How to setup an Marine Aquarium and what is important

What I need before I start an Aquarium journey to be successful

Unfortunately, often the hobbyist is not aware what exactly is required to have an successful and healthy Aquarium.

We want that every Reefers is happy and support as best as we can with experience and failure that we have experienced in the last decade.

First of all we suggest to take time to plan when planning an Aquarium and understand the advantages and disadvantages of different setups.

The most important steps in a Marine Aquarium are very simple but often not respected from beginning due to different reasons.

 

1.     Pure Water often also available under RO Water or RODI

a.     RO water is Reverse Osmosis Water which require an RO system which have a conductivity of 0.2 µS/cm – 6 µS/cm

b.     RODI water is Reverse Osmosis Water which require an RO system and a Diamondized Resin to remove silica So4 and other unwanted materials which have a conductivity of almost 0 µS/cm which is a target value for Marine Tanks.

 

2.     Good Lightning preferable LED for low consumption and better adjustment with full color spectrum

a.     Preferable light setup in the first 40 days max 10% intensity and no light in the first 2 weeks after setup.

3.     Salt requirements

a.     Use for startup a Pro salt as parameter will go down during cycle and will adjust to almost perfect levels.

b.     Use for water changes without a permanent dosing system Pro Salts to adjust the missing elements.

c.      Use for permanent dosing system Normal Salts as all Trace elements are already dosed and this will avoid spike in elements and unstable Aquarium.

4.     Last but not least

a.     Never do fast or quick changes to the system if not mandatory required

b.     Make sure that water parameters are as constant as possible without targeting a specific value as long as it match to the average Seawater parameters.

5.     Preferred Water Parameter

a.     Calcium 390 – 500 ppt preferred 420ppt

b.     Magnesium 1250 – 1450 ppt preferred 1400ppt

c.      Alkalinity 7.0 – 9.0ppt preferred 8.0ppt

d.     Salinity 33 – 35 ppt preferred for corals 35ppt

e.     Salinity for fish only 28ppt – 35ppt preferred the lower range as it is easier for keeping fish.

 

 

Important Marine Aquarium Parameters

The first parameters you will test for are Ammonia, Nitrite, and Nitrates as part of monitoring the initial nitrogen cycle.

Reef tank with a mix of fish and coral you want the specific gravity to be 1.023 – 1.025 or a salinity of 33ppt – 35ppt. If you want to keep a fish only tank, with no live coral you can lower the specific gravity to 1.020 – 1.025 or 30ppt – 35ppt.

 

How to setup and start an Marine Aquarium

Cycling is not simply a matter of allowing an aquarium to operate for some predetermined amount of time before adding fish or invertebrates. You can operate a new aquarium instantly with the available products in the market (expert only) or you will take your time to establish the biofilter in the Aquarium.

 

What method can be used for cycling the aquarium

One such method is adding ammonia (available in our shop) to the system. Another is feeding the tank—literally adding fish food on a daily basis and allowing it to decompose, thereby producing ammonia.

 

How long I need to wait for the first animals

We always suggest for beginner to wait 2-4 weeks to achieve the initial biofilm which is required for an healthy Aquarium start.

It is very important for whatever method is selected that Amonia, Nitrat is not measurable in water anymore using standard (Test Kits) or (Professional Digital Test Kits) to monitor parameters.

 

What I need before I start an Aquarium journey to be successful

One such method is adding ammonia (available in our shop) to the system. Another is feeding the tank—literally adding fish food on a daily basis and allowing it to decompose, thereby producing ammonia..