FAQ's

What should I buy? I want to create a new setup!

When thinking about what you want to have for your saltwater tank, there really isn't a "perfect" combination of equipment to get, rather most brands are good for different reasons. This is why you have to plan on what specimens you want to keep. Certain specimens require different equipment for different reasons. Anemones for example photosynthesize, that is they require an intense lighting system in order to produce energy where as fish generally have no preference for an intense lighting system. Beginners generally start off with affordable and easy maintenance products. However, if your planning to jump past the beginner stage, requirements of the species you want to keep generally lays out for you your equipment you needs. Full on reef aquariums tend to be the most expensive to purchase as well as maintain.

Do I begin this hobby with a Fish Only Tank or Reef Tank?

There is a large difference if you plan to keep a reef tank or a fish only tank; however, there is a chance you may want both fish and corals together. For a reef tank, the costs are generally a bit more compared to someone who only desires keeping fish. Besides buying all of the equipment, the reef/corals cost around $20-50 a piece. If you want to have a really nice tank like all the pictures in books you've read you will need quite a bit of cash, but this mostly depends on the size of the tank you are looking for. Obviously, the more space you have to stock corals and rocks, the more money it will cost you. On the other hand, the smaller tank you have, the less space you will have to stock corals and the cheaper it will be (i.e. Nano Reefs). I have seen beautiful aquariums with the cheapest equipment available while at the same time I've seen fully stocked tanks with expensive technology and with the comparable results. I've come to the conclusion that water changes really work well in keeping everything up to shape. Basically the tanks you see with the most equipment on them have less if not the same maintenance as a tank with cheaper equipment.

There are some general guidelines for keeping reef tanks vs. fish tanks. If you are planning on a fish only tank then I would suggest getting a powerful protein skimmer and a wet/dry filter, along with some standard fluorescent lights, and a heater. Things don't have to get to fancy here when you are only dealing with fish. Live rock also helps filter a tank very well biologically speaking. For the reef tanks, you need an intense lighting system (4-5 watts per gal. i.e. metal halides), powerful protein skimming, a good stable heater, plentiful circulation, and lots of live rock; basically an entirely different setup. If you plan on keeping reef it's a whole other story so I would suggest some reef books at our Bookstore. I could explain reef tanks but that would have to be a whole new website!

How big should my aquarium be?

Size matters, too small and water parameters in the tank tend to fluctuate much easier. The bigger the tank, then the more stable the environment is for your inhabitants. You want to have the most stable environment possible so as to help your fish and inverts thrive in a consistent environment. For starters, I would recommend getting a 50gal. tank or above. If you are a pretty advanced aquarist then you could probably handle any tank below 50gal. Nano Reefs (usually smaller than 30 gallons) evaporate freshwater very fast and maintaining and equilibrium can be a bit trickier. However, first comes first and the amount of space you have for a tank truly dictates what your possibilities are.

How do I convert a freshwater aquarium into a saltwater aquarium?

Many people have come to the question, how do I change my freshwater tank into a saltwater tank? Well, its not too complicated to do. Make sure you have what you're planning to keep requires concerning your setup. So have some lights, a heater, a protein skimmer, and any other filters, such as trickle, wet/dry, under gravel, canister, etc. Those would all do fine for fish only. If your planning to convert to a reef tank then I strongly recommend you read upon some reef books at our bookstore first. When converting to saltwater make sure there are no living freshwater inhabitant in your tank of course, leave the gravel there and start to make a mixture of saltwater and pour it in the tank, once you have the water circulating in the tank then make sure you have all the right water chemistry. Then buy some live rocks and start your tank with a few damsels.

How do I lower my phosphate level below 0.03?

To lower phosphates you need to not feed as much food to your fish. Also your local tap or source of water may contain small amounts of phosphates which may have accumulated in your tank. Use a Reverse Osmosis filtration unit (or an absorbing product called ROWAphos which I have found helpful) to take all the pollutants out of your water. This unit does not work inside your tank but is used to filter out your water wherever you get it from. Phosphates can be deadly to inverts and corals by introducing itself to nuisance algae. Algae which is bad would then take over xoozanthelae inside the corals competing for the light and killing the coral suffocating them from their source of oxygen.

Why do my fish keep on dying?

There are many reasons why fish can die in your tank. Have you been careful not to put any toxic solvents in your tank? Do any of your fish fight? Do you have high waste levels? Is your tank overcrowded? Most importantly, Is your tank CYCLED? These are the questions you should be asking yourself to see why your fish might be dying. Many people have told me that their fish have died during theirs tanks cycling process. Yes, that is quite normal because waste levels in the tank at that time are at its highest from lack of nitrifying bacteria. Patience is a major necessity when starting to maintain a saltwater tank. Don't overcrowd or add too many fish at once. It will only frustrate you to watch them die and just make you wait even longer. I recommend starting with just a few damsels for about 1 1/2 months until things begin to settle in. Good Luck!