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Aquarium Types

How to Not Kill Fish: the Saltwater Aquarium

Hobbyist • Freshwater – often • Marine or Saltwater • Brackish Systems are heavily planted. systems. • Half salt/half fresh. • Salinity 1.0. • Salinity 1.025 • Salinity 1.005-1.010 Presented by Cody R. Brown • Usually duller (ocean level) UDLS – University of British Columbia coloured fish. • Bright coloured fish, • Some fish can 201-2366 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC, Canada, V6T 1Z4 • Parana's are reef and coral April 9th, 2010 adapt to low or high common exotic setups. salt levels. freshwater. • Canister filters • Usually smaller, popular river type fish.

Aquarium Myths and Facts Saltwater Types • 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 reqqguired larger tank volumes. •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.

Saltwater Types Filtration • Fish Only (FO) • Most setups use a combination of – Cheapest: No special lighting required, just filtering equipment. biological and mechanical filters. Chemical filters also are used sometimes. • FO with Live Rock (FOWLR) • Biological preferred… no maintenance. – Live Rock can be expensive (around $600 for 60G tank). – Require more powerful light setups. • Live Roc k / Live San d (Bio log ica l) – Adds the best biological filtering. More on Live Rock soon. – Algae on rocks convert waste from the water to useable nutrients. • Reef Tanks – Self maintains. No extra work for the owner. – Live Rock and Coral setups. Usually invertebrates and corals. With some reef safe fish. • Protein Skimmer – 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.

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Filtration Filtration - SUMPS • Wet/Dry Trickle Filter (Mechanical) • Separate aquarium from your main tank – increases water – More popular before. A set of mechanical volume of tank. filters. • Used to hide filtration and other equipment. – Must be replaced often, else becomes “nitrate traps”… polluting the tank. • Can contain a Refugium: – Separate “sanctuary” from animals in your fish. • Canister Filter (Mechanical/Chemical) – Grow macro algae which would normally get eaten in your tank. – Keep helpful invertebrate to clean the water. – Seen more often in freshwater setups. – Filters inside are replaced. Easy to setup and • Baffles to remove micro get started. bubbles from water-clearer water.

• Deep Sand Bed (Biological) – Creates dedicated layer to convert nitrates.

Other Equipment Setup Your System • 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 – Bring water from Sump to tank. • Heaters/Fans • Water filter (Reverse Osmosis Water Filter) – For cleaning tap water.

Setup Your System Cycling the Tank • 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. – 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.

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Cycling the Tank Aquarium Life • 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. – 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).

Aquarium Life Aquarium Life • 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. – Always check compatibility prior to adding fish. – Mushrooms, Xenia’s, amoebae like corals. – Some of these can be aggressive… they move around the tank.

• Fish are hardy! Easy to maintain.

Monitoring the Tank Monitoring the Tank • Salinity and PH levels need to be monitored: • With a fully equipped tank. Maintenance – Refractometers or hydrometers for salinity. usually only includes: – 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. •Waste products: – Feeding the fishes. – Bacteria die, create ammonia. • Want to monitor Ammonia/Nitrite/Nitrate – Ammonia eating bacteria creates Nitrite (waste). Fish create levels. 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.

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Resources Questions? • Valuable Online Resource: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/

• Any specific questions, local aquarium • Thanks! shops are best for quick and direct answers.

• J&L Aquatics is a famous saltwater shop located locally in Vancouver: http://aquarium.codybrown.ca/ http://www.jlaquatics.com/

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