When set up the right way, setting up a marine aquarium is a great way to add a relaxing hobby to your life, as well as beauty to any room in our home. But when set up incorrectly, a marine aquarium setup can become an algae-filled money-sucking fish-sucking nightmare.
Here are some simple tips for setting up your saltwater aquarium. While these tips may not seem all that impressive when put together, they will form the foundation of a good saltwater aquarium setup that will last for many years and always look great.
Tips for setting up your saltwater fish tank to avoid problems
- Buy the biggest tank you can afford Bigger tanks offer chemical and temperature stability and bad things happen more slowly in bigger tanks giving you time to react
- Research the types of fish you want before purchasing any other equipment. Impulse buying of fish and equipment is one of the most common reasons saltwater tanks fail.
- Buy the right size tank and filters for the fish you want to keep
- Buy slightly larger filters than you need, as you can never over-filter your water.
- Keep an eye on water changes and other aquarium care tasks. Laxing on caring for your tank will eventually lead to sick algae and fish.
- Do not impulse buy any fish or equipment without researching it first.
- Do not place your aquarium in the path of direct sunlight, as this can cause excessive algae growth.
- Never add chemicals to the tank unless you can test them.
- Never overfeed your fish as this will cause algae growth, instead only feed what the fish can eat in a minute and feed them with the pumps off.
- Shop for a good saltwater aquarium guide to help you succeed with your marine aquarium setup