Aquarium Lighting System For Saltwater Aquarium by Albert Andrasz

Many people who like the aspect of having piece of natural habitat in their homes want to place beautiful saltwater fish tank or freshwater aquarium in their living room. However, they often do not realize that they need to work really hard to maintain the aquarium and its inhabitants. The water needs to be changed regularly. They need to arrange food for the fishes on a daily basis. Apart from that, one needs to decorate the aquarium as well.

Aquarium lighting is very important aspect of the successful aquarium and many people do not give it that much importance. The fishes, plants and corals need specific amount of light for their growth. That is why you need to arrange proper aquarium lighting.

Aquarium lighting should be designed in the way to mimic natural daylight. You need to keep it on for 8-10 hours a day. You also need to check whether the light is increasing the heat of the water in the aquarium. If that is happening then you need to take care of that by installing aquarium chiller. The water temperature needs to be comfortable for the fishes and other aquarium animals and plants and you need to do that properly by regulating it as close as possible to the natural water temperature. Aquarium cooling fans can be a useful tool in managing water temperature without a high cost of aquarium chillers. Aquarium cooling fans are usually installed within aquarium canopy and work in the way of moving hot air from the inside of the canopy.

There are several different types of fish tank lighting used in the modern aquarium setup.

From standard incandescent lighting, Power Compact PC lighting, high output T5 fixtures , Very High Output VHO lighting, Metal Halide lighting, and latest LED aquarium lighting. aquarium lights can be installed in the form or retro kit which is usually installed in the wooden canopy or fully integrated aquarium light fixture.

Freshwater aquarium fish tanks are mostly utilizing fluorescent type of lighting systems like T5, power compact and VHO lights.

Saltwater fish tanks and marine reef tanks mostly utilize high output fluorescent T5 and VHO lights in combination with intense metal halide lights.

Latest technical innovations bring LED lights into the spectrum of interest of marine and reef hobbyists. LED light fixtures offer high intensity light with very low heat output which is prefer for saltwater reef systems where keeping low water temperature is of high importance. LED light fixtures also offer high control-ability when it comes to output and color spectrum of the light.

Nowadays you need to be really specific about your lighting requirement. Doing your homework before making the purchase is a key for putting together a successful fish tank.

Another popular lighting type for both freshwater fish tanks and reef aquariums is aquarium moonlights. aquarium moonlights are usually composed of low voltage LED modules powered by low voltage transformer. Some more advanced moonlight LED systems incorporate sophisticated controllers that mimic natural moon cycles. These aquarium LED systems have been known to promote spawning in both fishes and corals. These aquarium moonlights can create very attractive environment where livestock can be observed after the main lights are off.

Five steps to success with Saltwater Coral Reef Aquariums - free ...

Do you dream of watching the natural beauty of the undersea reef life while sitting in your living room?

Whether your goal is a nano reef tank or a 150 gallon aquarium with an ecosystem of coral and saltwater fish, the following five steps will lead you on your way to success.


1) Commit! Decide you are going to spend the $$ it takes to make a proper go of it. At a minimum, most tanks, (from 10 gal to 55 gal) take between $250 and $500 to get going. Can you do it cheaper? Yes, but usually not your first one. You have to know what you are doing and understand how things can and will go wrong before you can choose less expensive husbandry options and/or equipment. Save up if you have to, but count on that first tank being expensive.

Realize that this is not a short term commitment. And as much fun as it is to collect the coolest coral fragments out there and show them off to your friends, there WILL come a time when you are hauling all of those same 'frags' out of the tank and into temporary storage when your six year old cracks the side of the display tank with a pool ball or some other calamity occurs.


2) Study! Spend time on the internet, in books and watching nature shows on reefs BEFORE you get your animals. Understand the animals that you are going to keep and how they interact with each other. If you count on the LFS (Local Fish Store) or your buddy down the road to keep you out of trouble and don't do your homework.. You will fail. That is the one guarantee in this hobby. DO YOUR HOMEWORK. The only way around this is to be able to afford to pay someone else to set-up and maintain your tank.


3) Mingle! (see 2 above) There are plenty of reef-keeping societies out there with lots of experience to help you along your way and teach you what you need to know. As long as you are doing your own homework, they are usually happy to help!


4) Keep an open mind! There is not just one way to keep a reef tank - no matter how loudly people on the various bulletin boards and forums out there might shout that there is.

5) Share! It is amazing how much help people are willing to give when they realize that you are offering a particularly nice specimen that they have always wanted. Equipment that they didn't even remember they had may magically appear or they might be willing to share a very nice piece of their own reef frag with you.


Trading frags not only is a great way to increase your variety, but it helps maintain genetic strains of corals (frags are also known as 'clones') that might otherwise die out in a single tank struck by the calamity mentioned in 1 above.

You can read 5 more Steps to Success by visiting www.KnowltonsReef.com (archive: June, 2005).

Tips In Taking Care Of Your Saltwater Aquarium by George Adams

If you have decided to keep a saltwater aquarium, you also need to know how to take care of it. Since you have spent a bit of money for the aquarium as well as for the fish inside it, it makes good sense to get some knowledge towards its maintenance and correct upkeep. Maintaining an aquarium and its content is not difficult but mandatory if you wish to do justice to the expenses which you have already incurred.

To keep your saltwater aquarium in good shape and function optimally, here are a few tips :

• There are a few important tests which you have to do every two weeks. These tests are fairly simple and take only a few seconds to do. Checks on ammonia levels, pH level and the nitrite and nitrate levels. First find out what the normal levels are from the pet store clerk, before buying the fish.

• If the pH level of the water is very high, simply add a tablespoon of baking soda to the water. Just ensure that it is completely dissolved before add more.

• For instance if the salinity level drops, simply add some salt to the water.

• Add dechlorinated water to your tank, if you find the salinity level is high. This is a very common occurrence, as the water in the aquarium is constantly evaporating. Adding this water will balance the salt content of the remaining water.

• Remember to add adequate amounts of iodine and calcium to the water in your tank. To know how much and how often talk to the pet store clerk, since the amounts depend on the type of fish you have kept in the tank.

• Replace one-tenth of the water of your tank with dechlorinated water. Do this once a week. This freshens up the water.

• Replace 25% of the water in your tank with dechlorinated water once every few months.

• Keep the water temperature between 75 and 80 degrees. Check if this is the right temperature as it depends on the type of fish that you keep.

• Always remember to remove the algae from the inside walls of your aquarium regularly. Check the filter pads as well as test the alkalinity levels. Cleaning of the gravel in the tank is also necessary for its proper upkeep.

Undertaking these simple activities will keep your saltwater aquarium in good share and keep your fish active and healthy.


Amazing Saltwater Aquarium

Coralife Or Berlin Protein Skimmer Vs. Refugium

Are you a new saltwater aquarium owner? If yes, then you’re probably thinking about getting a Berlin Protein Skimmer while installing a refugium at same time. If you are, then you might want to read this article first.

Some aquarists really do have both the Berlin Protein Skimmer plus a refugium operating in their tank. However, some are of the opinion that having a protein skimmer means you don’t need the services of a refugium. Hence, let’s look and compare at the differences of these two equipments.

Cleaning

As you know, the protein skimmer gets rid of organic waste material by encasing them in the bubble and transporting them in the collection cup where you can empty them at will. A refugium on the other hand does pretty much the same thing. The debris is transported to the separate tank where it is used as food by various micro organisms. One distinct advantage of a Berlin Protein Skimmer though is that it clean up your aquarium fast while the refugium takes time.

Food Production

As previously mentioned, the refugium is mainly set up to serve as the sanctuary of micro organisms. Think of it as your tank’s very own food factory as well as being a dump site for fish fecal matter. On the other hand, the protein skimmer is in no way responsible for producing food in the tank.

Deciding Factor

Since a refugium pump is required to have a low water flow rate, tweaking the refugium for it to clean up faster is not really an option. Hence, your deciding factor would be if you want a cleaner tank or a food filled one.

Once you’ve decided, start plotting on how to get the best protein skimmer or refugium for your tank. For a protein skimmer, you might want to stick to the good brands like the Berlin Protein Skimmer or Coralife Protein Skimmer. When it comes to the refugium, a nicely engineered one is always the best. Of course, you can also install both in your saltwater aquarium for greater benefits if you want.



Mating Pair of Cin. Clown Fish Salt Water Aquarium Reef Tank Coral Anemone