|
Preparing
for Your Reef Aquarium
Reef
Basics
- A minimum of 1
lb of live rock per gallon, up to 2 lbs per gallon.
- 4 - 8 watts of
light per gallon for corals and anemones, 2 - 3 watts for live rock
and/or macro algae.
- A minimum of 600
gph water flow per 50 gallon tank.
- A crushed coral
substrate (aragonite) at least 3" deep, preferably sand.
- Maintenance of
chemical levels:
• Salinity
1.023 - 1.026
•
P.h. 8.3
•
Calcium 450
•
Alkalinity
3.5 - 5.0 meq/l
As you introduce
complex corals, you then add:
•
Magnesium
•
Strontium
•
Iodine
•
Trace elements
At this point
you then decide which methodology you wish to follow:
• Natural
mud method
• Berlin
method
• Lee
Eng natural method
It is the opinion
of the author that a combination of methods is the most stable, i.e.;
the use of both a refugium and a protein skimmer, in conjunction with
the live rock, sand, high flow, and high powered lights.
No matter which method
you choose, it is considered paramount by all methods to use reverse osmosis
or ROIDI filtered water. Tap water or well water contains undesirable
chemicals like chlorine, copper, lead, arsenic, iron, phosphates, nitrates,
and silicates. All of these chemicals stress the corals, fish, anemones
and invertebrates, sometimes killing them.
Filtration
- Skimmer: This removes
biological waste before it can decompose into ammonia, etc., and thus
lightens the load on the bio-filter. Do not skimp on the skimmer - buy
the best you can afford. It is perhaps the single most important item
you will buy, so rather get one rated at twice your capacity than get
one which cannot cope.
- Biological: In
a lightly stocked tank live rock and/or live sand "biological"
filtration is all that is required (apart from the skimmer, that is).
- Wet/Dry Trickle
Filter: In a more heavily populated "fish only" tank, a wet/dry
trickle filter is probably the best biological filter, though it will
lead to a higher nitrate level than live rock filtration.
- Canister filters:
These are good "mechanical" filters, but they tend to produce
an excess of nitrates in the tank.
- Under-Gravel Filters:
Avoid these where possible, as they also produce unacceptably high nitrate
levels.
- A Sump: Get the
largest practical tank, plastic container, etc., which will fit below
your tank (or anywhere else that's convenient). A sump is not really
essential, but it does increase the total water volume, and allows one
to keep all the ugly equipment (such as heaters, chiller, skimmer, and
just about anything else) out of the tank. It is also a great place
to make a refugium, and it allows for a more efficient gas exchange
due to the tumbling action of the water flowing down into it.
Fresh
Water Filters
- It is very important
to use pure, unpolluted fresh water to replace evaporated water, and
to make the salt-water used for partial water exchanges. Using ordinary
tap water invariably leads to algae outbreaks.
- RO (Reverse Osmoses)
filters are the cheapest in the long run, and they remove 95% (or more)
of the contaminants from the water.
- DI (De Ionization)
filters become exhausted quite soon, and need frequent replacement.
This makes this type of filtration quite expensive. DI units typically
remove 99% of all contaminants while "fresh".
- One can combine
the two, first using RO and then DI. This results in the purest water,
but IMO is not really necessary.
- One could also
use a "hand held" water purifier, such as Nitrogen, or a household
unit such as the Brita filter. These units are actually small DI filters,
and work quite well while fresh. Because of their small capacities they
are quite expensive, though.
More
Marine Aquarium Equipment You'll Need
Heater: Work
on using about 2 watts per gallon to raise the tank temperature 5 degrees
F above the room temperature. (Thus for a 55 gal. tank you would need
300W to raise the temperature to 75 F if the surrounding temperature is
60F). It is better to use two or three smaller heaters than one large
one. If a smaller heater fails on, it is unlikely to boil your tank, and
if it fails off the other heater can still supply some heat until you
(hopefully) discover the problem.
Air Pump: This
is not normally needed if you have adequate circulation. It is good to
have a standby unit for an emergency, though. I also use mine to aerate
freshly made salt water used for partial water exchange.
Thermometer:
Get an accurate glass or electronic one - those little "stick on"
types are not accurate.
Hydrometer:
These are notoriously inaccurate. Get a good glass type, and make sure
you know for which temperature it is calibrated.
Water Pump:
Good water circulation is essential. Buy a good quality return pump (if
you're using a sump), and one or two additional power heads. A "surge"
device or "wavemaker" is a good addition, but is not essential.
Live Rock: Get
about 20% - 40% of the tank's volume of live rock. This is essential for
long term water stability (read: low nitrate level).
Sea Salt: There
are many makes of salt, and not all of them are good. Read the package
label, and ask questions on the Internet before you buy it. You will not
only need salt for the initial makeup, but also for regular partial water
changes (about 10%-20% of water volume every 2-4 weeks, depending on stocking
level, etc.).
"Incidentals":
You will need some test kits, additives such as buffer and calcium, a
fish net, some containers to mix your water…
Lighting
Lighting will depend on the type of set-up:
- "Fish Only"
(FO) tank only needs enough light to view the fish comfortably.
- If you use "Live
Rock" (FOWlR) in your tank, then you should not have less than
2.5-3.0 WIgal (more is better).
- "Soft"
corals such as star polyps and mushrooms require about 3-4 WIgal (again,
more would be better).
- Hard corals, clams
and anemones need a minimum of 6-8 WIgal, depending on the water depth.
- Normal Output (NO)
fluorescent lights are mostly used on FO or FOWlR systems, but can be
used quite successfully on reef tanks as well, provided one has the
space to accommodate all the tubes. As an example, I have kept a Carpet
Anemone in my marginal reef tank for more than 8 months, using 8 x 40W
NO tubes on my 55 gallon tank. (I have since upgraded to Metal Halides)
- PC (Power Compact)
fluorescent lamps are nearly as bright as Metal Halides, and are quite
suitable to keep all types of marine animals in all but the deepest
tanks. They are quite expensive, though, and not always obtainable.
- VHO (Very High
Output) fluorescent lamps are "old technology", and are being
superseded by the PC's or MH's.
- MH (Metal Halide)
lamps are the brightest lamps available, and nearly equal the intensity
of sunlight. They are probably the most suited type of lighting for
deep tanks, and for "Reef' type set-ups with light loving animals
such as SPS corals, clams and anemones.
Light
"Color Temperature"
The light "color temperature" is also very important. Water
"absorbs" the longer wavelength light (the red, orange and yellow
color) at a shallower depth than the shorter wavelength light (green,
blue and violet). If one descended from the surface of the ocean, the
red light would disappear first, and the last light remaining at depth
would be violet.
Sunlight at the waters
surface has a color temperature of 6,500K. I don't have exact figures,
but I believe that the 10,000K light spectrum approximate a depth of around
10m (33') below the surface, and the "bluer" 20,000K spectrum
is equivalent of light at a depth of about 20m (66').
Because *most* corals
live closer to the surface, 10,000K light would actually be more natural
for them than 20,000K light. If one were to set up a "deep water"
tank, containing species living at greater depth than that of a "normal"
shallow reef, one would be better off to use the 20,000K lamps.
You’ll find
everything you need in our on-line store or stop
into our Issaquah, Washington store.
Next, follow these
Ten Easy Steps to Successful Freshwater Aquarium
Installation to get your tank setup and ready for fish.
[Setting
Up a Marine Aquarium] [Cycling A System
with Live “Uncured” Rock]
[How To Decide Between Setting Up A Fish
Only Aquarium & A Reef Aquarium]
|
