If you’re a new saltwater aquarium builder, it’s easy to think that tank setup is the only real hurdle you’ll come across. However, getting your display up and running is only the beginning. The real work of putting together your own home aquarium is the maintenance you’ll need to do over time. After all, failing to keep up with these things can throw the tank environment out of balance and eventually cause your marine life to fall ill. If you want to keep your setup thriving, make sure you practice these basics of saltwater aquarium maintenance.
Checking Aquarium Temperature
Overall water temperature is crucial to keeping saltwater organisms happy and healthy. Should it drop or spike, you risk your fish becoming sick and your corals losing their color. Because of this, it’s crucial that you check your tank’s temperature at least once a day to ensure it remains in the proper range. As a general rule, a tank should be somewhere between 72 and 78 degrees Fahrenheit. However, it also depends on what corals you decide to keep.
Testing Water Chemical Levels
You should also take the time to test your water’s overall chemical concentrations. Certain substances are key to the development of your ecosystem—and others can be poisonous. Knowing where these levels are can help you catch an imbalance before it’s too late. You can normally get away with only doing these tests once a week, but it’s recommended that you do it a bit more often if you have a smaller tank. Smaller aquariums naturally hold less water, making it much easier for certain chemical levels to fluctuate.
Weekly Tank Cleanings
Another crucial basic to saltwater aquarium maintenance is regular cleanings. The inner panes of your tank can collect a lot of different materials, from fish waste to algae to leftover food particles. In fact, it’s often surprising how fast debris can build up on the glass. When this occurs, it tarnishes the overall appearance of your tank, and it can even start throwing the water’s chemical levels out of balance. For this reason, it’s important to clean your tank once a week by wiping off the inner walls with a sponge.
Bi-monthly Water Changes
You must also keep up with regular water changes with your saltwater tank. This procedure keeps chemicals balanced by removing some of what’s contaminating the environment. You’ll want to premix your new batch of water prior and then perform about a 20 to 25 percent drain on your aquarium. Then, slowly introduce the new water, and test your chemical levels. This will ensure everything stays within the proper range.
For more advice on how to care for your saltwater aquarium, reach out to World Wide Corals. Our professionals are passionate about this field and, as such, know all there is to know about setting up a tank and maintaining it over time. We also specialize in selling LPS and SPS corals online, and we guarantee that all our customers have access to the quality corals they need.
