Preparation With Saltwater Tank Setup Checklist
01. A saltwater aquarium
You can go with any sizes (should begin from 30 gallons and above), and any types of fish tanks to make it for a marine aquarium. Actually, the bigger the tank is, the easier the maintenance. Choose a short but wide tank is great for both maintaining and raising tasks.
02. The tank substrate
Grain substrate is one of the best materials for a saltwater fish tank. You should choose a fine grain or medium grain of sand, crushed coral, especially aragonite to make an at least 1-2 inches bed for the fish.
03. Live rock for saltwater
Both shopping online and purchase in person is available. Better you should choose live rock yourself to find a rock that has high quality (no decay, no pest, has great coralline growth). It needs to suitable for your salt water aquarium decorations later.
04. Prepare salt water mix
You can choose any brands for the salt mix. Just make sure you follow the instruction: add the salt to a water vessel, mix well with the given proportion before pouring them into the fish tank.
05. Hydrometer or refractometer
These tools are used to make a salinity measurement for your aquarium water, but a refractometer is more accuracy compares to a hydrometer, so you can choose which equipment you already had or buy a new one.
06. Get a protein skimmer
A protein skimmer will support you to remove organic compounds like fish waste or uneaten food, which means lower salt water aquarium water change frequency for the tank. You can choose hanger skimmer (for none sumps), in-tank type or in-sump one to cooperate with the salt water aquarium sumps.
07. A salt water aquarium pump
You should use salt water aquarium pumps (or powerheads) to duplicate the water movement in the tank to make sure its flow can get through any parts of the tank. It is also necessary for a nano reef tank setup.
08. A suitable filter
The best filter for a saltwater aquarium is a biological filter (with live rocks), sump filter (the best but more expensive than others), canister filter (multi-purpose but need cleaning more frequently), and fluidized bed filter (using sand, push the good bacteria growth). You can choose any one of these, and two if you have a large saltwater fish tank.
09. Salt water aquarium heaters and a thermometer
To reduce the risk, you can use two small salt water aquarium heaters instead of one heater with high performance, which is good for the case whether you find out the heater may break. Choose the best aquarium heaters for your tank based on the functions, types, and your fish living conditions.
10. Ammonia test kits
The saltwater aquarium starter kits should include an ammonia test kit for checking the ammonia, pH, nitrite and nitrates level in the saltwater tank. These test kits are available in any pet store.
11. Salt water fish tank lighting
The saltwater tank will need lighting to provide a good living condition for marine animals. You can use fluorescent lights to do this or a salt water fish tank lighting with LED lights to reduce the cost with less electric consumption.
12. Salt water aquarium sumps
As you can see above, salt water aquarium sumps can be a good place to put a protein skimmer, or turn into a water filter and provide more water for the tank. It is an optional choice and higher cost, so you can consider having a sump for better saltwater tank quality.