums focus on the corals and other marine invertebrates the aim here is to truly make them look as if a slab of the native reef has been removed from the ocean and is now growing in your own home! Its also really fun to set up biotope reefs, for example I have done a Pacific island reef set up and seen another Caribbean one done.

One thing about reef aquariums versus fish-only or fish and live rock (FOWLR) is that water quality and vigorous water movement become much more of a must have here because of the corals requirements to thrive. Additionally, marine creature selection becomes a lot more important in reef set ups because of compatibility issues with fish, corals and other marine invertebrates making the situation a lot more difficult to balance. If you dont know what you are doing you can easily make expensive mistakes here, check out my best selling ebook “Ultimate Secrets to Saltwater Aquarium Fish and Invertebrates” for easy steps to selecting marine species correctly the first time and everything else you could possibly want to knowing about owning a thriving reef aquarium.

Lighting is a major component of a good reef aquarium set up, this is so important because of the corals ability to photosynthesize to produce their food, Therefore the conditions of the tropical sun in real reef habitats will need to be effectively mimicked.  The most common lighting choices for reefers are: metal halide, T5, compact fluorescent or VHO (very high output) bulbs. Most reefers aim for 5-8 watts of light ouput per gallon of water. The key to a thriving reef environment is to choose your lighting to complement the requirements of the corals you want, then place the corals in the aquarium in their preferred proximity to the lights in the water column and in the appropriate water turbulence region. This may sound easier said than done but a little research and careful planning on you part will make the difference between a spectacular reef and a failure.

Never underestimate the water movement conditions your corals require. Water movement is vital to corals because it brings them their food (when the lights are off the coral polyps begin snatching plankton from the water, no coral relies solely on photosynthesis and some are entirely carnivorous), enables corals to respirate (brings O2 and takes away CO2), keeps them cool (important under hot lights), assists them in shedding protective tissue and finally rinses detritus and debris from the coral that would otherwise rot and potentially cause infection. Water movement can be easily regulated with the clever use of powerheads.

So, even though reef tanks sound complex believe me when I say they are extremely rewarding. A little careful research, planning and preparation on your part can result in a stunning reef that will be your pride and joy for years to come.

I have been getting a lot of www.Saltwater-Aquarium-Advice.com emails lately asking me which corals I recommend for reef tank beginners. Now, coral selection can be a mine field, especially for newbies so I thought I would dedicate an entire post (or 2) to this subject.

A lot of people new to the hobby go to the local fish shop and choose a new coral solely based on its pretty colours, then take it home and try to figure out how to care for it. This is exactly what you should NOT do, those of you who have read more than a couple of my posts would know by now I am  a big advocate of doing your research first (maybe this is because of my scientific training?, anyway its a good habit to get into). The reason for researching is so you can make educated, informed decisions and not waste money, time and emotion when things go wrong. There are a whole lot of different corals out there and many of them require very different conditions in order to thrive, some are very complecated to care for and others are much easier:

1. Mushroom corals (Actinodiscus spp.): Generally speaking soft corals such as mushroom corals (named because they resemble mushrooms) are good beginner species because they have less demand for light, calcium and optimal water quality. For this reason they dont require expensive lighting set ups (fluoro’s are fine for mushrooms) and are good species to cut your teeth on. generally Mushrooms prefer low to medium lighting and low to medium water flow for maximum polyp expansion (however different varieties have different optimal conditions, you can test this by changing the position of the coral in regard to light and water movement; they will open up fully in their ideal placement. I recommend putting them in different conditions for 1 or 2 weeks and taking photos at the end to evaluate which position is best for your variety), they are pretty safe with most fish and motile invertebrates. The only cautions would be to avoid bristle worms and not to place them too close to other coral species, and that once in a favourable environment they spread fast by budding and form colonies. They look good growing in groups and come in a wide variety of colours, patterns and textures. Mushrooms corals are considered hardy and can do well in a variety of water conditions, however they dont take well to rapid water quality shifts especially in temperature, pH or salinity. When they are highly stressed they will shrivel up (often you can think that they are dead, but after the water quality is corrected they spontaneously expand again, back to normal).

Optimal water parameters for Mushroom corals:

pH: 8.2 to 8.4
s.g.: 1.023 to 1.025
Temp.: 77 to 79 degrees F.
Calcium: Not important, but if you have stony corals the level should be around 450 ppm
Nitrates: below 10 ppm (total nitrate)
Phosphates: below 0.04 ppm
Silicates: below 0.5 ppm
Dissolved oxygen: 7 or higher
Avoid mechanical filtration
Use a really complete additive
Add iodine to your tank daily. As per manufacturers recommendations
The current: inside the aquarium should be moderate to high but not directed at the Mushrooms.

2. Leather Coral (Sacrophyton spp.): Leather corals are very popular and hardy corals. once again Leathers are a soft coral, and resemble a large, fluted, tenticled leaf on a stalk, which develops folds with age. these corals dont often have very bright colours, but the shapes are amazing. There are many different types of leathers (toadstool coral, cabbage coral, finger leathers) and they can grow quite big (usually 10 to 15 inches) quickly and will require trimming. These corals are again not really fussy when it comes to water quality. In terms of lighting, moderate light is fine. They will often thrive with high intensity fluorescent bulbs, and can be gradually acclimated to metal halide bulbs (dont expose them to high intensity lighting all at once because they can be burned easily), these corals will change their colouration with different light intensity. These corals can also be easily propagated by taking a 3 inch cutting and attaching it to a cleaned rock and placing it in an area of high current until It establishes. Leathers shouldnot be placed near any Zoanthids or macro algae. One of the only downsides to leathers is that some can be very toxic (chemical defense that inhibits others growth) to other corals so activated carbon and/or protein skimming can be important.  Often these corals deflate themselves and retract their polyps and shed a mucus layer (should be manually removed for water quality), this is thought to be a cleaning mechanism and is totally normal, the coral will reinflate up to a few weeks later, so dont panic.

3. Button polyps (Zooanthus spp.): These corals are also known as colony polyp corals, Sea Mats or Zoo’s. They grow in colony formation with individuals linked by the base, the polyp or “cup” looks like an anemonie. They range in colours from browns to bright oranges and pinks (often there can be 2 or more colours in a colony). Button polyps can spread quickly by budding and can easily and aggresively grow over other corals if they are placed too close. They prefer bright light (causes brighter colours) but are very tolerant of low light (especially when they are fed well with non photosyntetic food) and prefer low to moderate current. Button poylps are hardy and do well in most conditions, they are easy to maintain (require iodine and trace mineral supplements for good growth). As they are happy to be almost entirely photosynthetic their food requirements are minimal, but they do enjoy the occasional feed of brine shrimp which will make them grow faster. Button polyps are very easily propogated by cutting an individual off the colony. A number of these species contain a neurotoxin which is harmful to humans, so wash your hand well after handling.

For more information on coral care and to claim your free ebook on coral propagation, check out my publication “Ultimate Secrets To Saltwater Aquarium Fish and Invertebrates”