Setting up and maintaining a salt water aquarium is far more complex than keeping a fresh water (or 'tropical') fish tank but the wide variety of marine animals and plants available to the "reef aquarist" make the required time and dedication well worth the effort.
Things You'll Need
- Aquarium, at least ten gallon capacity (the larger, the easier to maintain)
- Small-grained sea sand
- Sea Salt mix (available at Marine Aquarium stores)
- Under-gravel filter
- Mechanical filter (optional)
- Aquarium heater
- Compact, fluorescent lighting system
- Aquarium Thermometer
- Test kits for Ammonia, Salinity, Nitrates, and pH
- Aquarium-safe rocks or other decorations
- Marine plants (optional)
- Anemones
- Clown Fish
Instructions
Setting Up the Aquarium and the Environment
Clean the aquarium using only water and set it up out of direct sunlight. Avoid cleaning products, as their chemicals are harmful to marine life. A minimum tank size of ten gallons is required, though 25 gallons is recommended.
Install the under-gravel filter, then add fine-grained sand to a height of at least three inches. Slope the sand bed so it gradually rises toward the back of the tank. This focuses attention on the front of the aquarium.
Add water gently to minimize displacement of the sand bedding. If you are using tap water combined with the sea salt mixture let the water stand in a separate container for two days to allow chlorine and any other chemicals to evaporate out.
Install and start the heater and mechanical filter. Set the heater to 78 degrees Fahrenheit.
Add aquarium-safe rocks, marine plants, or other decorations.
Cover the tank and place the flourescent light so it illuminates the tank brightly. The most common practice for marine aquariums is to provide 8 to 14 hours of light daily.
Test the water for salinity and temperature. Salinity should be between 1.024 and 1.026, and temperature should be between 78 and 82 degrees Fahrenheit.
The Nitrogen Cycle
Check the pH level (alkalinity or acidity) of the aquarium. In order to begin the nitrogen cycle the pH level should be between 7.5 and 8.5. If needed, adjust the pH with chemicals readily available at aquarium supply stores.
Introduce your chosen cycle-starting medium. Some people begin this cycle by introducing hearty fish such as Killifish to the aquarium. Their waste begins this cycle with air-borne nitrogen-fixing bacteria. Other methods introduce fishfood, ammonia or a medium from an established aquarium with enough organic material to begin the process. The object is to establish a colony of nitrifying bacteria under the sand that will process waste products from ammonia (which will kill sea life) to nitrites, then to nitrates which are harmless.
Test the water regularly for levels of ammonia and nitrates. During this "conditioning" process these levels will rise and finally spike over a period of about three weeks, then will abruptly fall to zero. Marine fish, anemones, sea horses, or other living creatures must not be introduced into the tank until this initial cycle has been completed.
Add The Anemones and The Fish
Match the species of clownfish with an appropriate species of anemone. Clownfish can live without anemones however their symbiotic interactions make the challenge of keeping anemones well worth the effort.
Introduce the anemone(s) into the aquarium. More than one type can live together in the same tank. Anemones are not harmful to healthy fish or other animals however they will eat sick or injured fish.
Maintain a nitrate level below 15ppm or your anemones may die. A deep sand bed of at least 3 inches will help. Anemones also need a lot of light (to promote growth of the algae that provides a major part of their diet), good water movement, and food such as krill, shrimp,or small fish.
Feed the anemone by placing food in its tentacles. In a few seconds it will begin to fold around the food. An anemone new to your aquarium may not eat for several weeks.
Add the clown fish to the tank. More than one fish can occupy one anemone. Once occupancy has been established the fish may sometimes feed its anemone.
Avoid keeping different species of clownfish in the same aquarium as they may become aggressive and territorial.
Observe the behavior of the clownfish in the anemone. If two differently sized fish spend a lot of time together they may mate. The female lays pink to red eggs on a flat surface close to the anemone. Providing such a surface may encourage pre-breeding behavior of biting or pecking at the surface to clean it.
Both fish will guard the eggs until they hatch, which they usually do at dusk after about five days. The male may continue to guard the young until they reach sexual maturity.