Saltwater Aquarium Advice

Stocking your saltwater aquarium is one of the most exciting times for a marine hobbyist. Introducing new additions to your colourful marine aquarium to watch and wonder over is awesome fun. For everything to go to plan and your new pets to thrive means that you will need to take things very seriously here in regards to compatibility, stocking levels and choosing healthy specimens.

Incorrect stocking of marine aquariums is a very common mistake; this usually arises from people moving too fast, picking unhealthy specimens and not doing enough research on their desired pets leading to compatibility issues. This can lead to stress in your aquarium (mostly the new inhabitants) and even death. Stocking a marine aquarium is the biggest variable to success in the set up process, if you do it wrong it can make the whole exercise a disaster, but if you do this right and take your time marine aquarium ownership will be smooth sailing for you. Any thoughtless purchases at this point can bring compatibility issues later which can be very hard to solve.

The best place to start with stocking is to make a saltwater aquarium plan, really know what it is you want in terms of marine life. Start with one or two “must have” species that will be the focal point of your aquarium. This is especially a good idea for small to medium aquariums, with larger aquariums you would go for a type of fish you want such as Tangs, Butterflyfish or Angels. Once you decide on your favourite fish, find out their exact requirements and set up the aquarium and choose other marine life centred around your tank “stars”. This keeps stocking very simple and as long as no one fish will compete closely with your favourites for a specific food type that is not readily available you are onto a winning strategy.

Adding invertebrates to the mixture can make things slightly trickier; if you have a fish only with live rock (FOWLR) set up try to use hardier invertebrate species (such as those commonly associated with live rock) that can tolerate a bit more nitrate in the water. This will make your life easier trying to cater to Invertebrate water quality needs.

As I have mentioned before the key to answering the compatibility question is diligent research on your chosen species in regard to behaviour/temperament, diet, size, preferred water conditions (light and water circulation) and growth rates, but ultimately fish have very individual personalities like us people, so it can be common for individuals of the same species to behave slightly differently.  Another factor that affects compatibility is the size of your tank and how much rockwork there is, generally the bigger the tank is and the more likely that fish can get out of the line of each others site for a while the better they will get on. A good way to ensure new additions settle in well is to rearrange the aquarium (and the residents established territories) when someone new is added, also keeping a light on at night seems to take the focus off the newcomer and can greatly help with any bullying.

Keeping fish well fed will keep them happy too; a hungry fish is a grumpy fish. When adding new fish to an established aquarium a great strategy is to put about 500mL of display aquarium water into the quarantine tank and visa versa so the newbies and the established fish can become familiar with the scent of each other before they meet. Another good idea is to put the quarantine tank next to the display tank so the fish can see each other.

This brings me to stocking levels; as a general rule of thumb a fish only aquarium should aim for less than 8 inches (20cm) of total fish length (nose to base of tail, not counting tail fin rays) per 22 gallons (100L) of water. A FOWLR set up with a few invertebrates should have a bit less fish at 6 inches (15cm) per 22 gallons (100L). Finally a reef set up should have no more than 4 inches (10cm) per 22 gallons (100L) this is because of the very low tolerances of corals and other invertebrates for slow nitrate build up in the water. The above estimates allows for room for error, but I warn you if these limits are exceeded by much the bioload will put too much strain on your biological filtration system and all it will take is one lost, dead fish or a bunch of uneaten food over a few days to cause the system to completely crash. When in doubt under-stock; this allows room for error and also takes into consideration your growing marine life.

When stocking your aquarium start with the more hardy, less aggressive fish first. This will give your aquarium water valuable time to stabilise after cycling before more sensitive species are introduced and will also help keep more aggressive, territorial species under control if they are not the first additions. Take the addition of fish very slowly waiting a month or so before adding one or two more, this gives the biological filtration system time to adjust to increasing waste levels.

The final aspect of stocking to get right is choosing healthy specimens, this can be very easy to do with careful visual inspections of the fish you intend to buy, checking every part of the fish for parasites, disease or other damage. Make sure the aquarium it is housed in is healthy and clean also. Pay attention to the fish’s behaviour to make sure it is acting normally. The golden rule here is to watch it eat (more than once if you can) make sure it has a good appetite, is alert and competitive with the other fish for food. The final thing you want to avoid is a brand new fish into the store; give it a week or so to see how it adjusts to captive life and copes with the stress of being removed from the reef environment. It is worth a mention again that where possible buy captive reared marine life, as they are much hardier and happier than their wild-caught relatives. Captive bred species also reduces pressure on species harvested from reef ecosystems, which should be very important to any marine life lover.

So the keys to successful marine life stocking are research, planning and lots of patience. Carefully planned out and executed saltwater aquarium stocking will provide years of happiness for marine life and marine aquarists alike.

For top saltwater aquarium advice and information as well as the hottest aquarium products in the world go to: www.SaltwaterAquariumAdvice.com

Saltwater Aquarium Advice

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Saltwater aquariums are almost always stocked with tropical marine life (you can also have cold water marine set ups, but these are relatively uncommon), which by definition is marine fish and invertebrates that come from tropical regions of the world where water temperatures are a constant, balmy 77-80°F (25-27°C).  This marine life can only tolerate small and gradual changes in water temperature.

This universal characteristic of our favourite marine pets makes temperature (heating and cooling) a vitally important aspect in any marine aquarium. The importance of heating is often under-estimated by new marine aquarists, which can lead to heating disasters, the easiest way to wipe out your entire tank results from heater malfunctions, such as a heater being “stuck on” or not heating at all. A heater being stuck on and causing all the inhabitants to perish is the source of many a sad email to me.

The best thing you can do to prevent heating disasters is to buy a quality heater. Cheap, poorly made heaters can and do often get stuck on or fail to heat; they can also be a fire risk in your home. You need to look at vital saltwater aquarium equipment heater as a life support system for your marine life; choosing the cheap and cheerful option can often cost so much more in the long run.

A good heater is fully submersible as opposed to hang on. This is because if the water level drops the hang on model can overheat and burn out. Another important feature of a quality heater is being made of shatterproof material and is also corrosion resistant. New titanium heaters are an excellent investment in my opinion, these heaters are accurate, conduct heat brilliantly and mostly have a built in temperature sensor which shuts off the unit if it comes into contact with the air which would otherwise cause the heater to overheat and break.

A temperature controller unit is advisable to use with heating and cooling units, this does all the leg work for you and keeps fluctuations to a minimum, which is very good news for marine life. I also advise a thermometer with an audible alarm as an extra measure.

Another good practise is to go for 2 smaller heaters as opposed to one big one; this will make it harder for one to overheat the tank before you realise and if one stops heating the tank temperature wont drop severely.

Remember to handle all heaters with care and set-up as per manufacturers instructions, turn units off when exposing to air or performing maintenance and keep them clean, especially so you can see the indicator light is on. Always plug them into a GFI.

If you live in a hot climate, prefer your home a little warmer or have an intense lighting set-up (such as VHO fluorescent lights for a reef aquarium) chances are you will need an aquarium chiller, which will keep your marine aquarium water below a particular temperature. This is especially important when you keep corals because the lighting requirements they have cause a lot of heat generation from the bulbs, often times this can cause a water temperature increase of around 7°F! These lighting set ups can often mean you wont need your heater turned on, however it is advisable to have one as a back up. Once again as the correct temperature is so important it is my advice to purchase a quality chilling unit.

When both a chiller and a heater are hooked up to a temperature controller this is ideal to keep the temperature in your saltwater aquarium constant no matter what else maybe happening and you marine life will love you for it.

For more vital saltwater aquarium information and to see what my best selling ebook can offer you go to www.Saltwater-Aquarium-Advice.com

Its back to basics for this blog post guys, and il tell you why. How many of you have made mistakes while setting up their first marine aquarium? If you are being honest I would say about 60% of you have.

When people are new to the hobby the most scary thing is making mistakes and having it come back to bite you, it can be enough to put you off the hobby for life. And thats whats happened to a couple of people who have contacted me through www.Saltwater-Aquarium-Advice.com recently.

So here is how to do things the right way, first time. This is pretty relevant for anyone regardless of experience, because at one time or another you are all going to have to set up a tank again.

The first step is to decide EXACTLY what you want: Fish only, FOWLR (fish only with live rock), Reef, Jellyfish whatever. Fish only is a good first timers option because you can later convert it to reef or add stuff. A reef aquarium (mostly corals, invertebrates and one or 2 fish can be pretty easy to set up but requires complex lighting for your corals and some organisation. So planning and research are the keys here, do as much detail as possible will help down the track.

Second step is to get some good quality guide books, and of course im going to recommend my top selling ebook “Ultimate Secrets To Saltwater Aquarium Fish and Invertebrates” which concentrates on the marine life (the most vital part of the equation!) and how to make it thrive.

Next up make a checklist of everything you need and go buy it! You dont have to have everything at once, it can be a slow but steady evolution, a masterpiece in the making if you will.

Now to get to the nitty gritty of setting up now that you are all researched, planned and purchased. The first steps of the actual set up are deciding upon: Location of the aquarium (out of sunlight and well ventilated!), decide on aquarium size (always buy the biggest one you can afford) and whether you want a stand, what substrate will you use ?, Temperature, lighting and filtration systems you want to use, what look you want (aquascaping and decor). Once you have done this its time to rock and roll.

First you need to get you aquarium ready; put the stand down, ensuring its level. Now clean the hell out of the aquarium with fresh clean water then apply a vinyl background or alternatively paint it. Next; if you are using a sump put it in now, it is the easiest time to do it. Now is the time to put the aquarium on its stand and ensure it is all level. Next up get all your equipment and install it to where it should be in the set up.

After all this its time to give the system a trial run and check all the components are working.

For the next steps in setting your marine aquarium up the right way…… Stay tuned for the next installment!

Today I thought I would write a post on one of the most common problems that saltwater hobbiests face; that annoying green stuff growing on surfaces that can eventually take over the tank if left unchecked. As we all know algae can be the bane of marine aquarists lives, making even the brightest most colourful saltwater aquarium look dirty and unclean.

There are many different types of algae and many reasons why it is invading your tank. Algae is a plant and therefore thrives especially in tanks where there is not a lot of competition for nutrients (such as high phosphates and nitrates) such as a fish only set-up.

Algae removal is a very hot topic with marine aquarists, I am asked all the time on www.Saltwater-Aquarium-Advice.com the best way to battle this nuisance organism. So ive decided to put together some hints and tips to help you to rid your marine aquarium of algae forever!

1. Light levels:One good way to combat algae is to reduce the amount of light (the photoperiod) in your aquarium (unless you keep corals or other organisms that need light for healthy growth), for example if your aquarium can do without light for an hour or two you would be surprised by how much this can reduce algal growth.

2. Reduce Phosphate levels: High levels of Phosphates are often the main cause of an algal invasion, commonly their levels will be undetectable when tested for because the algae uses the phosphates straight away at such a fast rate. To combat high phosphate levels conduct partial water changes more regularly, you can also purchase a phosphate removal chemical such as Phosban. An important note here is to put phosphate remover into top up/water change water before it gets to the algae in the rest of the aquarium. Keeping a handle on water chemistry levels (regular testing people!) will help prevent algae outbreaks.

3. Purchase other marine plants: As I mentioned earlier, algae often colonises aquariums because of the high levels of nutrients and low levels of competition. Therefore another good strategy is to get some marine plants in to help mop up excess nutrients and make it harder for the algae to establish, they also look awesome in marine aquariums too!

4. Use RO or distilled water: If you are having algae problems another thing I would suggest is to use only reverse osmosis or distilled waters as these have been treated in such a way that removes phosphates, nitrates and other algal growth promoting ions from the water. In my experience this would be the first place to start if you are having algae problems.

5. Reduce feeding levels: Just by feeding carefully and making sure everything in the tank is eating properly you will be able to cut back on feedings, because uneaten food decays and becomes nutrients for algal growth.

6. Conduct more regular water changes:just by doing simple water changes regularly the levels of nutrients for algae in the water column will be greatly reduced, always remember to try and flush any detritus that has settled onto rocks etc out with a powerhead or turkey baster and suck it out of the tank, this strategy also greatly protects corals and other sessile invertebrates from disease caused by decaying matter on coral tissue. A really good quality skimmer will also greatly help to remove organic matter from your tank.

7. Helper invertebrates: Another great strategy is to purchase some invertebrates that feed off algae for your aquarium. Turbo snails, Emerald crabs, blue legged Hermit crabs and Sea Hares are all good choices. And its really fun to watch them smash all that horrible algae! I would suggest purchasing a number of some of the above, so you have an effective little algae battling team!

8. Algae eating fish:A fish or two of an algae eating species can also greatly reduce the incidence of algae in your aquarium. Tangs are the most popular algae eating fish, but here are some others: Angelfish, Batfish, Blennies, Butterflyfish, Clownfish, Damselfish….. the list goes on. The important thing to remember here is to select species that are compatible with the rest of your tank, also be wary of some algae eating species that may also snack on corals.

9. Manual algae removal: Dont be afraid to get your (clean) hands wet and rip out as much algae as you can, this can be quite effective especially with Hair algae. Ensure that you remove all strands or it will just grow back quickly.

10. Research your problem algae:As a scientist you may have noticed that I play the “research” card pretty often! This is because conducting your own research is invaluble to increase your knowledge and make you more successful as a marine aquarist. There are always people that have experienced what you are going through, so find out what they did. In this particular instance you should (through research) identify what your problem algae is and what effective ways there are to deal with it.

I hope this post is helpful to you in terms of battling problem algae in your marine aquarium.

Maintaining top water quality is crucial for your marine aquarium and especially the health and wellbeing of its inhabitants! In the first place you need to ensure you have a good quality water source.  This means not straight from the tap, because of the chemicals present in tap water. Purified, filtered or distilled water can save a lot of problems later on and is really worth the investment. You can add you own salt to this, or purchase pre-prepared saltwater which is obviously the easier but more expensive option. I personally recommend you purchase quality distilled or reverse osmosis water, or some form of pre-purified sea water if you can afford it. Failing that, another option is to use a water purification filter, but you need to make sure it is a quality product. Using good quality water is a wise investment that will definitely help prevent water problems.

A lot of people ask me through www.Saltwater-Aquarium-Advice.com if they can use seawater, straight from the ocean. The simple answer is yes you can, but I wouldn’t myself as this water may contain parasites and pollutants that may harm your marine life.

The second key to good water quality is regular partial water changes. Water changes are useful to reduce the overall cycling time, instantly dilute and remove contaminants that might harm your marine life, remedy ammonia spikes, and help to clear cloudy water.

Changing the water is very important, because toxic biological waste builds up in your tank all the time which changes your water quality.  If there are enough nitrates and phosphates in your tank your marine life can actually die. The only really effective way to prevent this waste build up and replace vital trace elements is to physically change the water. The most common technique is to replace 20-30% of the aquarium water every month.

I recommend you replace around 15% every fortnight; just because if you replace 30% at once pH shock can harm your marine life.   Marine fish are really sensitive to changes in salinity and temperature, so changing smaller amounts twice a month  will help reduce the shock instead of 1 major water change.

When you change the water a good idea is to use a powerhead to rinse  all the debris from rocks, corals and substrate, then vacuum this out from the bottom of the tank using a gravel cleaner. This needs to be done as you siphon the water out into a bucket and discard it. The idea here is to stir up the detritus and suck it all out!

Again, you really need to make sure that the water you add to your tank to replace your discarded water is good quality and has the same temperature, pH and salinity as what’s already in your tank.  And also make sure you prepare it in clean containers.

For more info on this topic and many others check out my best selling ebook: “Ultimate Secrets To Saltwater Aquarium Fish and Invertebrates”

Good saltwater aquarium maintenance is the key to a happy thriving aquarium once you have set it up properly and stocked it well.

Ensuring a good regular maintenance schedule will help to ensure that your marine aquarium is always looking at its best, it also will help to ensure your equipment lasts as long as possible and your marine life is optimally healthy. So I strongly advise people to be disciplined about this and do the following maintenance regularly, the time you will spend doing this will pay itself back in terms of minimal replacement equipment and the costs and heartbreak of replacing marine life.

1. Partial water changes:

This is very important as toxic biological waste builds up in your tank all the time changing the water quality, if there is enough nitrates and phosphates present your marine life will die. The only way to prevent this waste build up and replace vital trace elements is to physically change the water. The most common technique is to replace 20-30% of the aquarium water every month, now i personally recommend you replace 15% every fortnight; this is because if you replace 30% at once pH shock can harm your marine life, also fish are very sensitive to changes in salinity and temperature, so this will help reduce the shock of 1 major change. The water you are replacing must always be the same temperature, pH and salinity etc.

When changing the water a good idea is to use a powerhead to “rinse” all debris from rocks, corals and other items, then vacuum this out (as well as food debris) from the bottom of the tank using a gravel cleaner. This should be done as you siphon the water out into a bucket and discard it. The idea here is to stir up the detritus and suck it all out!

Ensure you replace the water with good quality water (i.e. dechlorinated, well mixed and the same temperature, salinity, specific gravity and pH as the rest of the tank) that you have prepared beforehand in clean containers.

Dont forget to unplug your heater before you conduct a water change as a dry heating unit can get very hot and may shatter when exposed to cold water.

2. Cleaning filters and equipment:

When you are conducting your water change a good idea is to clean out the filters and protein skimmers, getting rid of any debris and gunk you find, this will also let you get a handle on when any pads need to be replaced.  Also check the filter media such as activated carbon and top up or replace as necessary. You should do this monthly. Clean any pumps and powerheads too, this ensures optimal flow in your marine aquarium. These devices are very important in maintaining water quality and therefore keep your marine life alive, ensuring everything is in good working order is very important.

Cleaning the tank and equipment safely requires that you dont use any chemical that could kill you marine life (easier to do than you might think), buy a special aquarium cleaning product or make up a solution of a small amount of vinegar and water. This will keep you tank looking pristine.

3. Visual inspection of you marine aquarium:

This is the most simple but most important part of your maintenance routine, it should be done daily at feeding time and is your opportunity to observe your marine inhabitants to ensure they are eating properly, are disease symptom and damage free. It also gives you a chance to do a role call to ensure all your pets are present. If you spot anything wrong the key is to act fast to ensure the problem doesnt  get worse or disease spread to others.

4. Algae control:

Algae should be minimised and not completely eliminated as it does play a beneficial role in the marine aquarium ecosystem by filtering out nutrients (phosphate, nitrate) from the water and providing additional oxygen (although marine plants can do this). However algae can often get out of hand and start taking over your saltwater tank. Algae control should be part of your maintenance routine. Excessive amounts of nutrients and excess light (especially sunlight) causes algal breakouts. Manual removal of algae from tank walls and rocks can be very effective.  For more info on how to control algae see my “How To Win The battle Against Algae” post.

5. Water Quality Testing:

Ideally this should be done thoroughly every 2 weeks, things like temperature and pH should be checked weekly (temperature is very quick and can be checked daily using a good thermometer). pH test kits are quite cheap and regular testing will prevent problems. Other things you should test for are ammonia (should be 0 ppm), nitrates and nitrites (should be very low and consistant), oxygen and salinity.

If you adhere to a good, well documented maintenance schedule it will not only keep your saltwater aquarium looking its best but ensure optimal health of your marine life and help to prevent any costly problems and fatalities. I also recommend you keep a maintenance checklist and write down any observations.

For more information and expert advice on marine aquarium maintenance and many other vital subjects check out my ebook “Ultimate Secrets To Saltwater Fish and Invertebrates“ on www.Saltwater-Aquarium-Advice.com

As we all know corals can be challenging to keep at times, often things go wrong and you have no idea why. Because they are sedentary organisms they often do not display obvious symptoms, which can make diagnosing what’s wrong difficult.

Very little is still known today about coral diseases but stress is the number one killer of corals in marine aquariums. Corals need to be handled carefully at all times and there can often be many stressors in the tank that can eventually lead to illness or death; for example physical stress like predation, pathogens, environmental stress (sub standard water parameters are often the leading culprit) and nutritional deficiency are all common.

A common problem with corals is bleaching/fading; this is when there is a mass expulsion of zooanthellae (symbiotic algal cells contained in coral tissues that provide food for the corals) because of stress. This phenomenon is also occurring in the oceans of the world today because of temperature stress caused by global warming. In your marine tank there is a whole lot of potential causes of this stress-related illness. The first place to start would be to check all the potential causes of stress one by one untill the cause can be established. As stress is the number one killer of corals (and disease symptoms are often actually caused by stress as opposed to disease causing organisms) all ailments should be worked through (not just bleaching!) in this fashion before you ring the vet or medicate.  So you will need to check these things:

1. Temperature stress (usually the most common cause).

2. Physical stress; this can be damage caused by collection/handling and also predation by fishes/invertebrates.

3. Chemical stress; all water parameters need to be checked here, also think about what has been added to the water recently. The most common water parameters that cause bleaching in corals are alkalinity (pH), nitrates and phosphates.

4. Lighting stress; perhaps the bulbs are too new or old, if they have just been replaced try moving them up a few inches, if they are old they may need to be replaced due to losing intensity with age.

5. Water movement: poor water movement will deprive a coral of its non- photosynthetic food source (plankton) and also cause detritus that settles on the coral to stay put, this will start to decay and possibly become a source of infection and algal growth (a powerhead or turkey baster can remove this). Corals need high water movement to truly thrive.

6. Parasites and predation: this could be snails, fish, coral spiders and everything else that enjoys a coral snack. Often many invertebrate parasites are active at night, so get your hands on a red light to check for them.

The good news is that corals can recover over time if stress is kept to a minimum and the are well fed.

When it comes to disease and parasites, there are a number of effective treatments such as freshwater dips and antibiotics. You much ensure that all treatments are conducted in a quaratene tank, to avoid harming the other inhabitants and water quality of your display tank.

For more information about coral and invertebrate ailments, disease, symptoms and treatments see “Ultimate Secrets To Saltwater Aquarium Fish and Invertebrates”

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.