How to Set Up a Household Water Tank System

Select the location in your house where your saltwater tank is going to be placed. Make sure that it is not in an area that has drafts or regular temperature fluctuations as this can affect the water's temperature. The tank needs to be in a space that you can get to easily as you are going to have to do regular maintenance to keep the water and tank safe for the animals to live in.

Make a list of items that you will need including the size and dimensions of the fish tank, the tank stand, live rock or coral, food and water treatment supplies, lighting system, water heater, filter and sump pump, and fish. Choose a tank that has the largest water surface area that you can as bigger tanks stay cleaner. You will need 1 to 2 pounds of live rock per tank gallon and 1/2 to 1 pound of sand substrate for the tank's bottom.

Do research when deciding on what species of fish that you are going to purchase to make sure that you buy ones that will get along with each other. Buy one fish per every gallon of water that your tank can hold. Larger fish will need more room, so keep this in mind as well.

Choose a stand that can hold the weight of your aquarium. Water weighs more than most people think, at 10 pounds per gallon of water. This means that a 55-gallon tank weighs around 550-pounds when it is filled. The live rock or coral, sand substrate, and filter equipment add to the weight of the tank as well. A fully stocked tank with 1 pound of sand and 2 pounds of live rock per gallon adds 110-pounds to the tank, which makes a fully stocked 55-gallon aquarium weigh 660 pounds in total.

Rinse out your tank with plain tap water. Do not use soap as it will leave behind chemical residues that can kill your saltwater fish. Wipe it down with paper towels. Fill the tank up with water to check the seals to make sure that there are no leaks before you begin setting it up.

Place the aquarium stand in place. Plug in the power strip and place it within easy reach on the floor. Tape the background to the interior of the tank, taping all the way across the top to prevent salt from creeping in between the background and the tank glass.

Install the tank water heater. Hook up the filter and protein skimmer, but do not plug them in yet.

Fill the 5-gallon bucket with water. Treat it with chlorine and chloramine remover, such as Tetra AquaSafe for Aquariums. Let the water sit until it reaches room temperature. Slowly add the salt mix to the water. Test the salt content of the water with the hydrometer or refractometer. The water's specific gravity needs to be between 1.021 and 1.024. Pour this into the aquarium. Continue filling the bucket and mixing salt water until the aquarium is filled. Plug in and turn on the water filter and let it run for two days.

Cure your live rock by removing some of the aquarium water with the bucket and set it aside. Place the live rock down into the middle of the tank and aim the filter's power-heads at the rock to allow it to siphon up any debris in the water. Curing the rock will take anywhere from 1 week to 2 months depending on its condition when you purchase it. Every 2 days turn off the filter and prepare a mix of room-temperature salt water. Put on rubber kitchen gloves and scrub off the live rock with a plastic bristle brush to remove any dead or dying coral while holding it in the tank. Clean up the debris and refill the tank with saltwater.

Test the water for ammonia, nitrite and nitrates. When the water reads 0 ammonia, and 0 nitrites and smells like the ocean instead of bad water, it is time to add the sand to the tank. Mix 2 gallons of saltwater in the 5-gallon bucket. Add the sand to the bucket and stir it. Siphon off any dirt or debris that floats to the surface. Drain half of the water out of the bucket. Using a plastic cup, add the sand to the bottom of the tank. Remove any sand that accidentally gets on the live rock with the filter power head.

Let the aquarium sit for a few days to allow the sand to settle. Check the salinity, pH, ammonia, nitrite, nitrates and carbonate hardness levels and correct them, if necessary, by following the testing strips packaging instructions. The water needs to be at a temperature of 75 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Nitrates need to be at 20 ppm or less, and the carbonate hardness of 7 to 10 dKH.

Once you have maintained the proper chemical balances in the water, it is time to add the fish. Add them one or two at a time. Dump both the fish and the water into the 5-gallon bucket, and add 1 cup of aquarium water to the bucket every 10 minutes to help the fish get acclimated to your aquarium tank. After an hour of doing this, the fish are ready to be added to the tank. Hold off feeding the fish until the second day home to allow them to get acquainted with the new tank.

Monitor the temperature and salinity levels of your aquarium every day. Once a month, clean the tank and change out 20 to 25 percent of the water. This will reduce the nitrates and replenish the water to keep your fish and coral healthy. Mix the salt water the day before you do this to let it sit over night and get it to room temperature.