Setting Up an Aquarium – A Beginner’s Guide

If you love the beautiful marine life in your local aquarium but are tired of the maintenance and cleaning that go along with keeping your aquarium healthy, consider salt water aquariums. A salt water aquarium keeps aquatic animals and marine plants in a self-contained environment where their needs are not threatened by other elements. Most hobbyists further subdivide marine aquaria into freshwater only (FO) and salt water only (SS) aquariums. Salt water aquariums are more expensive than freshwater ones but they require no freshwater to maintain.

One of the challenges inherent in keeping any aquarium is maintaining good health with good water quality. To achieve this, most hobbyists employ the use of various filtration methods such as biological filters, mechanical filtration, and chemical filtration. All these methods work together to provide the healthiest environment for marine aquariums.

Biological filtration is used in freshwater tanks to remove small organic debris such as dead skin flakes from corals and clams and algae from the surfaces of rocks and wood. It is also used to help eliminate large particulates from the water column, as it helps to reduce the population of algae in the tank. Mechanical filtration uses a filtering system to force gravel or sand through a filter. Chemical filtration uses chemicals to kill algae. These methods have different levels of success and should be used according to the needs of the aquarium environment.

Freshwater aquariums do not pose as much of a threat to the fish because of the relatively low level of organic contamination. But for freshwater hobbyists, it is important to clean the water regularly to keep it free from unnecessary levels of organic waste. Freshwater aquarium owners must also ensure that proper filtration and lighting are implemented. Aquarium lighting involves the use of fluorescent or low intensity light tubes to emit light into the water. Aquarium fluorescent tubes must be kept at the proper aquarium wattage. Aquarium plants can be used to supplement natural lighting in freshwater aquariums.

There are two types of fluorescent lighting systems available to aquarium owners; the halide system and the led lighting system. The halide system uses a fluorescent bulb and runs on standard voltage. The halide bulbs are available in several colors such as red, yellow and green. The led lighting system, on the other hand, uses red, blue and green LED lights. This type of light output provides brighter light and is energy efficient.

Aquarium enthusiasts have learned that marine aquararia are not only visually relaxing, but also a great source of relaxation and entertainment. Freshwater aquariums provide a variety of marine species that provide entertainment to hobbyists of all ages. Some of the most popular marine species in the hobby are reef sharks, corals and sea horses. Many reef aquariums also house live rock, creating a beautiful natural environment for the fish and other marine species. Aquarium enthusiasts know that with proper care and maintenance, marine aquararia can be a wonderful addition to any home.