snakeblitz33
Well-Known Member
So, you got your basic husbandry skills down pat. Your tank is chugging right along. You're fish are no longer dying and your corals seem like they are doing ok. You think you have this whole saltwater thing whipped. Well, lets take it up a notch. Many aquarists find something that works for them, and they keep doing the same thing, and that's perfectly fine. If you want something more out of the hobby, it takes more dedication and skill then doing the occasional water change and feeding the fish.
Temperature Control
1. Controlling your tanks temperature is an absolute must for stability of the aquatic environment. With large temp swings, comes salinity swings and since corals are at the mercy of these parameters, they are very sensitive to them. Temperature can be monitored via a digital thermometer or a controller. I prefer a controller to monitor my temperature so that it can turn off lights, turn on fans and make adjustments as necessary.
2. Your tanks natural temp during the day can reach up into the 80s, especially during the Summer. The key to monitoring the temp is to get it stable. If the max temp of your aquarium during the day is 81*F, set your heater to 80.5*F so that it always stays within +-1*F. Having your tank stay within that temp range keeps the corals from having to constantly adjust.
Salinity Control
Not many people think about this being important, but it really is. Just like keeping your temperature steady, salinity has to also be constant. If you have any kinds of leaks, spills, etc. or a lot of evaporation without an auto top off system, your bound to have some salinity swings. For a reef tank, a salinity within 1.024 to 1.026 is recommended. The only thing is that you should keep it as close to the same number as possible at all times. If you start with 1.026, make it stay at 1.026. This means that you probably need an Auto Top Off system to continuously top off your aquarium as water evaporates. The next step is to buy an accurate salinity reader, such as a refractometer that can compensate for temperature.
Mix up your saltwater and test your salinity with a refractometer every single time you mix up new salt water. Not only test your newly made up saltwater, but also your tanks salinity to make sure that it is the same. Once you get in the habit of checking your salinity on purpose you can start getting a consistent salinity reading.
Chemical balancing
1. Calcium, alkalinity and magnesium are all in a marriage together. To make one happy, you have to make the other two happy. Keeping your levels stable is the key to a successful tank. To do this accurately, weekly or biweekly water tests for calcium, alkalinity, and magnesium and adjusting accordingly.
1a. Many people stabilize their chemicals by "dosing" them. Dosing chemicals in your tank can come anywhere from a "two part" solution to a kalkwasser stirrer to a calcium reactor. The main thing is that the levels of calcium, alkalinity, and magnesium have to stay stable and consistent.
Advanced Lighting
There are many people still out there that are using metal halides. Many people will say that if you want to keep SPS corals, there is no other bulb out there to use other then Radium. While radium bulbs look awesome and have a full spectrum, there are many people who have just as much success with LEDs. There is no longer the question of "Will LEDs grow SPS corals and give good color?" That question has been answered time and again, consistently, yes. So, as of now, I recommend going with LEDs for your lighting needs - unless you are still a die-hard T5HO or metal halide fan, which in case, I don't think you would be reading my "how to" guides.
Lighting also needs to be pretty consistent. Having your lighting system on a timer is a good thing. The fish know exactly how much sunlight they will get in a day and having a consistent schedule means healthier fish. It also lets you know that getting consistent "sunlight" to corals means that they will have adequate lighting and a consistent growth with proper water parameters.
Lighting intensity also needs to be discussed. Some corals, such as SPS corals need higher levels of PAR then what some lighting systems can provide. Make sure that you are buying brand name bulbs and look on the internet to see what their PAR values are before committing to purchase them. Some corals, such as montipora capricornis need as much as 500PAR... and others, such as some Acropora, need upwards 1000+PAR.... something that some lighting systems just can not provide without adding a lot of heat to the system (and ultimately adding to your electric bill.) So, get as much information as you can on the lighting system you are going to purchase and go from there.
Nutrient Control
Controlling the amount of nutrients is talked about pretty often in saltwater aquariums because it's one of the important aspects of the hobby - to contain hair algae and cyano outbreaks - which are both common in new aquariums - and old. Most new hobbyists will experience cyano at some point in their hobby experience and come to a site or a live fish store that will give information on the subject. That is not the purpose of this section of the article. I already assume that you know how to control algae outbreaks, how to feed your fish properly and how to do basic maintenance.
Water changes are not the sole way to remove nitrates and phosphates, obviously, but more importantly then switching out some water is actually removing some solid waste from the system that will cause the algae in the first place. Stir up as much detritus as you can within the rocks and do a water change. Wait for the detritus to get caught in the mechanical filter and change the filter out for a new one. Adding a powerhead to your sump to keep any detritus suspended off the bottom will help in nutrient control.
Keeping detritus from building up in the sandbed of the fuge is also important. You should be pruning your macroalgae and doing some sandbed maintenance if you have a sandbed.
Feeding your tank
Feeding your tank can also be very important. Corals have to have something to eat - whether in the form of suspended detritus or phytoplankton, or a controlled amount of "juice".... your corals have to eat, just like your fish. If you have LPS and soft corals, you know what I mean. You can see them take in bits of protein to eat. SPS corals do have to have some nitrate and phosphate in the water, and I always say it is better to feed and not need then to starve and die....
Conclusion
Keep all of this in mind and you will have a healthy, happy tank.
For more information, please visit my Guide.
Temperature Control
1. Controlling your tanks temperature is an absolute must for stability of the aquatic environment. With large temp swings, comes salinity swings and since corals are at the mercy of these parameters, they are very sensitive to them. Temperature can be monitored via a digital thermometer or a controller. I prefer a controller to monitor my temperature so that it can turn off lights, turn on fans and make adjustments as necessary.
2. Your tanks natural temp during the day can reach up into the 80s, especially during the Summer. The key to monitoring the temp is to get it stable. If the max temp of your aquarium during the day is 81*F, set your heater to 80.5*F so that it always stays within +-1*F. Having your tank stay within that temp range keeps the corals from having to constantly adjust.
Salinity Control
Not many people think about this being important, but it really is. Just like keeping your temperature steady, salinity has to also be constant. If you have any kinds of leaks, spills, etc. or a lot of evaporation without an auto top off system, your bound to have some salinity swings. For a reef tank, a salinity within 1.024 to 1.026 is recommended. The only thing is that you should keep it as close to the same number as possible at all times. If you start with 1.026, make it stay at 1.026. This means that you probably need an Auto Top Off system to continuously top off your aquarium as water evaporates. The next step is to buy an accurate salinity reader, such as a refractometer that can compensate for temperature.
Mix up your saltwater and test your salinity with a refractometer every single time you mix up new salt water. Not only test your newly made up saltwater, but also your tanks salinity to make sure that it is the same. Once you get in the habit of checking your salinity on purpose you can start getting a consistent salinity reading.
Chemical balancing
1. Calcium, alkalinity and magnesium are all in a marriage together. To make one happy, you have to make the other two happy. Keeping your levels stable is the key to a successful tank. To do this accurately, weekly or biweekly water tests for calcium, alkalinity, and magnesium and adjusting accordingly.
1a. Many people stabilize their chemicals by "dosing" them. Dosing chemicals in your tank can come anywhere from a "two part" solution to a kalkwasser stirrer to a calcium reactor. The main thing is that the levels of calcium, alkalinity, and magnesium have to stay stable and consistent.
Advanced Lighting
There are many people still out there that are using metal halides. Many people will say that if you want to keep SPS corals, there is no other bulb out there to use other then Radium. While radium bulbs look awesome and have a full spectrum, there are many people who have just as much success with LEDs. There is no longer the question of "Will LEDs grow SPS corals and give good color?" That question has been answered time and again, consistently, yes. So, as of now, I recommend going with LEDs for your lighting needs - unless you are still a die-hard T5HO or metal halide fan, which in case, I don't think you would be reading my "how to" guides.
Lighting also needs to be pretty consistent. Having your lighting system on a timer is a good thing. The fish know exactly how much sunlight they will get in a day and having a consistent schedule means healthier fish. It also lets you know that getting consistent "sunlight" to corals means that they will have adequate lighting and a consistent growth with proper water parameters.
Lighting intensity also needs to be discussed. Some corals, such as SPS corals need higher levels of PAR then what some lighting systems can provide. Make sure that you are buying brand name bulbs and look on the internet to see what their PAR values are before committing to purchase them. Some corals, such as montipora capricornis need as much as 500PAR... and others, such as some Acropora, need upwards 1000+PAR.... something that some lighting systems just can not provide without adding a lot of heat to the system (and ultimately adding to your electric bill.) So, get as much information as you can on the lighting system you are going to purchase and go from there.
Nutrient Control
Controlling the amount of nutrients is talked about pretty often in saltwater aquariums because it's one of the important aspects of the hobby - to contain hair algae and cyano outbreaks - which are both common in new aquariums - and old. Most new hobbyists will experience cyano at some point in their hobby experience and come to a site or a live fish store that will give information on the subject. That is not the purpose of this section of the article. I already assume that you know how to control algae outbreaks, how to feed your fish properly and how to do basic maintenance.
Water changes are not the sole way to remove nitrates and phosphates, obviously, but more importantly then switching out some water is actually removing some solid waste from the system that will cause the algae in the first place. Stir up as much detritus as you can within the rocks and do a water change. Wait for the detritus to get caught in the mechanical filter and change the filter out for a new one. Adding a powerhead to your sump to keep any detritus suspended off the bottom will help in nutrient control.
Keeping detritus from building up in the sandbed of the fuge is also important. You should be pruning your macroalgae and doing some sandbed maintenance if you have a sandbed.
Feeding your tank
Feeding your tank can also be very important. Corals have to have something to eat - whether in the form of suspended detritus or phytoplankton, or a controlled amount of "juice".... your corals have to eat, just like your fish. If you have LPS and soft corals, you know what I mean. You can see them take in bits of protein to eat. SPS corals do have to have some nitrate and phosphate in the water, and I always say it is better to feed and not need then to starve and die....
Conclusion
Keep all of this in mind and you will have a healthy, happy tank.
For more information, please visit my Guide.
