Marines

Marine Fish

Saltwater aquarium fish keeping - A fantastic hobby!

Marine fish come from the tropical oceans of the world. Colorful marine fish display an unimaginable variety of colors, unique behavior and individual personalities. Most make great pets.

Hints and tips - Advice for new-comers.

Mixed fish and invertebrates are by far the most difficult form of aquaria to keep. Reef tanks are more of a science than a hobby. Reading books, searching out the vast quantity of material on the internet and talking to other hobbyists and helpful suppliers is a must. Don’t underestimate the cost. A reef tank takes a long time to mature.

So what is the difference between saltwater and freshwater aquariums?

Marine fish are more sensitive to changes in their environment. The critical parameters of marine tanks are Ph, Nitrate, Salinity and temperature.

Marine General

We at Pet Stop pride ourselves in the quality of our shop, advice and products. Due to our commitment to give the best advice, developed this document for you to read on the fascinating new and exploding marine hobby in South Africa.

We are asked a lot of questions about MARINE AQUARIUMS on a daily basis. We have made a study of these questions asked about MARINES in our shop. The following document was set up as guide on these most frequently asked questions like;

What is the difference between seawater and freshwater aquariums?

How much work is a marine aquarium?

What do I need to start a successful marine Aquarium?

How much will a basic marine aquarium cost? 

A very common question asked by customers is - What is the difference between a marine aquarium and a freshwater aquarium?
The most obvious difference between the 2 types of aquariums is the addition of salt. This is not just any salt, you need to add salt that was formulated and manufactured for use in marine aquariums specifically. As there are different manufacturers and ranges you should do some research on availability and quality before deciding on a specific salt.

Another major difference is the availability of invertebrates in marines. This includes organisms like shrimps, soft corals, hard corals and anemones. Each of these invertebrates have their specific needs regarding lighting, current, food and additives. Keeping fresh water invertebrates are not allowed in South Africa.

The oceans are extremely constant compared to freshwater that fluctuate dramatically between seasons and the invertebrates have special needs. Because of this you need to monitor more parameters. In freshwater you need to monitor :

pH (only if you adjust tap water)
Temperature (fluctuations are acceptable)
Ammonia (only in new aquariums and when a fish died)
Nitrite (As ammonia)
Hardness (this could become a problem in older aquariums or when you adjust tap water)
Iron (only in planted aquariums)
CO2 (only in planted aquariums)

Compared with marines where you must monitor:

pH (kept constant)
Temperature (minimal fluctuations are expectable)
Alkalinity (kept high)
Phosphate (kept as close to 0 as possible)
Nitrate (kept as close to 0 as possible)
Nitrite (kept as close to 0 as possible)
Ammonia (kept as close to 0 as possible)
Calcium (kept high)
Salinity (kept very constant)
Copper (in fish only systems

Marine water has lots of trace elements that the organisms need to survive, this need to be added on a daily/weekly basis. The major trace elements that you need to add are:
Calcium
Strontium
Iodine
Molybdenum
Magnesium
Then you would need to ad minor trace elements in a combined liquid form on a weekly basis.

Lighting in a tropical aquarium is mostly just for the owners viewing pleasure, with the exception of a planted aquarium. In marine aquariums it is essential for the survival of most of the corals and anemones. In freshwater T8 (standard type of florescent tubes) are mostly used. Marine photosynthesizing organisms battle to just survive under T8 lighting and would do better under T5 (thin high output florescent tubes) while most would prefer Metal halide lighting.

While freshwater aquarium house fish only, marine aquariums house invertebrates that need current to supply fresh water to them and remove the old water from around them. As marine water have a lower ability (due to the dissolved salts) to carry oxygen the current needs to supplement the oxygen supply (by moving the water to the surface) to the aquarium as well. In practice this is possible by strategically placing loose power heads in the aquarium itself.

The bacteria (used in the nitrogen cycle) in a marine environment react slower than freshwater, this lead to every thing happening slower. You would need better filtration in a marine aquarium to help compensate for this problem.

Due to the slower reaction of bacteria in a marine environment, the time it would take your marine aquarium to be fully matured is much longer than in freshwater. The maturation period of marine aquarium is at least 4 times longer than in normal freshwater aquariums.

Planning in advance for heat extraction is important. Due to the amount of extra power heads and lighting needed in a marine reef aquarium, keeping the temperature constant become a major problem.

One of the major enemy’s in a marine aquarium is nitrate. In an effort to limit the production of nitrate, protein skimmers are used with great success. Protein skimmer work with small air bubbles in a tube that attracts proteins to them and removes it into a cup. This remove nitrate on the bases that if proteins are removed before it is broken down into ammonia then the production of nitrate is severely limited. You should invest in a protein skimmer that is able to do even a bit more that the volume of your aquarium and one that is able to remove a lot of protein fast. These bubbles must be very small , this is the reason that protein skimmers do not function very well in freshwater (getting small bubbles in freshwater is very difficult)

How much work is a marine aquarium?

One of the most frequently asked question is HOW MUCH WORK IS A MARINE AQUARIUM?

This is a relatively easy question to answer if the following parameters are known. How big is your intended aquarium? (bigger means more stability and thus less work). What do you intend to keep in this aquarium? (Fish only will be less time consuming, while coral setups need more attention, then there is fish and coral aquariums that need even more work) and then lastly do you have a descent protein skimmer, filter and lights? (Lighting is not important for fish only aquariums but very important when it come to corals, so is a calcium reactor)
Let’s say for arguments sake your set up will be the following. Aquarium 1300x600x600, sump filter, correct size protein skimmer, lighting consists of a 1 x 150w metal halide and 2 x 54w T5’s and a calcium reactor. Your intention is to keep fish and corals in this aquarium.
Then you will need to spend the following time on this aquarium.
Daily – Feed the fish and corals, check the live organism’s health, check the salinity and ensure that all the electrical hardware is working. Then if necessary you would need to clean the protein skimmer cup and top the water level up. THIS SHOULD NOT TAKE MORE THAN 10 MINUTES.
Weekly – clean the filter wool, do a small water change 5-10%, clean the glass and thoroughly inspect all the hardware. THIS SHOULD NOT TAKE MORE THAN 20 MINUTES.
Monthly – clean the hardware that needs it, replace resins that have expired, clean all the power heads and do a thorough inspection of what is going on in the aquarium. THIS SHOULD NOT TAKE MORE THAN 30 MINUTES.
Other – quarantine unit with new stock would need daily attention according to what is in the unit. Replace the lights according to the life expectancy of the type of light (T5 when blown or every 12 months and MH when blown). Clean the protein skimmer pipe when it is dirty.

The same aquarium with only fish, and no calcium reactor.
Daily, weekly and monthly tasks would be faster as you would have less hardware and fewer specimens to inspect for health
Other – quarantine unit with new stock would still need daily attention according to what is in the unit. The lights will only be replaced when blown.

If you can not spend at least 5 minutes on your daily aquarium maintenance, you should rather opt for a freshwater aquarium.

Setting up and maintaining a marine aquarium is easy if you have the knowledge. So BEFORE YOU START YOUR AQUARIUM, GET THE KNOWLEDGE.

What do I need to start a successful marine Aquarium?

Knowledge – without knowledge you will kill all your marine organisms. But where do I start? You ask. Before you even buy your aquarium you need to know and understand what types of hardware are available and how they work. Then you need to know the following: A. what types of organisms you are going to keep. B. what are their needs. C. Where are you going to place the aquarium and all the hardware needed for it?

Good advise – Find yourself a friend or a successful hobbyist to tell you how they do it. Shop around for pet shops with knowledge (do not assume they know all, test them) and join a club if available. Building a support structure for future reference is essential. When you find a pet shop that could help you, support them so you could build a relationship for the future.

Hardware – You will need the following articles:

Aquarium – as stated repeatedly in the past, bigger is better (more stable, handle your mistakes better and you could stock it quicker)

We stock a wide variety of marine aquariums, vissit our online shop @ www.onlinepetshop.co.za to see the range. 

Stand – you are going to need a descent level stand for the aquarium to stand on

Salt water – a mix of reverse osmoses and marine salt powder mix.  We sell pre mixed salt water as well as reversed osmoses water.  We also stock marine salt, please vissit or online shopping site for more www.onlinepetshop.co.za

Lighting – depending on what you want to keep fish only or types of corals as well (T8, T5 and MH).  We stock a huge variety of light fittings and lights, please vissit our online shopping site for more www.onlinepetshop.co.za  

Crushed coral – for covering the bottom of the aquarium

Live rock:

Origen

Live rock are the first live organism to be added into your aquarium, this is added for the bacterial action inside the rock (outside organisms is a bonus), so buy as many as you can afford in the beginning, for the maximum bacterial effect in the long run.

Protein skimmer – removing protein before it become ammonia

Filter – as big and as good as you have space for. Sump filters is more practical, as you could place all the hardware in it, out of sight.

Water movement – small power heads to supply the additional water movement that might be needed

Test kit – you will need to test your water regularly and react to changes. Invest in a complete set of test kits and replace them as you have used it separately.

Additives – You will need to add additives on a regular basis so ensure you know what your corals and fish need to thrive in your aquarium.

Steps to follow when setting up a marine aquarium.

Place the aquarium on the stand and ensure that the stand is level, if this is not done properly there is a chance that the aquarium could brake due to uneven stress on the glass. Place only one layer of polystyrene between the aquarium and stand, do not place wood or a steel plate underneath the aquarium!

Place all the equipment in their respective places and read all the instructions. Think of how you will do maintenance with respect to access and ease of doing maintenance, by doing this in advance you will make your tasks in the future easier and if it is easy you will do it often and properly! Remember to look at the distance between the water and the lights, ensuring the correct distances would lead to maximizing coral growth.

Install all the electrical wiring, seal this thoroughly as salt water tend to penetrate your wiring constantly and taking short cuts here will lead to lots of headaches and shocking experiences later. Install a ground wire to the sump filter.

Fill the bottom with crushed coral gravel to the required level after you have washed it! Do not use freshwater aquarium gravel or any product that are a silicate base, silicates lead to Red algae blooms that will kill all sessile inhabitants.

Fill the aquarium with tap water just to test all the equipment. After 1 day you could remove this water. Then you fill the aquarium with pre mixed sea water that is available in aged or newly mixed water. Aged sea water is better as good bacteria would already be present in the water and this water would shorten the initial “new tank syndrome” You could use Reverse osmoses water and salt as well. Do not use tap water as there is to much phosphates and nitrates in tap water that lead to lots of problems in the future.

Now you allow the aquarium to run for 2 days. Test all the equipment for the last time.

At last the first live organisms, purchase as much live rock as you can afford or the maximum your aquarium could take. By introducing lots of live rock now you ensure the minimum run-in period before you could start introducing new stock and you ensure that the aquarium is more stable and mature in the future.

Test your water every 3 to 5 days for ammonia, until ammonia test 0. Then test nitrite until nitrite test 0. NOW you could start to introduce the hardiest species of fish, worms or coral bit by bit.

Remember every single organism you ad is additional strain on the existing bacteria, you need to wait between introductions until the bacteria caught up. Ammonia + nitrite must both test 0 every time before you introduce new organisms.

Nitrogen cycle

The nitrogen cycle is the reason that you are able to keep your fish happy and alive!

WITHOUT IT YOUR AQUARIUM IS A TOILET WHERE YOUR FISH HAVE NO CHANCE OF SURVIVAL.

What is it and why do I need to know it?

The nitrogen cycle – for the purpose of an aquarist - is the removing of decomposing organic wastes (which is introduced by excess food, excrement and dead or dying organisms) thru biological action in the form of ammonia, nitrite and nitrates, action called the nitrogen cycle. This take place with aerobic (ammonia and nitrite) and anaerobic (nitrate) bacteria.

What a mouth full! But broken down to the basics it means the following:

All excess food, fish excrement, fish breathing and dead or dying fish and plants contribute to a buildup of ammonia.

Ammonia is poisonous for fish and should not be allowed to build up. Luckily there is a bacterium (Nitrosomonas bacteria) that appears naturally in water that consumes ammonia. This doesn’t stop hear, this bacteria produce nitrite.

Nitrite is more poisonous than ammonia and should be kept to an absolute minimum. Again there is a bacterium (Nitrobacter bacteria) that consumes nitrite and produce nitrate.

Nitrate is only poisonous when levels exceed 100ppm. Nitrate are kept at acceptable levels by:

Regular partial water changes (normally 10 to 15 % / week but never more than 30% )

Anaerobic bacteria (difficult for the normal aquarist – so rather do the regular water changes! Specialist aquarists would enjoy the challenges associated with this type of filtration)

Plants consume nitrate as food to, but to make a descent impact on the nitrates a CO2 unit of some sort need to be introduced.

These nitrobacteria would appear naturally in water that have been standing for a short period, but would only be able to grow when there is a constant supply of ammonia.

These bacteria can only multiply to a certain extend that is governed by the following:

Volume of water (bigger volumes are more stable as well)

Available oxygen that mainly happens on the surface of the water and are limited by higher water temperature (so agitate the water surface and keep the temperatures on the ideal temp. for your fish and not higher)

Surface area for the bacteria to grow on, this is mainly in the filter but is present on all other surfaces as well.

If the bacteria have grown to there maximum capacity due to the limiting factors, then your fish would die due to a buildup of ammonia + nitrite levels.

It makes sense then to invest in bigger aquariums with good or great filters AND to do regular water changes!

You could use the following suggestions to maximize the initial bacteria and to maximize the bacterial growth.

An of the shelf bacterial inoculation

Out of a existing aquariums 
- Water
- Gravel
- Filter media
- Full filter

(Just remember all of the diseases in the supplying aquarium are transferred to your aquarium, so take care)

Use these ideas separate or together according to your accessibility to reliable sources.

How much will a basic marine aquarium cost?

Before we could answer this question you need to decide what you intend to keep:

Fish only. If your intension is to keep fish only it will only cost you approximately R3000 -00 to set up the basics
Fish with some corals, mainly soft. A very basic setup for fish with better lighting and filter for the soft corals would cost approximately R4600 -00
Fish with some soft corals + some hard corals. A setup for some hard corals needs more lighting and even better filtration would cost approximately R5200 -00
Mainly hard corals with some soft corals and fish. This setup needs the best filters and lighting to succeed, costing approximately R6700 -00

*This calculations was done on a aquarium with dimensions of 1220 x 450 x 450 with black plastic lid, square tubing steel stand, 300w heater, premixed salt water, hydrometer, 20 kg crushed coral, appropriate lighting, appropriate skimmer and appropriate filtration. Water made up out of reverse osmosis water with marine salts. Smaller aquariums are not recommended for beginners!

The average prices of fish are R 100-00, soft corals average R 170-00 while hard corals average R 225-00

Additional costs would be live rock @ R100-00 and other décor to your taste.

Introducing new fish

You have picked a beautiful fish from the Pet Shop and now you want to put it in your aquarium. What now?
Hopefully you did invest into a quarantine aquarium and you are going to keep this fish in quarantine for the next 3 to 6 weeks for observation. After a minimum period of 3 weeks with no disease you could transfer them to your display aquarium.

When you introduce a fish to a new aquarium, you need to follow these steps:

1. Switch the lights off (this keep the stress levels of the fish low)
2. Float the bag for 10 minutes
3. Open the bag and ad ¼ cup of tank water
4. Close and float 10 minutes again
5. Repeat step 2 and 3 again
6. Repeat step 2 and 3 again
7. Repeat step 2 and 3 again
8. If the bag is to full, then you could remove the excess water before you introduce more water.
9. Open bag and remove fish carefully and place them in the aquarium, ensuring no water from the bag get into your aquarium.
10. Throw the water away.
11. Don’t feed your new fish for the first 12 hours
12. Leave the lights of until tomorrow and enjoy your healthy and hungry new fish

Please see this document only as a basic introduction and read more!