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Knowing what you want to keep will help you decided which equipment you need before you make any purchases. Most people just want to set up a nice looking aquarium with a good mix of fish and corals. This is called a community reef tank. Others may have a certain fish or coral in mind that they wish to keep.
You may even want to keep an aquarium just for fish and skip the corals. Whatever it may be you will want to do a bit of research before purchasing any equipment as different tanks have different care requirements.
Click here to learn more about choosing what to keep in your aquarium. Selecting your tank size is the second most important decision, after choosing what to keep.
Tank size is determined by your budget, your livestock choices, and how much space you have to keep your new aquarium.
Buying the biggest aquarium you can afford will pay off in the end by giving you a higher rate of success and more real estate to store your growing coral collection. Bigger aquariums are also easier to keep because of what chemistry. There are several challenges with keeping an aquarium that pertains to water chemistry. We will cover that in more detail later but it is important to understand that changes in water chemistry happen slower in larger tanks because of there is more water.
Bigger tanks are more forgiving. It is important to select a place to keep your aquarium. You want to make sure to have enough room to work around the tank. You should keep your aquarium away from door or windows which have a cold draft and avoid placing your tank somewhere that receives direct sunlight. When you know which size aquarium you will buy, search for the tank dimension online and measure out that space in your room.
Make sure the tank, including a tank stand fits! All-in-one aquariums are a quick and easy way to get started in reef keeping. Build your own requires you purchase each piece of equipment separately and then learn to put it all together. For beginners, the all-in-one is a straightforward way to go. All-in-one aquariums come in desktop sizes up to larger G L full-blown reef ready systems. Building your aquarium piece by piece is more time consuming, however, this option may save you a few bucks.
If you have patience you can start building your aquarium with minimal equipment to get the saltwater flowing. Start by buying a tank and powerhead to create flow and build up your equipment from there. There are two ways you can get salt water. Either you buy it from a local fish store, or make your own at home.
You will have to decide which method is best for you. For new aquarist or people with small tanks, purchasing water is a quick and easy way. Local fish stores will sell refillable jugs around 5 gallons of water. Water is heavy so calculate how much water you need. Bringing home 50 gallons of water if you have to walk up stairs or make trips in an elevator may not be feasible.
Mixing saltwater at home is pretty straight forward. You make saltwater by mixing reverse osmosis de-ionized water RODI , and aquarium salt, which you can purchase at a local fish store or online. Most aquarists keep large plastic drums in their homes for mixing saltwater. There is no one size fits all solution here and any large Rubbermaid or similar storage container will do.
Make sure you have a dedicated spot for your saltwater, and if you can make double or quadruple the amount of saltwater you need for a water change. It also good to have extra saltwater on hand in case of emergencies. Read More: Water Changes. Every time you test your water is a chance to correct any imbalances in water chemistry and improve the overall water quality of your system.
You should be testing your water at least once a week. From the day you set up your aquarium until years down the road, testing your aquarium water should become an important aquarium ritual. Proper lighting is important to the success of your reef tank. Corals are photosynthetic animals and need light to survive. Featured Products. Innovative Marine. Add to Wish List Add to Compare. Watch Now.
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