Expert Advice Starting A Saltwater Tank Setting Up The Marine System The larger the tank, the easier it is to maintain. We do not recommend a tank under 30 gallons in size. Water temperature - This should be set between 78-80 degrees F. A submersible heater is preferable to a standard heater because salt can not get into the heater and cause it to stick in the on position. Specific gravity - Should be kept between 1.020 - 1.021, except for red sea fish and reefs which should be at 1.023 - 1.024. Filtration - There are two types of filters needed for salt water. A power filter (mechanical filter) in conjunction with a wet-dry filter (biological filter), is the best combination. The mechanical filter's purpose is to remove particulate matter. Magnetically coupled cartridge filters do not work as well as conventional direct drive outside filters or canister filters. The magnetically driven filters do not cross circulate the water nor do the thin pads supply as good filtration. Magnetically coupled canister filters do work well because they pull water from one side of the tank and return it to the other side, as well as passing the water through a thick layer of filter materials. A wet-dry (trickle) filter should be used for biological filtration. This advanced system provides some mechanical and excellent biological filtration in one. With this system, superior water quality can be achieved in the tank. As a direct result, wet-dry filters require less maintenance time and maintenance expense. A protein skimmer highly improves the water quality coming from the wet-dry filter. How To Cycle The Salt Water Tank Fish create waste. This waste produces ammonia, which is toxic to the fish at the pH level maintained in the marine tanks. This is why a biological filter is needed. Bacterium grow in the wet-dry filter to break down the ammonia into nitrite. Once this occurs, a second type of bacterium break down the nitrite into nitrate, which is relatively harmless to the fish at low concentrations. To create this cycle, hardy fish (usually inexpensive damsels) are added to the tank to start the ammonia cycle. Triggers, groupers and eels are hardy fish and can be used to cycle the tank. To begin, allow the tank to run for two days, then start adding the starter fish. One inch of fish should be added for every five gallons of water. (Slightly less with eels and triggers.) The other option is to use ammonium chloride rather than fish to create "the cycle" chemically. Cycling a tank generally takes six to ten weeks (four to six weeks chemically). This may be sped up by adding live rock or live sand to the tank. This does not replace the cycle, it merely speeds it up. Adding fish - Once the ammonia and nitrite levels are at zero, other fish may be added. A general rule of thumb is a one inch fish per three gallons of water, a two inch fish per five gallons or a four inch fish per ten gallons. Unlike freshwater, most marine fish do well in singles. If you wish to put two or more fish of the same type or fish with similar patterns and colors, add them at the same time or the already established fish will often kill the new fish. This holds especially true with clown fish, damsells, angels and tangs.) Fish should be added in small groups so as not to disrupt the ammonia level. By adding more than one new fish at a time, they will be less likely to be picked on. Feeding - Ideally marine fish should be fed twice a day. Live food are not needed for most marines. A combination of frozen brine shrimp and formula II (an algae based food to provide vegetables) will do. Adding other frozen foods for a variety in their diet is also a good idea, as well as romaine lettuce or spinach. Dry foods may be used sparingly with hardy marine fish. Water Changes - With standard filtration (power outside filter and wet-dry filter) 50% water should be changed monthly in a well stocked system. Medication - The only medication we recommend adding directly to an established tank is copper sulfate or copper citrate. Antibiotics, sulfa drugs, or dyes may destroy the filter bed directly or indirectly. Use these in a quarantine tank only. Setting Up & Maintaining A Tropical Fish Aquarium The following are some guidelines, important points and maintenance, to know for your freshwater fish aquarium. We have described in some detail why these points are important to you and your fish. We hope this information is helpful to you. Also please note - we do not recommend undergravel filters for freshwater except to augment a good power filter system. The Summary Before setting up the aquarium, be certain it is on a level and sturdy surface. Rinse natural gravel and carbon before use. Add Amquel or other chloramine remover. Temperature - set between 76 and 78 degrees. pH - set between 6.5 and 6.7, and test once a week. Aquarium salt - 1 tablespoon for every 5 gallons of water. Feeding - alternate between flake food (Tetramin) and frozen brine shrimp. Change 40-50 percent of the water in the tank once a month. The Details When the aquarium is full of water, it weighs approximately ten pounds per gallon. Therefore do not place it on an unstable or unlevel surface. If you do, it could either crack or end up on the floor. During shipping, the carton pieces rub together creating dust, which must be rinsed thoroughly to avoid a cloudy fish tank. Place water in the tank and add chloramine remover. All tropical fish require warm water, only goldfish can live in cooler water. There are many reasons why the pH should be set at about 6.6. A couple important reasons are that pathogenic bacteria grow slower in acid water, and ammonia is much less toxic in acid water. Many fish have come from water that has a small salt content; also , fish loose body salt through their gills in soft water when no salt or minerals are present. Salt does not evaporate, so it should be added only once and when doing water changes. Many fish are carnivorous in nature, eating fly larva, worms and crustaceans. Frozen brine shrimp, because of it's bulky nature, replaces the natual meaty foods, therefore reducing the tendency to pick on other fish. To use frozen brine, a small piece of shrimp should be broken off according to the number of fish. This piece should be placed in a glass of warm water to thaw out. Then pour the water and shrimp through a net so the dirty water can go down the drain and you are left with clean shrimp to put in the tank. Last is maintenance. Water changes are important because as water evaporates it leaves behind minerals. As new water is added so are minerals. Eventually, this will make the water hard and cause a build up of non-biodegradable wastes. Again remove chloramines, add salt and adjust pH before adding water to the tank. At this time the filter material and the carbon (which stays active for 4-6 weeks) can be changed. Also this is a good time to stir up the gravel. Tropic Isle Aquarium 4 Pierce Street Framingham, Ma 01701 phone: (508) 875-5303 fax: (508) 872-1916 email: tropicisleaquarium@verizon.net Business Hours Monday-Saturday: 11am - 9pm Sunday: 11am - 6pm