Keyser Sose wrote:
> Hello guys,
> I am about to set my tank up again from scratch after giving away my
> previous fish due to a house move. I used to keep freshwater and was quite
> successful thoiugh I never succeeded in breeding any species. I used to
> keep plastic plants as well.
>
> I have a clean slate and I am interested in Marine. I love the Yellow Tangs
> and Clowns and would love to set this up. However, I have heard that marine
> is many times more diffcult than fresh. I can understand that to some
> extent because of the water minerals etc. However, is it really all that
> difficult?
>
> Any good resources and books? Or should I forget the idea and stick with
> fresh water?
>
> Thanks for any tips and advice.
>
> Steve

I don't think keeping marine fish is that much harder than many
Freshwater fish (especially discus). Marine Reef tanks are definately
more difficult.
I have kept and maintained Saltwater aquaria for many years and there
are a few principles to follow;

[1] Filtration; Good filtration is a must for a successful marine
aquarium. There are many different filters available too.

Canister filters are good for their capacity, but can become Nitrate
factories is not rinsed very regularly. I do not recommend Fluvals due
to their poor impeller design. Via Aqua. Eheim, Jebo, and Magnum are
the ones I recommend.

Wet/Dry filters are good, but usually are poor mechanical filters. The
bio ball media in them also should be rinsed regularly in
de-chlorinated water to prevent a buildup of organic material,
increasing nitrates.

Sump systems with live rock, plants, and sponge filters work well. The
live rock is excellent for aerobic filtration (ammonia and nitrite
removal) and anaerobic filtration (nitrate removal). The live plants
and green algae are good for nitrogen fixing and phosphate removal. The
sponge filter is a simple to clean aerobic bio-filter and mechanical
filter.

Hang on back filters are very limited, but can be used too, especially
if combined with other bio filters. Internal filters are also limited,
but once again are good combined with others.

Filter redundancy is also important, as filters/pumps can break down.
Extra filters also increase bio and mechanical filtration. An
economical combination would be a sponge filter, internal filter, and a
hang on back (power filter).

[2] Lighting; A 10,000 K Daylight bulb is a start, better would be a
50/50 daylight/ 420nm actinic bulb, or better yet would be one of each.

[3] Test Kits; an ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, ph, and KH (alkalinity)
test kit are all important.

[4] Water Chemistry; Start with a good marine salt and mix it to a
specific gravity of 1.019- 1.021 for fish. Change water regularly (see
my blog Reasons for aquarium cleaning ).
Add trace elements and aquarium buffer. SeaChem makes an excellent
product called Reef Calcium which maintains KH, adds calcium and
magnesium. Many products available do not add both calcium and
magnesium (such as Kalkwasser), and they are BOTH necessary together
for proper chemistry and fish health. It should be noted, that unlike
freshwater fish which absorb the water around them, marine fish drink
the water constantly, which affects their internal body chemistry to
the surrounding water.

[5] UV Sterilization; UV Sterilizers are in my opinion, not essential,
but are VERY important. UV Sterilizers help with disease prevention and
also help maintain a proper Redox Potential (oxidation properties of
water). The Redox Potential is often overlooked by many aquarists. For
more information please see my article:
http://uvsterilizer.blogspot.com/

[6] Proper Fish and feeding; do not over crowd a marine aquarium. The
amount of fish depends on the aquarium surface area and the type of
fish. My article "Basic Aquarium Principles" addresses this
subject. Feed your marine fish according to the type of food they
naturally eat in the wild. Aquatic based foods such as HBH Marine Flake
or Spirulina 20 Flake are good generic fish foods for Tangs, angels,
clown fish, ECT. (Angels also need sponge in their diet).

Here is a site with other informational links:
http://aquarium-info.blogspot.com/

Here is a link to Amazon.com with a good book I recommend:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0671228099/sr=1-1/qid=1156374446/ref=sr_1_1/102-8889895-2718550?ie=UTF8&s=books

Carl

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