PowerPoint Presentation STARTING A MARINE AQUARIUM

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STARTING A MARINE AQUARIUM
By Mike Stein
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First Things First

• Decide what type of tank you want to have
• Fish Only (FO)
• - fish only with all fake decorations
• Fish Only with Live Rock (FOWLR)
• - fish only with rock covered in coralline algae
• Reef
• - mostly coral, rock and maybe a few fish

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Decide On Proposed Species

• There are many things you can keep, not just fish
• Many species of fish and invertebrates
• Many different exotic plants and corals
• Exotic animals like clams, sea stars, octopi,
  seahorse, and anemones
• Find things you like, but are also compatible
  with each other and the aquarium you chose

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Study, Study, Study

• Before buying anything you must know what your
  getting into by studying the following
• Local fish stores
• Books
• Search the internet
• Talk to other hobbyists
• Local fish clubs
• Online chat rooms

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Essential Equipment

• There is a lot of equipment needed to start out
  in this hobby
• Tank and Stand
• Filtration
• Lighting
• Heater
• Pumps
• Test Kits

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What Size Tank And Stand

• Make your choice
• Size - start at about 1g goldfish bowls and go
  up as high as you want, once past about 400
  gallons the tank must be custom made
• Shape - tanks come in a variety of shapes like
  square, circle, bow, hex, and corner
• Materials - most tanks are made out of either
  glass or acrylic, but there are different grades
  of each
• Brand - a few popular and well known brands are
  All-Glass, Oceanic, Perfecto, and Marineland

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Lighting For The Tank

• Many different kinds of lighting
• Normal output fluorescent bulbs (NO)
• - mostly used on FO or FOWLR systems
• Very high output fluorescent bulbs (VHO)
• - old technology being replaced by PC and MH
  bulbs
• Power compact fluorescent bulbs (PC)
• - suitable for all types of tanks including reef
• Metal halide bulbs (MH)
• - brightest bulbs available making them the best
  choice for reef systems

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Filtration

• Two basic types of filtration
• Hang on tank (HOT) and Plumbed
• - HOT filtration is usually used in tanks smaller
  than 55g and hangs on the back of the tank.
• - Plumbed filtration can be used on any size tank
  and it consists of a sump or canister underneath
  the display tank

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Sumps And Ecosystems

• Sump
• - can be made of an old tank or acrylic
• usually have three sections intake, refugium or
  ecosystem, and return
• also hold other equipment like heaters,
  chillers, pumps, skimmer, and others this lets
  your display tank look better by not cluttering
  it up
• Ecosystem
• - Live growing plants that help in the reduction
  of nitrates and also grow macro algae for fish to
  eat helps aid in natural filtration and a
  healthier fish colony

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Set-Up And Water Testing

• Set-Up
• Put everything together and plug everything into
  a Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI) outlet
• Set-up all the plumbing for pumps and filter
• Run with tap water for 24 to 48 hours to check
  for leaks
• Water Testing
• Once you determine there are no leaks add salt,
  sand, and live rock check water parameters and
  salinity
• After your initial cycle you should test water
  once a month and do 10-20 water exchanges

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Cycling Your New Tank

• What is a cycle?
• A cycle is a time for bacteria to build up in
  the filter so that it can filter out everything
  that is unwanted in the water
• How do you start a cycle?
• A cycle is started when there is biological
  waste added to the water
• Biological waste can come from a few small fish,
  live rock, or a dead cocktail shrimp

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Acclimating Your New Fish

• Acclimation is the process of introducing your
  new species into the tank
• It is a slow process of getting the fish used to
  your water parameters without any stress
• There are quite a few different methods, but
  most people use the drip method
• Usually the acclimation process takes one to two
  hours
• Do not add fish too quickly, add about 1 species
  every two weeks

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Enjoy Your New Tank
I realize that I have only skimmed the surface of
this great hobby, but I hope this presentation
can be of some help to many. Upon purchasing and
starting a marine aquarium much more research to
prevent failure should be done before putting any
living creatures in your tank.
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Sources

• http//www.reefcentral.com (John Link)
  (10-26-05)
• http//www.reefkeeping.com (John Link)
  (10-26-05)
• http//www.drsfostersmith.com (Drs. Foster and
  Smith) (10-26-05)
• http//www.liveaquaria.com (Drs. Foster and
  Smith) (10-26-05)
• http//www.melevsreef.com (Marc Levenson)
  (10-26-05)
• The Conscientious Marine Aquarist (Robert M.
  Fenner)
• The Simple Guide to Marine Aquariums (Jeffrey
  Kurtz)