Perhaps you're new to the saltwater tank hobby? I was---and it was the advice of the experts that helped me through. Back when I had still had a 30-gallon saltwater aquarium on the brain (I have since upgraded to a 75-gallon!!), I asked Logan of StonyReef.com for some suggestions for my new tank.  Here's what this saltwater pro had to say.--Ava

A: So as I mentioned, I'm currently setting up a new tank. It's in its beginning beginning stages. It's a 30 gallon tank and I have a Power Head. Just starting to look out for things like live rock, decorations, heater, etc. etc.  I'm not even sure yet whether I want to keep it reefs only or a mixture of live rock and fish! "

L: The best first step, in my opinion, and possible time / money saver, is deciding what you want to keep. Just fish (FO “fish only”), fish only with live rock (FOWLR) or a mix of it all with coral (reef tank). Beauty can be had in any of the set ups, but I think the initial decision is important, as it's going to play a role in the equipment, time & maintenance that the tank will require. Obviously that may change along the way, but if you can avoid buying extra equipment you don’t end up needing, or spending time getting that ‘skilter’ to work, not to mention making well researched choices in livestock (compatible fish, minding appropriate tank size, etc), you’ll save yourself and the animals some time and headaches.

If you go  on any reef aquarium forum you will more then likely here of people that have algae in their tank that they cannot control. This is especially true amongst new reef  keepers who always seem to struggle the most.Most of this algae can be prevented and is usually caused by easily avoidable actions on the part of the tank owner.

Avoid Overstocking

This is such a common problem and one that is so simple to avoid. Paying close attention to the amount of fish you have in your system is critical to keeping algae at bay. Fish not only produce waste that in excessive amounts can fuel algae, they also use oxygen. And when oxygen levels drop algae will usually begin to grow.

As a good general rule of thumb start out with a clown fish sized fish for every 8-10 gallons of tank volume. Additionally wait a few weeks between fish additions to let the system react. Then test your nitrates and phosphates and see if they have increased. Testing a few weeks after every fish addition will give you a good gauge if your system can handle any more fish load.

Magnesium is one of the most overlooked properties of your reef’s synthetic seawater and although this is one of the most important factors considered in growth and health of most stony corals. Just like calcium and alkalinity magnesium is depleted by your reef inhabitants. It is also an important factor in maintaining stable calcium and alkalinity levels.

Just like all other ions in a reef tank you want to produce levels as close to natural seawater as possible. For this reason maintaining a level of at least 1290 to 1400ppm of magnesium is critical. Speaking from experience most stony corals will show lack of growth around 1100ppm and start declining in health at around 1000 or 900ppm.

I know you're supposed to inspect a new saltwater tank and its inhabitants every couple of days, but I think I'm going a little bit overboard! I check it probably every hour that I'm home. 

I did it. I switched my 30-gallon to a 75.  Can you believe it? I had to, there was no way I was going to fit clownfish comfortably into such a small structure. 

The father-son team of John and Peter Cunningham run the highly-professional, highly-acclaimed aquarium site Aquarists Online complete with its own forum, blog, social network, group of well-written articles and price comparison tool. Peter has kindly provided us with material on a topic near and dear to the hearts of aqua-buffs everywhere--water circulation.  Read on and when you're finished, check back with Aquarists Online where Peter has delved into the area in more detail.

It is my opinion that next on the list of importance after water quality and aquarium lighting is water circulation. Before deciding upon the method to create water circulation in the aquarium it is important to understand why water circulation is so important as well as the different types of water flow.

Circulation within the aquarium is important for various reasons. It allows for the provision of food to the corals as well as the removal of waste. Another reason is that it allows for the provision of oxygen. Cold water does not have the ability to be able to hold as much oxygen as air does, warm water even less and warm saltwater even less than that. The movement of water allows for what is called an air/water interface to occur. This is basically when water is is brought into contact with the air and oxygenation of the water can occur.

In nature every animal is accustomed to varying strengths of water movement and throughout the years life has adapted to the various types of water movement. Corals are a perfect example of this with each different species of coral having different requirements when it comes to water movement. It is for this reason that it is imperative that corals are placed in an area of the aquarium where there water movement requirements, as well as lighting requirements are met.

What about flow and how much is enough?

There is a very general rule of thumb which is used when it comes to the question of how much flow and this is dependent upon the type of corals being kept. If soft corals are being kept in the aquarium then flow should be provided which is ten times the net water volume of the aquarium. If hard corals are being kept then water flow should be provided which is in the region of thirty times the net water volume of the aquarium.

More and more mermaids (half human, half sea creature) are emerging from the deep to talk to people on land.  Join this mermaid as she teaches the world about marine life and learns what makes up a man-made aquarium.  Follow her along as she continues to pen her adventures at Notebook of a Mermaid. 

When mermaids are not swimming through rivers and seas, they are causing havoc on land with their unfamiliarity with human customs and natural frequencies above sea level. The documentary ‘Splash’ is a point in case. This somewhat lesser known mermaid diplomat has supplied us with an entry from her web ocean notebook:

‘One of the more shocking discoveries on land was the display of marine life in containers. I mean, I sometimes need to occupy landfolk’s bathtubs to rehydrate, but I did start to get a little paranoid that somebody would want to permanently confine me in perspex! Then, a marine biologist friend of mine explained why humans have these things called ‘aquariums’.

First of all, he said, I needed to distinguish between animals kept for eating and animals kept for pleasure, therapy and education. Eating I understood, although the caging was still a little creepy. But ‘therapy??’ I asked. ‘Yes, some humans feel safer and more relaxed in the presence of fish and other water creatures’, he answered. ‘Doctors sometimes even prescribe aquariums.’ I was fascinated. So humans and sea creatures manage to have a truly symbiotic relationship on land! A mutual looking-after! That was new!

I enquired further into the connection of boxed up marine life with of pleasure and education. ‘Of course, marine creatures give pleasure to humans,’ my friend revealed. ‘They are not only beautiful, but they have unusual, mesmerising shapes and movements that are unique to aquatic creatures.’ I blushed a little. And then it occurred to me that this sort of attraction could also be pretty dangerous for us merfolk! ‘Won’t humans be tempted to hunt down the more unusual creatures for mere decoration?’ My friend had to admit that this was indeed a danger. He showed me a newspaper article from his archive where rare sea creatures had been rescued by humans bearing oddly-shaped hats.

I've heard this question a million times, and each time there are 2 answers.  The first answer is the one that most people want to hear: a few weeks.  While technically a reef tank does begin the nitrogen cycle in the course of a few weeks, and is able to support most life, I would not consider it cycled.  The initial cycle enables the tank environment to house living organisms without an extreme build up of ammonia or nitrite; both of which are deadly to marine organisms in small quantities.  This does not mean that the tank is finished with the cycle.  In fact, it has only just begun.

This is where the second and less favorable answer comes in.  I would say that the cycling continues for about a year or so.  There are many changes that take place after the nitrogen cycle gets up to speed.  One such change is the release of silicon and phosphates from live rock and sand that were added to start the tank.  This doesn't apply so much to cooked rock, but does apply to cured, uncured, and base rock.  The first indication of the release of these substances is the growth of diatoms and different alga.  The best known pest algae are green hair algae, green bubble algae, and bryopsis.  The presence of any of these algae is a definitive sign that there are silicates and/or phosphates in the aquarium.  The good news is that with regular 20%-30% water changes with RO/DI water and a quality salt combined with heavy skimming and small feedings if you have any fish in the tank, you can get these contaminates out and the algae will go with them. 

Okay, kids.  This is my first-ever blog post, ever, ANYWHERE!  So, please be gentle.  To get started, I’d like to kick things off with a little song…

This is the story...

Of a reefing newbie...

Who was planning his first salty tank…

“NO SINGING!”

What?  Everyone loves The Brady Bunch, don’t they?  Aw crikey, I’m showing my age again, aren’t I?  Moving along, this is a narrative of my initiation into lessons learned when starting up a saltwater tank.  And it’s about one of the most crucial ingredients in the saltwater hobby: patience!