Aq ua rium T ype s Ho w to No t K ill F ish: the Sa ltwa te r - PDF document

4/ 9/ 2010 Aq ua rium T ype s Ho w to No t K ill F ish: the Sa ltwa te r Aq ua rium Ho b b yist y • • Freshwater – often Freshwater often • • Marine or Saltwater Marine or Saltwater • • Brackish Systems Brackish Systems are heavily planted. systems. • Half salt/half fresh. • Salinity 1.0. • Salinity 1.025 • Salinity 1.005-1.010 Pre se nte d b y Cody R. Br ( ocean level ) own • Usually duller coloured fish. • Bright coloured fish, UDL S – Unive rsity o f British Co lumb ia • Some fish can 201-2366 Main Mall, Vanc o uve r, BC, Canada, V6T 1Z 4 reef and coral • Parana's are adapt to low or high April 9 th , 2010 setups. common exotic salt levels. freshwater. • Canister filters • Usually smaller, popular river type fish. Aq ua rium Myths a nd F a c ts Sa ltwa te r T ype s • Freshwater is easier to maintain than salt. – After your system is setup, maintenance is • Tropical vs. Cold Water similar to both. – Tropical is the most common. Heat around 26 C. – Saltwater has initial higher cost for extra – Atlantic or Cold Water setups very expensive. equipment. – Special equipment (chillers) are needed to cool the tanks. Usually required larger tank volumes. q g • For colourful fish, you need saltwater. – You can get tropical looking fish in both setups. – Saltwater fish are pretty cheap too. Only rarities can get extremely pricy. • Setup a tank for the species you want. Both setups can be expanded on later. Sa ltwa te r T ype s F iltra tio n • Fish Only ( FO ) • Most setups use a combination of biological and mechanical filters. – Cheapest: No special lighting required, just filtering equipment. Chemical filters also are used sometimes. • Biological preferred… no maintenance. • FO with Live Rock ( FOWLR ) – Live Rock can be expensive (around $600 for 60G tank). – Require more powerful light setups. Require more powerful light setups • Live Rock / Live Sand ( Biological ) Li R k / Li S d ( Bi l i l ) – Adds the best biological filtering. More on Live Rock soon. – Algae on rocks convert waste from the water to useable nutrients. – Self maintains. No extra work for the owner. • Reef Tanks – Live Rock and Coral setups. Usually invertebrates and corals. With • Protein Skimmer some reef safe fish. – Corals require high water quality maintains. More difficult to maintain. – Cleans tank similar to how the waves clean the ocean. – Forces waste into a collection cup to be empty. 1

4/ 9/ 2010 F iltra tio n F iltra tio n - SUMPS • Wet/Dry Trickle Filter ( Mechanical ) • Separate aquarium from your main tank – increases water volume of tank. – More popular before. A set of mechanical filters. • Used to hide filtration and other equipment. – Must be replaced often, else becomes “nitrate • Can contain a Refugium : traps”… polluting the tank. – Separate “sanctuary” from animals in your fish. – Grow macro algae which would normally get eaten in your tank. Grow macro algae which would normally get eaten in your tank • Canister Filter ( Mechanical/Chemical ) – Keep helpful invertebrate to clean the water. – Seen more often in freshwater setups. • Baffles to remove micro – Filters inside are replaced. Easy to setup and bubbles from water-clearer water. get started. • Deep Sand Bed ( Biological ) – Creates dedicated layer to convert nitrates. Othe r E q uipme nt Se tup Yo ur Syste m • Lighting • Now to set up your tank. – Expensive and many types (depends on setup). • Usually you will need to do your own piping. – Fluorescent/Power Compact/LED/Metal Halide. – PVC Pipes used. Saltwater tanks will come with SUMP holes in the • Powerheads back to pipe down. – For water circulation. • Pumps • Pumps – Bring water from Sump to tank. • Heaters/Fans • Water filter ( Reverse Osmosis Water Filter ) – For cleaning tap water. Se tup Yo ur Syste m Cyc ling the T a nk • Standpipes • At this point you do a wet run. – The start of the process. – No leaks, not excessively noisy. – Can be very noisy. Many different standpipe designs. • Live Rock needs curing. – Durso is a popular choice. Many personal – Living organisms on the rock. Will initial have large die off rate. designs as well found on internet. – Ammonia will shock the system if not cured first Ammonia will shock the system if not cured first. – Goal reduce noise. – Wait until reaches equilibrium : • Enough ammonia eating organisms to handle die-off. • Small overflows setup too. • And enough nitrite eating organism to handle tank. – In case of power outages. 2

4/ 9/ 2010 Cyc ling the T a nk Aq ua rium L ife • Live Rock Curing: • Clean Up Crew: – Very smelling process ( rotten seaweed ). – Invertebrates – snails/crabs/shrimp. – Depending on rock and organisms, can take up to a month to cure. – Clean bad algae off glass, algae off rocks. • Can add hardy fish (like damsels) to • Macro algae for Sump make the cycling process quicker. make the cycling process quicker. – Provide biological buffer for the water Provide biological buffer for the water. • They add a extra level of nitrate (fish – Introduces nutrients/food into the water. waste) to the tank. • Decorative invertebrates can be added. – Like starfish or clams (require high light). Aq ua rium L ife Aq ua rium L ife • Fish / Morays / Seahorses / etc • Corals require better water conditions, higher lighting • Like humans, not all aqua animals get • Hard SPS & LPS Corals - Small/large polyp stony coral. along . – Require high light usually. – Keep predators with predators, and tams with – Some hardy… some very picky. tams – unless you want to give someone an • Soft Corals expensive snacks. – Often easier and less picky. Often easier and less picky – Always check compatibility prior to adding – Mushrooms, Xenia’s, amoebae like corals. fish. – Some of these can be aggressive… they move around the tank. • Fish are hardy ! Easy to maintain. Mo nito ring the T a nk Mo nito ring the T a nk • Salinity and PH levels need to be monitored: • With a fully equipped tank. Maintenance usually only includes: – Refractometers or hydrometers for salinity. – Add salt if necessary. Any salt will do, but there is specific marine – Changing or adding water (frequency depends salt which have trace elements for your aquarium. on size of tank and setup). – Emptying skimmers collection cup when full. – Feeding the fishes. • Waste products: p • Want to monitor Ammonia/Nitrite/Nitrate – Bacteria die, create ammonia. levels. – Ammonia eating bacteria creates Nitrite (waste). Fish create nitrite as well. Stress levels and such increases this. – Ammonia/Nitrite levels may indicate – Nitrite eating bacteria create Nitrate. Need water change to something is wrong with the tank (ie fish are remove. Safe in low levels. abnormally stressed, are sick) – Nitrate indicates a water change is needed. 3

4/ 9/ 2010 Re so urc e s Que stio ns? • Valuable Online Resource: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ • Any specific questions, local aquarium • Thanks! shops are best for quick and direct answers answers. • J&L Aquatics is a famous saltwater shop http://aquarium.codybrown.ca/ located locally in Vancouver: http://www.jlaquatics.com/ 4