Marine Aquarium: What Proper Equipment Is Need?

In the previous articles, I talk about the basis setup of coral reef keeping and also covered the basic parameters of marine aquarium. And now, on to more tips on the practical setup of a marine tank and the proper equipment used to create and sustain a good environment for your saltwater fish and marine livestock.

Your marine tank is a closed system, without access to the large water volume of the sea, you must therefore ensure that essential equipment is in place, and perform regular tasks to keep the tank’s water quality at an acceptable level.

Basic equipment required for a marine tank are lighting systems, filtration systems, water circulation systems, and water quality test kits.

Lighting Systems: Available lighting sources include both fluorescent and high-intensity systems, each with its own inherent advantages and disadvantages. In choosing lighting equipment for corals, the following factors must be taken into account:

• The area being illuminated
• The depth of the water
• The intensity of the light source
• The spectrum of the light source
• The photoperiod
• The kind of marine life you intent to stock. Many corals need strong light that can replicate natural sunlight in order to photosynthesize their own food from symbiotic microalgae living within their tissues.

Aquarists can consider fluorescent lighting choices such as normal fluorescent tubes (FL) to Power Compacts (PL/PC) to newer high-output tubes called T5s. Higher-wattage lamps like the newer T5s are more efficient despite their smaller diameter sizes.

Fluorescent lighting of low intensities are suitable for fish-only marine tanks or easy-to-keep soft corals like mushrooms and button polyps.

The recommended lighting choice for those wanting to keep most corals, especially hard corals, is Metal Halides. These bulbs produce a lot of intense light and closely resemble natural sunlight.

Filtration systems: Harmful dissolved organic compounds accumulate rapidly in a marine tank. Unless dealt with quickly, they will cause bacterial algae blooms which will affect the well-being of fish and corals.

Marine aquarium can be filtered through biological, chemical, and mechanical means. The systems may vary, but the end result should be the same: the removal of waste products and the conversion of harmful components into harmless forms as efficiently and completely as possible.

Biological Methods

• Using natural bacterial processes to completely filter the water involves cultivation of the different types of bacteria by setting up deep sand beds (DSBs), or large quantities of livestock. DSBs have been proven to be a complete and effective method.
• The culturing of macro-algae in a separate compartment to absorb dissolved nutrients and export them out of the system through regular harvesting.

Mechanical Methods

• The use of a protein skimmer is essential to the exporting of dissolved organics. Its foam attracts and physically pushes out dissolved organics from the water column.
• Regular water changes of at least 20 per cent of the tank’s volume should be done monthly to physically remove dissolved organics, replenish trace elements and restore ionic balance.

Chemical Methods

• Using some form of chemical compounds is sometimes necessary to remove phosphates, dissolved organics, chemicals, medication, and substances like copper. Some chemical compounds you can employ are granulated activated carbon (GAC), poly-filters and different brands of iron-based phosphate removers.

Water Circulation Systems: Ample water circulation is crucial and should be achieved by using powerhead pumps or wave-making devices to stimulate tidal conditions. These also help to keep oxygen levels up.

Test Kits: As it is impossible to gauge the presence of harmful compounds like phosphate or the levels of pH, alkalinity, calcium, and other important parameters just by looking at the water, the use of quality test kits in the maintenance of a marine aquarium is essential and should not be ignored.

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