Setting Up An Aquarium
Saltwater aquariums are known for being beautiful to look at—and difficult to maintain. Many fish lovers are intimidated by stories they have heard about the challenges of keeping a saltwater aquarium, but they should not scare so easily. Yes, setting up and maintaining a thriving saltwater aquarium can be quite a challenge, but with the right information and dedication, anybody can be a successful saltwater hobbyist. Use the information gathered here to increase your knowledge about and enthusiasm for the saltwater fishkeeping hobby and use the knowledge and expertise of our retailers to help you get off to the correct start.
One of the best ways to ensure yourself a successful tank later on is to get off to a good start. The initial preparation of (and later the maintenance of) the tank is a hobbyist’s gateway to creating a strong foundation for his aquarium. By providing all of the equipment a healthy aquarium requires, faithfully maintaining the highest standards of cleanliness in the tank, and paying close attention to everything that goes on in the tank in case a problem arises, any hobbyist should be able to cultivate a beautiful tank full of healthy fish. Our retailers are there to help guide you through the whole process so please do not hesitate to contact them for help and advice.
Aquarium Location Choose an area in your home where you can best enjoy the beauty and serenity of your new aquarium. Avoid placing your aquarium near windows, heating and cooling ducts. Direct sunlight and temperature changes can negatively affect your aquarium. Overexposure to sunlight can lead to rapid algae growth in and on your aquarium, plants and decorations. Rapid temperature variations are harmful to fish. It is also recommended to avoid areas of high household traffic to prevent accidental contact with your set-up.
Aquarium When setting up your aquarium always follow the manufacturer’s instructions carefully especially regarding positioning of the aquarium and ask our retailers for help as some offer an installation service. Some aquariums, like Juwel, come complete with lighting, filtration and heating.
The aquarium is probably the most basic piece of equipment you will purchase, yet selecting the correct aquarium is a very important step. Always choose the largest aquarium possible for the space available as the larger the volume of water, the more stable it is and so less room for costly mistakes. There are an almost endless number of different aquarium configurations available today so knowing which is best can be a bit daunting. There are those aquariums that while they may provide wonderful opportunities for aquascaping, they may not meet the need for the desired fish. Each tank shape has its strength in aquascaping style; aquascaping style will be discussed later. Corner aquarium, like Juwel Trigon range, are great space spacers and provide a great opportunity for aquascaping but severely limit the kind of fish that can be kept due to a lack of swimming room. If you like the look of a bow-front aquariums, like Juwel Vision range, you will love the look of a reef in a bow-front. The bow-front aquarium provides a great view of your fish and looks great at the same time.
Decorations will add significantly to your tank’s aesthetic appeal and can provide a sense of security for your fish by creating hiding places. If choosing a fish only aquarium, then you must insure all decorations are safe to use in salt water and will not have any negative effect on the aquarium. When choosing live rock always seek the guidance and knowledge from a retailer. Un-cured live rock should never be added to an already established aquarium.
Lighting Aquariums like Juwel come complete with lighting, but there are a variety of aquarium lighting options to choose from depending on your choice of your aquarium inhabitants and decoration. Most live corals need a large amount of light in order to survive and flourish so always choose the correct lighting by researching and taking the advice from our retailers.
Temperature Most fish will do well in an aquarium that maintains a temperature between 76° and 80°F. This will require a heater/thermostat and a thermometer. The correct sized heater/thermostat must be chosen according to the size of the aquarium, please consult with one of our retailers. Temperature stability is very important with marine aquariums as we are dealing with generally small volumes of water compared to nature’s oceans and reefs.
Filtration The key to a clean, healthy, thriving aquarium is filtration. In most aquariums the number of fish, corals and invertebrates, in relation to water volume, exceeds what would typically be found in nature. It is essential that the biological waste produced by aquarium inhabitants be removed and metabolized before becoming toxic. Aquarium filters are available in various configurations and should provide mechanical, biological and chemical filtration, as well as oxygenation. Protein skimmers have become the norm, but they must be chosen and set up correctly to function efficiently and in some instances are not always essential. Juwel aquariums come complete with internal filtration and JBL crystal profi external filters are top quality.
Due to its importance, please consult your local retailer for help and advice. There is no such thing as over-filtration, only under-filtration, so buy the biggest and most powerful filter that you can.