Saltwater Aquarium Advice

Hey fellow Saltwater Aquarium fans,

Basically as im sure you have realised you almost need a dictionary and a marine biology text book to cope with all the terms and jargon in this hobby! I actually find this pretty cool as I love to confuse my wife and friends

Today im going to introduce to you a couple of unique aquarium filtration options you may or may not of heard of and explain what they are and what they do.

1. The Plenum: Sounds weird but can actually be amazingly helpful for an aquarium. A Plenum system is a type of Biological filter that uses a deep bed of live sand (micro and macro organism packed sand from the sea) suspended an inch or so off the aquarium bottom as the biological filter that contains both aerobic (removes ammonia and nitrite) and anaerobic (removes nitrates) areas in its depth which is traditionally about 5 inches.

The Plenum system (also known as a Deep Sand Bed or “DSB” filter) was developed by a very smart Dr Jaubert (and so is also known as the Jaubert system, argh so many names for this one thing!!!!) for keeping his reef aquarium healthy. The plenum itself is the oxygen free lower level of sand/gravel suspended by a plastic grid on supports above the aquarium base so that warm water (generated from the anaerobic conversion of nitrates into nitrogen gas) can drift up through the filter and removes any harmful hydrogen sulphide build up in the sand bed.

The surface of the plenum system will be packed with sand stirring filter feeders aerating and cleaning the top layers of Live Sand that contain the aerobic bacteria, sand sifting Gobies and Wrasses add to this effect.

When a Plenum filter is used in conjunction with a protein skimmer it is a very effective bio filter especially because of its nitrate reduction. It works best when the reef is suspended above the plenum using glue or epoxy resin for maximum water flow and so filtration. A possible downside is a buildup of harmful hydrogen sulphide if there isnt sufficient water movement upwards or sand sifting at the top.

2. The Refugium: A place to harbour refugees under your aquarium! No really it is; a ‘fuge is a tank  separate from the main aquarium with (usually) shared filtration and its own lighting either beside (hang on style) or beneath the display tank (like a sump) to put delicate, sensitive species so they can be free of predation at the hands (or fins) of fish, that would occur if they were in the display tank. In fact the refugium has many possible uses:

1. A quarantine tank for new arrivals.
2. A treatment tank for medications (treatment has to be safe for the main tank or have seperate filtration though).
3. A quiet place for the bullied or bullies (naughty corner!) to go.
4. A system to raise shrimp (algae, amphipods, copepods) to feed the display tank or just as additional pets.
5. A place to keep live sand, grow some plants to help with water quality.
6. A place to add gear without messing with the display tank.

As well as having all these possible uses the refugium increases the total water volume which is good for making the water stable, increasing buffering capacity and dilution of nasties in the water, obviously the bigger volume of your refugium the better.

3. Berlin system: If you are thinking this has got something to do with German saltwater tanks you are right! Some clever Germans in Berlin came up with a new take on filtration also known as the “natural system” that is based around the use of large amounts of live rock as your biological filter. The Berlin system remains the filtration system of choice for reef aquarium purists as it is very natural, after all Live Rock is the biological filter of the worlds coral reefs.

The Berlin system uses Live Rock as the aquarium’s biological filter as it is packed with beneficial bacteria that will convert ammonia into nitrite, then nitrite into nitrate and even has oxygen free zones (anaerobic) within it containing  bacteria which convert nitrate into harmless nitrogen gas. This is the Berlin systems natural nitrate reduction (NNR) system.

Along with the Live Rock (housed in the aquarium itself or in the sump) there is a big ol protein skimmer which aids filtration by removing much of the marine life’s waste and uneaten food at the source before its converted into ammonia making the bacteria’s job easier. There is also no substrate, to help the protein skimmer suck out all the detritus unhindered.  And thats about it, very simple, natural and highly effective. I have run a system like this before and it ran like a dream!

The advantages of a system like this is the fact that it looks appealing and is letting nature do its job, its also relatively simple, cheap to set up and looks really good (I absolutely love Live Rock!). The only real downside is the bioload a system like this can sustain; you can only put so much livestock in for the amount of Live rock you have because there is only limited surface area for the bacteria to grow to deal with this waste.

I hope this article helped to shed some light on some different biological filtration options available to the saltwater hobbyist.

Your marine aquarium maestro.

For excellent saltwater aquarium advice and salt water aquarium products check out www.SaltwaterAquariumAdvice.com or click “home” on the menu bar.
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Time for part 2 of how to set up your saltwater aquarium the right way. So, by now you have decided exactly how you want you aquarium to look, whats going inside it and what equipment you will be needing (the more detail, the better). You have put together the stand, tank and all the equipment. What you need to do now is put a layer of the substrate you intend to use on the bottom of the tank, fill the tank with freshwater (not from the tap! Either buy distilled water, pre prepared saltwater or treat your own tap water) and put it through a “wet run” to ensure every piece of equipment is working as it should be and you have no leaks (not a good look when you have fish inside!). You should run it for around 1 day; making sure the water is getting warmer from your heater, pumps are going, bubbles are coming out, adding salt if you need to to hit your specific gravity (1.02-1.024 for a fish only set up).

The next part is the creative stage; aquascaping your aquarium! To do this turn off all running equipment and remove and save say about half the water (to give you room for adding stuff without overflowing the tank). Now simply place and arrange all your items how you have planned them previously. Now to combine aquascaping and initiating the cycling of your aquarium with live rock. Live rock is porous rock taken from the rubble zones of ocean reefs it contains many tiny invertebrates and microorganisms essential to biological cycling (converts animal waste ammonium into much less toxic nitrate which is either absorbed by plants or removed by partial water changes). Live rock is awesome because it looks so natural in your aquarium, keeps the water healthy, provides places for marine life to hide and helps the fish feel at home. You can arrange it into cool shapes and even dill holes in it and stick bits together to make a cool playground for your marine life.

Before you add you live rock to the tank it is my recommendation to inspect it for undesirable hitchhikers (bristle worms, mantis shrimps etc) and clean it in saltwater. Then you can cure it (preferably in a separate tank) for a few days, where most of the decaying organic matter goes through the decomposition process which would other wise overload your system and making your new aquarium water disgusting! When you add the live rock to your water there will be a brief period of die-off of the encrusting organisms, which will cause ammonia to be released into the system, in a while populations of bacteria inhabiting the rock will multiply feeding on the ammonia and converting it into nitrite. Next, a new population of different bacteria will multiply converting the nitrite into the less harmful nitrate. This is biological cycling in a nutshell and is natures way of recycling biological waste which otherwise would build up to toxic levels and kill all marine life.

Phew, that was intense but a very necessary part of preparing your aquarium for your precious marine life.

So stay tuned for the next installment and for more detailed info about biological cycling and setting up a saltwater aquarium check out my best selling ebook “Ultimate Secrets To Saltwater Aquarium Fish and Invertebrates”.

The important role of live rock and sand in a marine aquarium is something that most beginner aquarists really dont understand

So here it is for you guys in black and white!

Writing all the content for my ebook “Ultimate Secrets To Saltwater Fish and Invertebrates” on www.Saltwater-Aquarium-Advice.com has really opened my eyes to the true importance of live rock and sand. Basically for you to recreate a small slice of the ocean in your home, you need a myriad of micro-organisms that are a crucial to the ocean eco-system. This is the reason why early saltwater aquariums (like in the 60’s or something!) ended up having all the marine life dying; especially corals, which people began thinking could simply not survive in captivity.

And right there is where live rock and sand (basically sand with micro-organisms and invertebrates living in it, can be used with live rock as well) come in, you see live rock is taken from rubble zones of ocean reefs it is very porous and in these pores live micro-organisms and tiny invertebrates that break down the waste products created by the life-cycles in the ocean. So essentially to breakdown the waste products in your aquarium it only makes sense that you require the assistance of such organisms. So live rock and sand is fundamentally the biological filtration agent of the oceans (and your aquarium). Additional to biological filtration live rock also gives your marine life a place to hide and looks natural and appealing in an aquarium.

Before you go hurling chunks of live rock and handfuls of sand into your aquarium, this stuff needs to be cured before it comes into contact with your marine life (or else the decomposition can harm your marine life and throw out your water quality by adding ammonia and debris). Curing initiates the nitrogen cycle and takes about 5 weeks to do it properly, you want to initiate the nitrogen cycle so the micro-organisms break down the waste products of your marine life which if left unchecked will build up to toxic levels. During this process you will want to change the water about once a week, replacing 25% at a time. A good rule of thumb is to use 1.5 pounds of rock for every gallon of water. Remember to check with the seller of the live rock to see whether the curing has already been done, if you have to do it yourself it may seem like a

lot of effort but it is well worth it. Your marine aquarium will be a much more healthy and efficient eco-system which a lot less toxic nitrates in the water.

For more information on live rock and sand, check out “Ultimate Secrets To Saltwater Fish and Invertebrates” available from www.Saltwater-Aquarium-Advice.com

Hi guys, todays post is a pretty important topic, how you can avoid making a few of the most common mistakes with your marine aquarium.

This mistake-making epidemic we see in the hobby today basically stems from people falling in love with the idea of having an awesome marine aquarium and rushing in head-first without doing their due dilligence first. This is the main reason I decided to write “Ultimate Secrets To Saltwater Aquarium Fish and Invertebrates” to educate people because the pain that comes from watching your beloved marine pets dying is immense and most times it really is preventable.

So lets get started;

1. Buying marine life without knowing enough about the specimen:

This is probably one of the most preventable mistakes you can make. So many people contact me upset about their newest pet dying then you find out its because they had no idea how to care for and feed it, and sometimes they dont even know what it is. Dont be pulled in by the pretty colours or the nice shapes of marine life at the pet shop, any purchase you make should be fully researched FIRST! And dont just rely on the person at the pet shop, do your own research and ensure you know what the exact requirements are for keeping your new pet in optimal health. You also need to ensure (as ive said time and time again!) it will be compatible with your marine aquarium set up and the current marine pets you have.

2. Not taking enough time:

In todays society everything is moving so fast, the opposite is true with your saltwater aquarium. You need patience people, if you move too fast things go wrong and this can be both expensive and heart-breaking. You really need to take the time to study up on marine aquarium keeping first, before you begin and take things slowly and carefully. Every step must be carefully planned out and executed. Too many people have contacted me with their problems which are a direct result of doing things too fast.

3. Marine life compatibility:

A very common cause of trouble; you really need to research the behaviour of your new pet and check it will be suitable with what you already have. For example predatory fish and timid little herbivorous school fish often do not mix! The ocean eco-system is ruled by a complex series of marine life interactions, therefore you cant predict what will happen, you MUST do your research before you buy.

4. Marine aquarium overload:

This is when you put too much marine life or live rock/sand into your aquarium at once (remember common mistake number 1?) the system cannot handle it and the delicate balance is thrown out and new tank syndrome often results. This problem can be much worse when the new tank is not fully cycled. The solution? Slow down, move slowly and gradually add more stock so the system can cope much more efficiently.

5. Lack of tank maintenance:

To ensure your aquarium remains a pristine environment for your marine life you MUST conduct maintenance at regular intervals. if you do this you should seldom have water quality, high nitrate, excessive algae or contamination issues. You need to be strict with yourself on this, it is a key area for preventing problems with your marine aquarium. A little work now will save a lot of problems in the future.

6. Using poor quality water:

A lot of people use tap water or other unpurified water to make up saltwater for the aquarium, this can often be a pretty bad idea as it can lead to water quality issues which can sometimes be pretty dramatic (like all you fish dying!). I recommend you purchase quality distilled or RO water, or some form of pre-purified sea water. Failing that another option is to use a water purification filter, however make sure it is a quality product. Using good quality water is a wise investment that will greatly help prevent water problems.

7. Unwittingly purchasing sick marine creatures:

The key to not making this mistake is to observe the fish for a while (see my other blog post about selecting marine life for more info), studying their behaviour and the fish themselves carefully. You should learn what common tell tales signs of disease and illness to look for. Another major indicator of sickness is when the fish get fed, if its not eating normally then do not buy it! Discovering whether a fish is healthy or not is very easy to do and will save you a lot of trouble.

8. Diagnosing disease incorrectly:

You need to learn to recognise the signs of common diseases and parasite infections accurately, then you will not go through the tedium of treating one disease while your marine life gets sicker from another. For example saltwater ich is commonly mistaken for white spot (and vica versa) these have similar symptoms but are caused by different disease organisms that require very different treatments.

9. Poor water circulation and filtration:

These two factors are a must for any healthy saltwater aquarium. If there is not enough biological filtration the water can easily build up to toxic levels that can kill marine life. A lack of adequate water circulation leads to a build up of algae, low dissolved oxygen and sessile marine life such as corals not getting enough food. The good news it that you cannot really have too much filtration or water circulation (within reason), however there are a wide range of choices in purchasing these two essential systems, especially filtration; where not getting the right filter set up for your waste levels can lead to problems. Circulation can be easily improved by adding additional powerheads or a surge device.