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FREE 24-PAGE BEGINNERS’ GUIDE

Your first

marine aquarium From the team that bring you

magazine

l Choose the www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk right aquarium

l Ideal starter fish and invertebrates

l What you’ll need and how to use it

l Essential advice 1 on feeding

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Contents

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Welcome Marine tanks are gorgeous, aren’t they? It makes you wonder why you don’t see one in every home.

The problem is, with such great looks come a degree of care and understanding. You can’t just fill a tank with water, toss in some salt and hope for the best.

But keeping saltwater fish today is easier, and arguably cheaper, than it ever has been.

We have good understanding of what works and what doesn’t, in some cases learning from the coral reefs themselves.

Manufacturers are making tanks that are ever decreasingly hands-on, replacing complexity with ease of use.

Have a look at what’s available in aquarium stores. Speak to other hobbyists and retailers.

And most importantly, familiarise yourself with the contents of this guide to keeping marines. You’ll be a lot better prepared to take the plunge with your first saltwater set-up.

While we can’t promise that your new tank will be without its worries and its tribulations, what we can promise you is that it will be totally worth it.

Nathan Hill, Features editor

What’s inside...

4 7 12 14

Buying a tank

You want to get off to the best start, so think well in advance about which aquarium is best suited to your own conditions.

Livestock for beginners We bring you our top 20 marine fish and inverts for beginners.

filtration. Here are your options for the marine aquarium.

16 18

Feeding your aquarium How best do you cater for the different dietary requirements of the fish and other livestock in your marine aquarium?

20

Live rock and filters

Keeping the tank clean is the role of

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Go shopping!

Here’s a rundown of the most common marine equipment.

Water essentials

Fish swim in, live in, breathe and drink the water around them, so it’s safe to say that by looking after it, you can keep them fit and healthy.

Glossary

When you start keeping marines, there are lots of new terms to learn. Here’s a selection of some of those you’ll come across in your new hobby.

CONTACT US Address: Practical Fishkeeping, Bauer Media, Media House, Lynchwood, Peterborough, PE2 6EA Email editorial@practicalfishkeeping.co.uk

www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk

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PFK/NEIL HEPWORTH

Buying a TANK

You want to get off to the right start, so think well in advance about which aquarium is best suited to your own conditions.

Location is everything!

Though you’ll want to put your tank somewhere you can easily view it, there are a few considerations to take on board: Noise: Keep your tank away from loud speakers, musical instruments or television sets.

That cinema surround sound might be great for war movies, but it could easily be bassy enough to kill fish outright!

this. Avoid siting directly over any power source, as splashes may render them hazardous.

Access: You might have an alcove in to which a tank will fit perfectly, but can you still work in it comfortably once in place?

Maintenance involves getting hands in the tank, and pouring water from large buckets. Allow yourself room.

Floor strength: The top floor of a creaky, Grade II listed 17th century cottage might not be

the safest place for a few hundred litres of water. If it’s going on to a wooden floor, you want your tank to sit astride floor beams, not run along them. Find out where your beams are if you are planning on a large tank.

If you’re starting big, make sure those floors will take the weight.

Power supply: Your aquarium will rely on multiple electrical devices, so position within reach of an ample power supply. You will likely need to use multi-port connectors, so ensure that your sockets are capable of handling

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PFK/NEIL HEPWORTH

Hot and cold: Don’t site the tank directly over a radiator as it’ll overheat. Likewise, don’t put a tank directly in the path of a draft of cold air as it’ll cool.

Avoid any location that gets direct sunlight, even if just for a few minutes — fish can get sunstroke too!

PFK MARINE GUIDE

Bigger tanks are easier to look after, but not everyone has the space. Work out where you are going to put it and be realistic on the size and budget.

Nano tanks Nano tanks are small aquaria, often under 60 l/13 gal or so. They will usually come as a complete package, including all of the filter equipment, lighting, heating and major sundries you need, and can be spectacular value for money.

On the downside, their small stature can seriously restrict the number and type of livestock you might wish to keep, excluding any active, territorial or large growing species. You may also run into

issues with the allocated equipment in some cheaper designs: for example the lighting may be fine for viewing purposes but unsuitable for growing corals, requiring you to make a costly replacement if you wish to keep them successfully.

Typical examples of good marine nanos out there include the Newa More 30 Reef Complete at about £199, through to the more advanced TMC MicroHabitat 30, at around £319.

TROPICAL MARINE CENTRE

TMC’s MicroHabitat 30 is a complete reef set-up in a small package.

www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk

NATHAN HILL

Tanks

Separates If you fancy the research, you can buy each and every piece of kit individually, freeing you up entirely. Where all-in-one packages have their restrictions, this approach allows for any size of tank, and any combination of filtration and lighting. Though it can be more expensive to put together a tank this way, the rewards can be huge.

Your retailer will be more than happy to help put together a package based on your own specific requirements.

If you have the cash, you could consider a bespoke aquarium installation from a professional.

Some of these have excellent track records in providing new marine keepers with exceptional set-ups.

High-end systems don’t come cheap, but the equipment and aftercare is usually top-notch. mobile phone, so you should at least expect to see something. If the tank looks like a complete shed, think twice about forking out for it.

Premium packages Kits like the Red Sea Max are not cheap, but come as the result of years of technological innovation, research, trial and error. For your money, you’ll usually receive a strong aftercare package of advice about anything that may go amiss, as well as warranties on electrical equipment. Crucially, you’ll even have cover for contents damage if the worst happens and the tank should break — something you’ll struggle to get compensation for with a secondhand set-up!

Secondhand

Glass or acrylic?

Many a bargain can be had from classified ads, but the first question you need to ask is why the former owner is getting rid of it in the first place. Were there hardware problems? Had they chosen the wrong equipment for the job and failed to keep the tank successfully? These are all very real concerns.

Ask to see any photos of the set-up from when it was running.

Almost everyone who owns a tank will take photos of it on their

Tanks are primarily made from either glass or acrylic. Glass can be the cheaper option, but it is heavy, and can be dangerous if broken. It’s not the best choice in a house with children. There’s also the option for ‘low iron’ glass in some designs, which improves the clarity considerably.

Acrylic is more expensive, but lighter and considerably stronger.

On the downside, it does scratch easily and needs to be cleaned gently.

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Go small in a

BIG WAY

57L

ALSO AVAILABLE

MINI PROTEIN SKIMMER Compatible with Fluval EVO aquarium kits (Sold separately).

AQUARIUM SIZE 56 cm L x 38 cm H x 29 cm D

REEF LED LIGHTING

MULTI-STAGE FILTRATION

EASY TO SETUP AND MAINTAIN

Beginning your journey into the wonderful world of marine aquatics has just got easier, with the small but perfectly formed EVO saltwater set from Fluval. Its reef capable LED ensures healthy coral growth and a stunning view of your underwater paradise and the hidden 3 stage filtration system ensures crystal clear, healthy water.

Create your own, personal coral reef with the Fluval EVO saltwater kit, available from all good aquatic retailers.

EVO S A L T W A T E R

K I T S

Stocking Sixline wrasse

SHUTTERSTOCK

Bright and active. Don’t house alongside other wrasse types and it will generally be calm and peaceful. l Scientific name: Pseudocheilinus hexataenia. l Size: 7.5cm/3in. l Tank size: 120 l minimum.

l Feeding: Carnivore flakes and pellets, frozen and live food. l Temperament: Semi-peaceful unless goaded. l Reef compatible: Yes, but watch small shrimps. l Availability and cost: Common, around £25.

Livestock for

BEGINNERS!

We bring you 20 of the very best marine fish and invertebrates for newcomers to the saltwater scene.

A

Green chromis Best suited to tanks that can accommodate a large shoal, it likes to dwell higher in the water column than most fish, giving presence to otherwise empty spaces. l Scientific name: Chromis viridis. l Size: 8cm/3.1in. www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk

all of which have a very good track record in the care of newcomers to the marine hobby.

They are also among the most commonly stocked marine livestock in shops, so you shouldn’t have trouble locating them.

ALAMY

can be problematic feeders. Likewise, many corals require the highest care, and need elaborate hardware to facilitate this.

We’ve put together a list of some of the more forgiving fish and inverts you can buy,

ALAMY

s a newcomer, you’re probably pondering your options. Of the available marine fish, many grow large, many are sensitive to the slightest changes in their environment, while others

Yellow tail damsel l Tank size: 120 l minimum. l Feeding: Omnivore, eats flakes, frozen and live foods. l Temperament: Peaceful. l Reef compatible: Yes. l Availability and cost: Widely available from £7.50.

Sharp colours, but acerbic personalities can make these an ‘easily regretted’ purchase. Best in larger tanks where they can occupy a territory of their own without invaders. l Scientific name: Chrysiptera parasema. l Size: 7.5cm/3in.

l Tank size: 120 l minimum. l Feeding: Omnivore, eats flakes, pellets, live and frozen foods. l Temperament: Quite aggressive, monitor closely. l Reef compatible: Yes. l Availability and cost: Very readily available, from £6.50.

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Clownfish

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pfk/neil hepworth

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The classic ‘Nemo’ is likely the reason you’re even considering a tank.

Inexpensive, commercially farmed, and hardy, this is a real marine icon. l Scientific name: Amphiprion ocellaris. l Size: 7.5cm/3in. l Tank size: 120 l minimum. l Feeding: Omnivore, eats flakes, frozen and live foods. l Temperament: Peaceful. l Reef compatible: Yes. l Availability and cost: Widely available, starting around £12.

Chalk bass

pfk/neil hepworth

Firefish

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Fierce colours on a reserved fish, you’ll see these hovering somewhere in mild flow, plucking floating particles of food from the water. Requires caves for security. l Scientific name: Nemateleotris magnifica. l Size: 7.5cm/3in. l Tank size: 50 l minimum.

Royal gramma Quite shy, but immensely colourful, this fish will do better in a reef tank rather than a fish only set-up. Offer plenty of caves. l Scientific name: Gramma loreto. l Size: 7.5cm/3in. l Tank size: 120 l minimum.

l Feeding: Carnivore, offer plenty of live and frozen fare. l Temperament: Aggressive with its own species, otherwise peaceful. l Reef compatible: Yes. l Availability and cost: Common, from around £27.50.

pfk/neil hepworth

A striking fish with a classic shape and exciting colours, but it does harbour a vicious side which can cause problems in the reef set-up. l Scientific name: Serranus tortugarum. l Size: 7.5cm/3in. l Tank size: 120 l minimum. l Feeding: Carnivore, offer plenty of live and frozen fare. l Temperament: Can snap at smaller fish. l Reef compatible: Possible, but will go for small shrimps. l Availability and cost: Relatively common, starting at £25.

l Feeding: Lots of frozen foods like enriched Artemia and Mysis. Feed several times through the day. l Temperament: Totally peaceful, but easily bullied. l Reef compatible: Yes. l Availability and cost: Readily available, from £17.50.

Midas blenny Not so much of a swimmer, you’ll see this guy lurking about on rocky outcrops and between corals. Be careful to give it enough food, as it can starve easily! l Scientific name: Ecsenius midas. l Size: 15cm/6in.

l Tank size: 120 l minimum. l Feeding: Omnivore, offer many small flake and frozen feeds through the day. l Temperament: Peaceful. l Reef compatible: Yes. l Availability and cost: Common, from around £18.

PFK MARINE GUIDE

ALAMY

SHUTTERSTOCK

Stocking

Banggai cardinal fish Striking as a humbug, and a delight to try breeding, these make a great project in a tank of their own alongside Long-spined sea urchins. l Scientific name: Pterapogon kaudneri. l Size: 7.5cm/ 3in. l Tank size: 120 l minimum. l Feeding: Carnivore, offer plenty

Citron goby

of frozen and live fare. l Temperament: Tricky, can be nasty with its own species, but benefits from having some around. l Reef compatible: Yes l Availability and price: From around £18 each. These fish are moderately common in the shops.

Also called the Clown goby, these cheeky little fellows will often perch themselves in a coral or rock somewhere.

They can nip some corals though, as wild fish feed on coral mucous. l Scientific name: Gobiodon citrinus.

l Size: 5cm/ 2in. l Tank size: 60 l minimum. l Feeding: Carnivore, offer flakes, live and frozen fare. l Temperament: Peaceful. l Reef compatible: Yes, aside some coral nipping. l Availability and price: Quite common, from £15.

Cleaner shrimp

ALAMY

Diligent, attractive and frequently on show, there’s a reason so many people fall in love with the humble cleaner shrimp! l Scientific name: Lysmata amboinensis. l Size: 5cm/2in, plus feelers.

ALAMY

l Feeding: Offer small frozen and live foods. l Temperament: Peaceful, with very rare exceptions of nipping. l Reef compatible: Yes. l Availability and cost: Captive bred specimens available. £20+ per fish.

ALAMY

Small ‘cleaner’ fish that will nibble at larger species that request it, these gobies deliver intense colour but they aren’t particularly cheap. l Scientific name: Elacatinus oceanops. l Size: 5cm/2in. l Tank size: 40 l minimum.

Green star polyp

Fire shrimp Think cleaner shrimp on steroids, and you’ll get an idea of the intensity of markings these guys have. Pricy, but so, so worth it. l Scientific name: Lysmata debelius. l Size: 5cm/2in, plus feelers. l Tank size: 40 l minimum. www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk

MP & C PIEDNOIR, AQUAPRESS.COM

Blue neon goby

l Tank size: 40 l minimum. l Feeding: Carnivore, cleaner that relishes all prepared and frozen or live foods l Temperament: Peaceful, but may harass slow fish, or if kept in too small a tank. l Reef compatible: Can annoy some polyps, but otherwise yes. l Availability and cost: Widely available, from about £17.50.

l Feeding: Carnivore that relishes all prepared and frozen or live foods. l Temperament: Peaceful. l Reef compatible: Yes. l Availability and cost: Not hard to source, but expect prices of £25 upwards.

l Placement in tank: Middle There are a few kinds of ‘GSP’ to top. knocking about, but all are quite similar and easy to care for, while l Feeding: Benefits from occasional microplankton giving great coverage and colour! feeds. l Scientific name: Briareum/ l Availability and cost: Very Pachyclavularia. common, frags may start for l Lighting: Mid to high. just £10. l Flow: Mid to high.

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revolver ocelot, creative commons

Stocking

l Flow: Moderate to low. l Position in tank: All levels. l Feeding: Benefits from occasional microplankton feeds. l Availability and cost: Very common, from just £10 for small colonies.

Dwarf blue leg hermit Be careful not to mistake these for larger, less friendly Electric blue hermit crabs which can bother polyps. Provide extra shells for it to move into as it grows. l Scientific name: Clibanarius tricolor. l Size: 2.5cm/1in.

Mushroom leather coral Technically not a ‘true’ turbo snail, they are algae grazers that help keep tanks clean. Do not house these alongside hermit crabs, which will attack and eat them before stealing their shells. l Scientific name: Astraea tecta.

Zoa colony From the cheap and drab, to polyps that cost hundreds of pounds per head, there is a zoa for everyone. Colourful, easy corals with a massive global following. l Scientific name: Zoanthus sp. l Lighting: Moderate.

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Big, brown and cumbersome, but almost bulletproof and great space fillers. There are many types of mushroom and leather corals to choose from. l Scientific name: Sarcophyton sp. l Lighting: Moderate to high.

l Size: 2.5cm/1in. l Tank size: 30 l minimum. l Feeding: Algae grazer. l Temperament: Peaceful. l Reef compatible: Yes. l Availability and cost: Very common, starting around £2.95.

l Flow: Moderate. l Position in tank: All levels. l Feeding: Benefits from occasional microplankton feeds. l Availability and cost: Very common, from £20 upwards.

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Turbo snail

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l Tank size: 30 l minimum. l Feeding: Grazer, but offer flakes and frozen fare. l Temperament: Peaceful. l Reef compatible: Yes. l Availability and cost: Common, starting from around £2.95.

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Available in a range of shapes and colours, these reproduce slowly, but are very hard to kill off! Particularly attractive under actinic lighting. l Scientific name: Actinodiscus sp. l Lighting: Moderate.

pfk/neil hepworth

alamy

Mushroom rock

l Flow: Moderate. l Position in tank: Middle to top. l Feeding: Benefits from occasional microplankton feeds. l Availability and cost: Very common, from just £10 for small colonies.

Pulsing Xenia

The polyps beat and move of their own accord, with mesmerising movement. But it can dominate a tank if left to grow rampant, and some consider it a pest. l Scientific name: Xenia sp. l Lighting: Moderate to high. l Flow: Moderate.

l Position in tank: Mid to bottom. l Feeding: Benefits from occasional microplankton feeds. l Availability and cost: Very common, from around £10 upwards.

PFK MARINE GUIDE

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Your Local Marine Specialists

Visit your local Aquatics store for great advice and ďŹ sh that really catch your eye

PHOTOGRAPHY: MAIDENHEAD AQUATICS

Feeding your marine

AQUARIUM

How best do you cater for the different dietary requirements of the fish and other livestock in your aquarium?

O

ver countless generations, reef fishes have evolved to fill every available niche.

In order to live alongside such a staggering number of species — including some close relatives, many have developed specialisations in order to beat the competition.

In some groups such as butterflyfishes, adaptive radiation has given rise to fish that can share the same home range whilst variously feeding on plankton, algae, reef-dwelling crustaceans, tubeworms, anemones and corals.

Such is the drive to specialise, that some of these fishes only eat one or two prey items in a situation that mirrors the famously picky bamboomunching Giant panda on dry land. These specialists are the glamorous heartbreakers that defy efforts to feed them in captivity, whereas the adaptable generalists thrive on a carefully selected menu of artificial foods.

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At the other extreme, grazers such as tangs will consume a range of different algaes, giving a nutritional profile that cannot be readily duplicated by presenting them with one or two dried seaweeds to snack on.

Since opening our first store in 1984, we at Maidenhead Aquatics have seen a similar evolution in the feeding of captive marine creatures and with over 150 stores to run, we’re able to see first-hand what works in both our systems and the home set-ups of thousands of hobbyists. As many species are either plankton feeders that live amongst a steady stream of food, or grazers that spend most of their day eating, it’s important to present feeding opportunities throughout the day.

After the rigours of transportation, animals in these categories will respond well to even hourly feeds to regain condition and healthy immune response. Of course this isn’t always practical and it is why we developed the Aqua Grazing

pod feeder, which can be adjusted to dispense a variety of foods on demand.

Given the many ‘trophic guilds’ of reef fish and the fact that compatible aquarium communities normally consist of differing types, it’s clear to see that feeding your home aquarium means catering for a range of needs. Traditionally, frozen foods have been the staple of captive diets but as can be seen, wild fish eat a wide range of items with different nutritional qualities.

TIP

Terrestrial greens such as lettuce are normally produced using lots of fertiliser and systemic pesticides and as a result they are best avoided as foods for your fish.

Tangs feeding on Nori in the aquarium.

PFK MARINE GUIDE

Advertisement feature Frozen and live natural foods Live and frozen foods have a place in the diets of captive fish and, even if their nutritional value is taken out of the equation, these can be useful for newly-imported specimens, which may struggle to recognise artificial diets as food. An important aspect of keeping intelligent creatures in captivity is enrichment and in simple terms, presenting a variety of foods at different times makes the lives of your pets more interesting.

The use of enriched frozen foods or vitamin/garlic supplements is to be encouraged but note that frozen foods are best thawed and rinsed before use to avoid adding juices that can lead to increased dissolved nutrient levels. So it makes sense to add supplements after rinsing.

For predators consuming large

items like river shrimp, ‘gut loading’ feeders with a quality flake shortly before use can increase their nutritional value enormously.

A selection of live organisms are now available alongside the ubiquitous brine shrimp and adding animals such as copepods will benefit tricky feeders like dragonets, as well as corals and other invertebrates. Add rotifers and live phytoplankton to this growing menu and the scope for feeding invertebrates properly is very promising.

For invertebrates such as corals and anemones, ensure that wet foods are soaked in aquarium water to avoid osmotic problems. A chunk of fish or shrimp containing fresh water can be problematic for any coral that then finds itself with an internal salinity issue.

Dry foods offer a complete diet and they can make a real difference to the health of your fish.

Target feeding may be necessary for more secretive species.

Flake, pellets and granules Dried foods can and should be used as a staple for all fish that accept them and there’s a good range with much to recommend them. Our trials have shown excellent results using the Dr Bassleer Biofoods made by Aquarium Münster, which seem to be readily taken by most fish. Both flake and granular formats are available and the best of these are fortified with immunostimulants that can make a real difference to your fishes’ health, especially during periods of stress. As a nod to the innate foraging behaviour of some species, other foods are now available that can be made into pastes and applied to rocks or coral skeletons.

Dried foods are no longer just for fish. We’re now seeing pellets designed for corals and other inverts. As well as pellets for gross-feeding LPS corals and anemones, finer particle foods suitable for SPS are now available and these are rich in amino-acids and plankton substitutes that can serve to nourish your reef in ways previously impossible. We’ve recently seen exciting results with Microbe-Lift’s range, which has

been causing a stir in a number of our marine-specialised stores.

For the most demanding filter feeders, liquid phytoplankton substitutes offer a way to simplify their maintenance.

You can trust that lots of research has gone into developing a dry food to be as complete a diet as possible and by presenting your pets with a wide and varied diet, you can rest assured that they will be well-nourished and stimulated.

Another advantage of formats such as granular dry food is the ability to use them in automatic feeders, making their use as holiday rations or the hourly provision of food feasible, even when there’s nobody home. On this subject, it’s clear that well-nourished pets fare better during periods of absence such as holidays. A well-trained human caretaker is still the best option for holiday feeding and combined with some of the remote-monitoring technology and the phone number of your favourite trusted aquatic store, your pets shouldn’t complain too much about the catering.

FIND A STORE NEAR YOU Maidenhead Aquatics was established in 1984 and is now the UK’s largest leading specialist aquatic retailer with stores throughout England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland. To locate your nearest branch, visit www.fishkeeper.co.uk

www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk

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Live rock and

FILTERS Keeping the tank clean is the role of filtration.

Here are your options for the marine aquarium.

Traditional filters

Internal or external canisters, or sump units that sit under the tank, are the classic methods of filtration, and all work on similar premises. They are designed to house various media types, each of which play a role in keeping water quality at its peak.

Mechanical filters are usually foams, bags or screens. Their purpose is to do nothing more than sift out the solid waste like uneaten flakes of food or fish faeces. They can clog quickly, depending on how fine they are and need regular cleaning. Many foams will eventually need

replacing as they lose their shape or ‘memory’. If they fail to return to their original shape when you squeeze them, it’s time to get them swapped.

Biological filter media could look as simple as pieces of chopped piping, or as complex as baked-clay granules, but both serve the same purpose. They have high surface areas designed to house the many bacteria that facilitate the nitrogen cycle. If they become smothered in waste, they lose efficiency, and so they’re almost always found after mechanical filters in any layout.

Aiptasia anemones are commArtificial ‘live rock’ can be good value — and pest free.

Vodka for tea?

You might hear reference to using vodka dosing to keep live rock tip-top. Vodka is a liquid carbon source that will feed anaerobic bacteria, but needs to be handled with extreme care as even a slight overdose will be lethal to livestock. Avoid vodka dosing until you have found your reefkeeping feet and feel competent in all other areas of marine keeping. NEVER add vodka willy-nilly to a tank.

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Biological filter media needs to be handled carefully. For instance, rinsing it with tapwater will kill off the beneficial bacteria, and removing or replacing any can have a severe impact on the filter’s function.

Chemical filters were traditionally in the form of carbon, though increasingly aquarists are using filters with nitrate pellets or Rowaphos to enhance their water quality. Many of the best chemical filters are designed to either stand alone or act as devices within a sump, and may require their own pumps.

‘Life’ rock As an alternative to collected live rock, some companies manufacture an entirely synthetic ‘life’ rock, which is as porous as the real thing, and seeded with a freeze-dried version of the bacteria involved with nitrification.

Life rock comes without any of the additional organisms, but also an absence of any pests. It can be good value, retailing at around half the price of good quality live rock, and after only a short time it starts to look like the real thing — especially if a few small pieces of real live rock are strategically mixed in with it.

There are a few brands available, but a good one is Caribsea’s Life Rock, which comes artificially coloured as though coated with encrusting algae. Even experienced marine keepers are often unable to tell real and artificial live rock apart once it has become fully established in a tank.

Base rock and reef bones

As well as the bright ‘finished’ live rock, you’ll also see cheaper, less colourful rock on sale, often marketed as base rock. This has the same porous nature as live rock, and can house bacteria, but is lacking on algae and other desirable growth. It’s excellent at providing a foundation structure in a tank where lots of live rock will be used, allowing you to build up high structures and then top them with premium live rock. This makes bigger set ups all the more affordable!

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Equipment

Live rock acts as a natural filter in the reef tank.

Live rock Most reef tanks now incorporate live rock as an integral part of the filtration. Live rock is made up of old, dead corals from across reefs, and acts as a natural filter, exploiting the waste that a reef generates. When bought in quantity and added to an aquarium, it is found that there is enough bacterial activity to cope with the pollution produced by a typically stocked reef tank.

Live rock varies wildly in quality, and can be expensive for the high grade types — don’t be surprised about forking out several hundred pounds on rock alone, if you want a successful tank. Fiji live rock is considered the best standard, but do be cautious as traders of ill

repute are known to put any old live rock under the ‘Fiji’ category.

Although you can scale up and down accordingly, a standard ‘rate’ for live rock is around 1kg per 10 l of water. So, for a 150 l/33 gal tank, you want 15kg or more live rock.

Live rock uses both ordinary nitrifying bacteria, but because it is so deep and dense, it can also help to denitrify — that is to remove phosphates and nitrates through anaerobic bacterial function. However, as this process usually requires additional carbon, it’s worth looking at liquid supplements for this.

Good live rock brings more than just bacteria. As it is harvested

from reefs, it comes with plenty of added inhabitants. There may be sponges, molluscs, and even small crabs and shrimps. Given time, these can proliferate in the tank, for a natural reef look.

Many a marine keeper has sprouted an unexpected coral from their live rock!

When buying live rock, the first thing to check is the look of it.

Good live rock will be colourful, with plenty of pink and purple algae, as well as possible tufts of macroalgae. Avoid rocks with rounded ‘balls’ of algae (a nuisance type) or green and brown slime algae.

Next, use your nose. A good piece of rock will have a smell a

ALAMY

Aiptasia are common hitchhikers on live rock, and can reach plague proportions.

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little like a beach at low tide. If rock smells ‘earthy’ or like rotting matter, reject it.

Always buy cured live rock. Rock that has just been transported will have died back in transit, and will be heavy with pollutants. For a period, it needs to be flushed and allowed to re-establish itself, and this is what a good retailer will do before putting it up for sale. You may even note large ‘curing vats’ in your store, from which rock is not even sold. Curing your rock at home is feasible, but it’s not economically viable, as you’d need a large holding tank (not the destination tank), a large protein skimmer and a lot of water changing!

Live rock pests As well as the good stuff from the reef, you can sometimes get unwanted guests inside live rock.

Sudden clicking or ‘gunshot’ sounds from the tank could indicate a pistol or mantis shrimp, while savaged corals could indicate a destructive crab.

The other typical hitchhiker is the Aiptasia ‘anemone’. This small anthozoan looks innocuous enough at first, but it grows, stinging all in its path and reproducing until it reaches epidemic proportions. Control involves directly targeting each individual Aiptasia and injecting it with a clogging substance, or trying natural methods such as Aiptasia-eating nudibranchs.

Always inspect your live rock for visitors like these before buying, and look at neighbouring rocks as well.

If the sale tank is infested with Aiptasia, the chances are, your purchased pieces of rock will be too!

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Go SHOPPING! Pending which kind of system you want, there are various pieces of hardware and sundries to buy. Here’s a rundown of the most common kit…

If you have chosen not to use live rock in your tank, a filter will be essential. In ascending order of efficiency, your options are internal canister, external canister or sump. Internal canisters, while cheap, may struggle to provide ample biological filtration in a marine tank (especially a reef tank) and you’ll be better saving for a larger alternative.

External canisters provide good flow and plenty of space for different filter media, but will need regular cleaning to function optimally. With marine tanks, it is worth considering a slightly larger model than you require, as this will be more versatile if you need supplementary chemical filters at a later date. A Fluval 406 external canister filter costs around £149.99.

Sumps are where the magic happens, but generally require your tank to be drilled and for permanent pipes and fittings to be attached to it. Sumps sit underneath the tank, and can house far more media than other types of filters.

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A sump may also house a refugium or algae filter, where natural sea mud and/or macroalgaes are kept under a separate light — as the algae grows it strips nitrate and phosphate from the water.

Evolution Aqua’s eaReefPro system is fitted with a sump — the sumps are also available as standalone units from £99 RRP.

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Filter

Lighting Lighting these days is a toss-up between fluorescent tubing and LED (light emitting diodes).

Fluorescent is cheap to buy initially, but it has high running costs (big tanks may require hundreds of watts of lighting power), and produces huge amounts of heat. Because of the wide spectrum of light required by different corals, many marine tanks run with multiple tubes at once. As the tubes only have a limited lifespan, they need frequent replacement — often annually. If not replaced, they will start to promote algae growth while stunting coral development, even though they may still look bright.

LED is the golden child of marine lighting. Quality units are expensive to purchase (hundreds of pounds is normal) but offer unrivalled lifespan (50,000 hours or more) and controllability. They consume

iQuatics fluorescent canopy (top) and Kessil’s Tuna Blue LED light. considerably less energy to produce the same output as fluorescent tubes.

The controllability of LED has given rise to software that emulates exact daylight patterns over coral reefs, including sunrise and sunset, moonlight (following lunar cycles) and even thunderstorms and cloud cover!

Beware of cheap, unbranded LEDs offered in online marketplaces. These may make bold claims about their capabilities, and as the old saying goes — if it looks too good to be true, it probably is!

Not all LEDs are the same, and quality varies massively — possibly more than in any other are of marine keeping. A high quality Kessil A160 Tuna Blue LED will cost around £199.95 — though you may need multiples!

An iQuatics fluorescent canopy with six tubes and tank mounting brackets will cost around £240.

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Equipment Protein skimmer The skimmer is a piece of essential marine gear, and worth taking time to familiarise yourself with. Protein skimmers use an air/water interface to remove protein from the water — usually a mist of fine bubbles. That means they need plenty of fine tuning in order to work properly.

There are hundreds of skimmers available, almost all in the same format of a long upright chamber with a collection cup on top. Some will sit in a sump, while others will hang on to the back of a tank. With the sump designs, it’s essential not to get a model too tall to fit, while hang on models need ample space in order to return their water flows — tanks with fitted lids may not be able to accommodate one. A hang-on V2Skim 300 from TMC will cost around £104.99.

Hang-on V2Skim 300 protein skimmer.

Heater A thermostatically controlled heater (called a heaterstat in the hobby) sits inside the tank (or the sump if you have one) and is either controlled with a digital setting, or a manual dial found on top. Cheap heaters are riskier, and more prone to sticking on or off at any time. In a tank with rocks, there are ‘unbreakable’ heaters available for extra peace of mind, though they do cost more.

Alternatively, Hydor makes a range of external heaters which connect to an existing length of hose (usually the return from a canister filter) and stay out of sight below the tank. Though good, they are the more expensive option. An in-tank, 300W heater like the Newa Therm VTX300 will cost you around £31.89.

Hydrometer/ refractometer Even if not mixing your own salt, you need to monitor the levels continuously and adjust in the event of evaporation.

Refractometers are my preferred method of checking, and will set you back from £29.99 upwards.

Flow pumps Many major companies make circulation pumps, and most are pretty good — just avoid those with metal parts that are designed for freshwater use only! Simple pumps are cheap enough, but if you want waves and surges for reefs, you’ll need a controller and the right pumps to accompany.

Pumps like the Fluval Sea CP range shown here start at around £31.40 upwards, and you may need two or more.

Test kit A basic test kit will check for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH, and these are the bare essentials you need to monitor at any time. Consider

splashing out a bit more on a monitoring system like a Seneye Reef system if finances allow. It will set you back around £109.99.

Get the best you can buy, and the best is often the most expensive.

If you are buying pre-mixed saltwater from your retailer, find out which brand of salt they are using and have some on standby.

If their water supply goes down temporarily, you’ll be able to make your own. A 22kg bucket of Red Sea Coral Pro salt (good for over 600 l of water) has a retail price of £89.99. www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk

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Salt

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Fish produce ammonia just by breathing.

Water

ESSENTIALS

Fish swim in, live in, breathe and drink the water around them, so it’s safe to say that by looking after it, you can keep them fit and healthy.

Some chemicals come as a direct result of the fish and the wastes that they excrete. After all, a clownfish can hardly climb out of the tank to use the toilet!

All the effluvia that we humans can simply flush away, fish find themselves trapped alongside in the confines of the tank.

Ammonia: This is fish waste in its rawest form. Ammonia, which comes out of humans in our urine, is excreted by fish directly out of their gills. Their faeces, full of proteins, break down to produce more of it. Uneaten food, a dead fish, a decomposing coral — all these also go on to produce ammonia. It is particularly nasty in warm, alkaline water, which is exactly what we find in marine tanks,

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and even a trace level of it can be lethal. The only safe reading in a tank is an imperceptible one.

Nitrite: Biological filters or live rock house bacteria that convert ammonia into nitrite. Nitrite is much less harmful than ammonia, and although in marine tanks it requires a high amount to be toxic, any presence of it is a sign of serious filter problems that need to be addressed. Like ammonia, the best reading for nitrite is one that cannot be detected on your test kit.

Nitrate: Nitrite is converted by similar bacteria that convert ammonia, and the end result of this conversion is nitrate, which is a much less harmful chemical.

However, at high levels (50ppm upwards), it can become toxic to fish, while at mid levels (10–50ppm) it inhibits the growth of corals and promotes outbreaks of nuisance algae.

Nitrate is usually controlled by a combination of water changes, use of live rock and nitrate reducing filters. Ideal levels are somewhere below 5ppm.

Phosphate: Phosphorous is an

ingredient essential to life, and is introduced to the tank as a part of fish and coral foods.

Phosphate will accumulate in any tank with inadequate water changing regimes, and is especially common in heavily stocked and heavily fed set-ups.

At even low levels, phosphate can cause problems in the development of corals, and ideal readings are somewhere around just 0.5ppm.

DID YOU KNOW? Water will slowly evaporate from your tank, causing the level to fall — especially on warmer tanks with open tops. Note that salt does not evaporate, so as the water level drops, your tank gets more concentrated with it. When topping up your tank due to evaporation, only use freshwater — RO water is ideal for this.

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How fish affect the water

Water Wise up on water

pH: This is the measure of how acid or alkaline a tank is, and one of the least understood topics in fishkeeping. The pH level can be upset in many ways, as most chemicals have acid or base properties. Even carbon dioxide, for example, will make a tank acidic.

The pH is measured on a scale of 0 to 14, with 0 being as acidic as you can get, and 14 being as alkaline as you can get. A perfect balance of acid and alkaline influences will produce water with a pH of 7.0. In a marine tank, you want a pH value 8.1 to 8.3pH, though from 7.5 to 8.5 is acceptable for the hardiest species.

The pH levels can become too low from excess organic waste and lack of water changes. They can be sent too high by the addition of inappropriate amounts of buffers, like kalkwasser. Most importantly, pH should be stable.

A pH that moves from 7.5 to 8.5 every day is considerably more of a problem than a pH steady at 7.5.

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As well as waste from fish, you also need to consider the physical make up of the water, known as its chemistry. As a basic keeper, you should worry primarily about pH, but as you become more involved with corals, you will need to address more and more individual parameters.

Aim for a specific gravity of 1.025 at a temperature of 25°C/77°F.

Alkalinity: Pick up a test kit for alkalinity and you might be baffled by information about ‘CaCO3 equivalents’ or ‘meq/l’.

The easiest way to approach Alkalinity is to know that you want to test for the dKH value of your tank, and you want a dKH value of between 7 and 11°dKH. Anything lower suggests excess organic waste, while more suggests an overdose in a buffer.

Calcium: If keeping corals, you will need to have a steady calcium supply in the water for corals to use when growing their skeletons.

Without it, they will be unable to expand. In the sea, the typical calcium level is 420ppm, and in an aquarium you want to be

WARNING

Mix your saltwater in a bucket or similar vessel. Never add the salt directly to your tank as it is highly caustic and will burn fish and corals if it touches them.

Even the food you give your fish will affect the level of phosphate in the water.

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WHAT IS...? ppt: ‘parts per thousand’ expressed as the grams of any particular substance in one litre of water. For example, 5g of salt in water would give me a dissolved reading of 5ppt, while 20g in one litre would give me 20ppt. ppm: parts per million, a much smaller quantity than ppt measurements at just one milligram of a substance per litre of water. somewhere between 380 and 450ppm. A stable calcium level is possibly the single most important factor in successful reefkeeping.

Magnesium: An essential chemical that interacts with calcium to keep the calcium accessible for coral use. Lacking magnesium will cause calcium in the water to precipitate, making it useless. In a tank, levels need to be between 1250 and 1350ppm.

Salinity: Or more simply ‘salt’.

Salt is the measure of all dissolved minerals in water, not just the sodium chloride that we associate as being table salt. A good quality salt will contain all of the right elements at exactly the right balance for your livestock, and it’s safe to say that with most salts you get what you pay for.

Some are made by collecting from natural regions where seawater has evaporated, leaving the salt behind, while others are manufactured entirely synthetically, blending ingredients until they match the proportions of salt from the oceans.

Salinity is best measured by using a refractometer or hydrometer, and should ideally be set at 35ppt. When testing with a hydrometer, you’ll be calculating the specific gravity of the water (which isn’t the same as salinity)

and are aiming for a reading of around 1.025 at 25°C — but find out what temperature your hydrometer is calibrated to as they can be different. Note that the temperature of water is essential when performing a specific gravity test. Too cold, and the gravity will appear higher than it is, too hot and it’ll appear lower. In tanks without fish, some keepers may go as low as 1.018, but with corals this is not advised.

When initially mixing your salt, you want to use 35g per litre of water, and give it plenty of time to dissolve, ideally using an airstone or pump and mixing the water overnight.

RO vs. tapwater Your aquatic retailer will very likely have reverse osmosis (RO) water on sale, and where available, this is the preferred option for a marine tank.

Tapwater, though readily available, contains a number of toxins, such as heavy metals, as well as nitrates and phosphates, all of which are undesirable in your tank. RO water is free from these impurities.

In fact many aquatic stores now even offer pre-mixed saltwater, with the salinity levels already set. Though it might not be the cheapest option, pre-mixed saltwater is easy to use and usually very consistent.

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SHUTTERSTOCK

The ‘go-to’

GLOSSARY When you start keeping marines, there are heaps of new terms to learn. Here’s a selection of some of the many phrases that you’ll come across in your new hobby. The really important ones to take note of are listed in red.

A type of blue lighting designed to replicate the spectrum found at deeper waters. Can be important for corals in tanks lit using fluorescent tubes.

Activated carbon

A type of filter carbon that’s excellent at removing certain dissolved organic wastes, but may also release phosphates.

Aerobic

Pertains to ‘needing oxygen’.

Many of the essential bacteria in a marine tank are aerobic, and will cease to function in low oxygen levels.

Algae

Naturally occurring plant cells that can be beneficial or detrimental. There are nuisance

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Biomedia

forms, desirable encrusting forms, and essential symbiotic forms.

Rampant algae growth can be a sign of poor husbandry.

In a filter system, the biomedia is the home for aerobic and anaerobic bacteria that convert harmful fish ammonia into less harmful compounds.

Alkalinity

The buffering capacity of water.

Without adequate alkalinity, a marine tank will be subject to dangerous shifts in pH.

Bleaching

A phenomenon where corals release the algae in their tissues and turn white, usually caused by excess heat, light or pollution, and almost always lethal.

Ammonia

The biggest danger your fish will face and a by-product of their metabolisms. Food, faeces, dead fish — all will contribute to ammonia levels. Ammonia is dealt with by filtration.

Calcareous

Anaerobic

Pertains to ‘without oxygen’. In modern marine tanks, certain bacteria require oxygen deficient conditions to function.

SHUTTERSTOCK

Actinic

Anything made from calcium carbonate. Many corals rely on calcareous skeletons, and encrusting algae features it heavily in its tissue.

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Glossary Calcium carbonate A principal ingredient in carbonate hardness or KH of water, and essential to buffer the alkalinity. Water lacking calcium carbonate is a major problem.

Chemical filter A resin or other synthetic filter designed to remove targeted waste from water. Usually has a limited lifespan.

Copepod

Nitrate

Tiny planktonic organisms essential to the wellbeing of filter feeders such as certain corals.

Copepods can play a vital role in aquarium upkeep.

The end result of the nitrogen cycle in aquaria.

Nitrate can cause algae problems and impact on coral growth.

Cured/uncured Pertains to the state of live rock offered for sale. Cured live rock has had a period of acclimation where any decaying matter has been diluted away and bacterial colonies re-established. Uncured rock needs curing before it can be used in a tank.

The process of removing nitrates and other nitrogen compounds directly from water. Traditionally, anaerobic filters are the most common denitrifiers.

Detritus

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Denitrification

LED

The solid waste and debris that accumulates in a tank and requires periodic removal.

Abbreviation for ‘light emitting diode’, the current choice of lighting for marine keepers due to its versatility, low running costs and long lifespan.

Fluidised bed A filter type that relies on suspending filter media in a current, causing it to move.

Fluidised beds are essential with some media.

LFS Impeller

Interaction and management of the tank. Cleaning, feeding and testing are all examples of aquarium husbandry.

Hypoxia A condition of suffocation, brought about by a lack of oxygen, mainly caused if flow is compromised, water is polluted, temperature is too high, or if tanks are too dirty.

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Husbandry

The working part of any pump, this is a spinning circle of vanes set atop a magnet (usually). The impeller is the core of any circulation system and needs regular cleaning.

Kalkwasser A solution of calcium hydroxide used by some keepers to maintain a high alkalinity, calcium and pH level. It is incredibly caustic and must be handled with care.

Abbreviation for ‘local fish store’.

Live rock The heart of most modern reef tanks, it is rock collected from reefs and naturally colonised with the aerobic and anaerobic bacteria required for successful nitrification and denitrification in a tank. Bought either cured or uncured.

Macroalgae Large species of algae which can be invaluable in removing nitrates from aquarium water.

Mechanical filter Any filter which removes solid chunks of waste from fish faeces to tiny particles. Foams, meshes, socks, nets and screens are all kinds of mechanical filter, and all require regular cleaning to stay efficient.

Nitrifying bacteria The bacteria involved in the nitrogen cycle that convert ammonia and nitrite into nitrate, rendering it less harmful.

Nitrite The chemical into which ammonia is converted by nitrifying bacteria.

Its action in saltwater makes it less of a concern than in freshwater, yet it remains a problem that needs close monitoring.

Nitrogen cycle The conversion of waste from raw ammonia and faeces as excreted by fish and inverts, as performed by aerobic, nitrifying bacteria. The nitrogen cycle needs to be understood intimately for any success in marine keeping.

pH Nano Has a wide definition, but colloquially means any tank of around 60 l/13 gal capacity or less.

Nano tanks are popular for their affordability, but often have high husbandry demands.

A glass or swing-arm device that is used to measure the dissolved levels of salt in water.

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Hydrometer

The measure of how acidic or alkaline a substance is, on a scale of 0 to 14. 7.0pH is neutral, while above is alkaline, and below is acidic. The level of natural seawater is around 8.2pH, and acceptable levels in tanks span from around 7.5pH to 8.5pH, pending species.

Phosphate An inorganic salt which is a by-product of feeding fish and numerous other sources, phosphate can stunt coral growth and cause algae problems. It is controlled by water changes, or products like Rowaphos.

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Symbiosis

JACQUES PORTAL

the interaction of two organisms for the benefit of both. Some fish live symbiotically with certain invertebrates, and a majority of corals live with symbiotic algae in their tissues.

Protein skimmer

Photoperiod the duration of light a tank is subject to over 24 hours. Many problems with algae and coral growth may be traced back to the length of the photoperiod.

Refractometer An accurate device for measuring salinity and specific gravity in marine water. It works with an eyepiece and gives fast results.

Rowaphos A type of ferric hydroxide material which is used to remove phosphate from water, widely regarded as the ‘standard’ marine phosphate remover.

ShUTTERSTOCk

A device that removes protein from water, denying it the opportunity to break down into harmful ammonia.

Most protein skimmers are fickle devices that need regular cleaning and flow adjustments.

Salinity/specific gravity Salinity refers to the amount of salt dissolved in water, and is often measured as specific gravity or SG, using a hydrometer or refractometer. As increasing salt levels are added to the water, it becomes denser, and a hydrometer will measure this by demonstrating how much it is being pushed out of the water.

Appropriate SG readings vary slightly pending the livestock you are keeping.

Testing Analysing the water through means of a test kit to check the environmental parameters. testing reveals the presence of pollutants like ammonia and nitrite, and allows monitoring of water chemistry such as pH values. It is one of the single most essential tasks for a marine keeper, and may be undertaken in one of several ways.

Water change the periodic removal of old tank

water and replacement with water from a fresh source, which dilutes down the pollutants such as nitrate and phosphate amongst others.

Water changes are essential in the maintenance of marine tanks.

Zooxanthellae the symbiotic algae that live within the tissues of corals and provide energy for their hosts. they are essential for the survival of most coral types.

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In aquaria this pertains to reverse osmosis water, which is water that has been passed through a semipermeable membrane.

RO water is a pure form of water with minimal mineral and pollutant contamination, and makes a great base supply for water changes once it has had the necessary minerals returned.

Ultraviolet steriliser PFk/NEIL hEPWORTh

PFk/NEIL hEPWORTh

Reverse osmosis (RO)

A device using a bulb that emits a specific wavelength of ultraviolet light, killing bacteria and pathogens. they are usually installed outside of the tank, along a length of pipework where water flows through.

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Vectra

TM

Centrifugal Pump

Vectra M1

Vectra L1

Flow: 2,000 gallons (7,500 liters) per hour Pressure: 21.5� (6.5m) Wattage: 80W

Flow: 3,100 gallons (11,500 liters) per hour Pressure: 21.5� (6.5m) Wattage: 130W