|
Marine General
We at Pet Stop pride ourselves in the quality of our shop, advice and products. Due to our commitment to give the best advice, developed this document for you to read on the fascinating new and exploding marine hobby in South Africa.
We are asked a lot of questions about MARINE AQUARIUMS on a daily basis. We have made a study of these questions asked about MARINES in our shop. The following document was set up as guide on these most frequently asked questions like;
· What is the difference between seawater and freshwater aquariums? · How much work is a marine aquarium? · What do I need to start a successful marine Aquarium? · How much will a basic marine aquarium cost?
A very common question asked by customers is - What is the difference between a marine aquarium and a freshwater aquarium? The most obvious difference between the 2 types of aquariums is the addition of salt. This is not just any salt, you need to add salt that was formulated and manufactured for use in marine aquariums specifically. As there are different manufacturers and ranges you should do some research on availability and quality before deciding on a specific salt.
Another major difference is the availability of invertebrates in marines. This includes organisms like shrimps, soft corals, hard corals and anemones. Each of these invertebrates have their specific needs regarding lighting, current, food and additives. Keeping fresh water invertebrates are not allowed in South Africa.
The oceans are extremely constant compared to freshwater that fluctuate dramatically between seasons and the invertebrates have special needs. Because of this you need to monitor more parameters. In freshwater you need to monitor :
pH (only if you adjust tap water) Temperature (fluctuations are acceptable) Ammonia (only in new aquariums and when a fish died) Nitrite (As ammonia) Hardness (this could become a problem in older aquariums or when you adjust tap water) Iron (only in planted aquariums) CO2 (only in planted aquariums)
Compared with marines where you must monitor:
pH (kept constant) Temperature (minimal fluctuations are expectable) Alkalinity (kept high) Phosphate (kept as close to 0 as possible) Nitrate (kept as close to 0 as possible) Nitrite (kept as close to 0 as possible) Ammonia (kept as close to 0 as possible) Calcium (kept high) Salinity (kept very constant) Copper (in fish only systems
Marine water has lots of trace elements that the organisms need to survive, this need to be added on a daily/weekly basis. The major trace elements that you need to add are: Calcium Strontium Iodine Molybdenum Magnesium Then you would need to ad minor trace elements in a combined liquid form on a weekly basis.
Lighting in a tropical aquarium is mostly just for the owners viewing pleasure, with the exception of a planted aquarium. In marine aquariums it is essential for the survival of most of the corals and anemones. In freshwater T8 (standard type of florescent tubes) are mostly used. Marine photosynthesizing organisms battle to just survive under T8 lighting and would do better under T5 (thin high output florescent tubes) while most would prefer Metal halide lighting.
While freshwater aquarium house fish only, marine aquariums house invertebrates that need current to supply fresh water to them and remove the old water from around them. As marine water have a lower ability (due to the dissolved salts) to carry oxygen the current needs to supplement the oxygen supply (by moving the water to the surface) to the aquarium as well. In practice this is possible by strategically placing loose power heads in the aquarium itself.
The bacteria (used in the nitrogen cycle) in a marine environment react slower than freshwater, this lead to every thing happening slower. You would need better filtration in a marine aquarium to help compensate for this problem.
Due to the slower reaction of bacteria in a marine environment, the time it would take your marine aquarium to be fully matured is much longer than in freshwater. The maturation period of marine aquarium is at least 4 times longer than in normal freshwater aquariums.
Planning in advance for heat extraction is important. Due to the amount of extra power heads and lighting needed in a marine reef aquarium, keeping the temperature constant become a major problem.
One of the major enemy’s in a marine aquarium is nitrate. In an effort to limit the production of nitrate, protein skimmers are used with great success. Protein skimmer work with small air bubbles in a tube that attracts proteins to them and removes it into a cup. This remove nitrate on the bases that if proteins are removed before it is broken down into ammonia then the production of nitrate is severely limited. You should invest in a protein skimmer that is able to do even a bit more that the volume of your aquarium and one that is able to remove a lot of protein fast. These bubbles must be very small , this is the reason that protein skimmers do not function very well in freshwater (getting small bubbles in freshwater is very difficult) |
|
Pet Stop SA Shop no 15/17 Rietfontein Pavilion Centre. C/O Jacobs str and Frates rd Rietfontein Pretoria Gauteng South Africa. Tel +27 12 3298965 fax +27 12 3298965 |
|
Next |
|
Next Page How much work is a marine Aquarium? |
