How to Landscape a Salt Water Aquarium

Marine fish and invertebrate animals, such as sea anemones, require an aquarium habitat that is similar to the coral reef. Fish like wrasse sleep under the sea sand at night and require a substrate that is not too abrasive to their skin. Aragonite is the best choice because the grains are fine in texture and not too large. Aragonite will also release minerals and trace elements into the water to replace those that have been used by the animals. Rocks that are covered in living sponges and other sea life are not only an attractive addition to the aquarium, but serve to also biologically filter the water .

Things You'll Need

  • 60-gallon salt water aquarium
  • 17 pounds synthetic sea salt
  • 20 pounds aragonite sea sand
  • 30 pounds living rock
  • Long plastic aquarium tongs
  • Long-handled aquarium net
  • Five pieces of living coral
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Instructions

    • 1

      Place 5 pounds of aragonite into a 10-gallon bucket and rinse thoroughly under a garden tap. Rinse the aragonite until all dust, debris and detritus has been washed away.

    • 2

      Fill a long-handled net with the clean aragonite and place the net carefully into the aquarium. Hold the net just above the base of the aquarium and using the long plastic aquarium tongs, take hold of the bottom of the net and gently tip the gravel out.

    • 3

      Rinse more aragonite and continue to add it to the aquarium until all the gravel has been cleaned and placed.

    • 4

      Remove any obviously dead invertebrate life, such as sponges and higher algae, from the live rock using the tip of a knife. Although termed live rock, the rock itself is not alive, but it is covered with living invertebrate creatures.

    • 5

      Spread out the rock to allow for water movement between the individual pieces. Do not simply stack pieces of rock as you would bricks. Cover the base of each piece of rock with sand, as it would be the case in nature

    • 6

      Place a long, flat piece of rock across the top of two other pieces to create a cave. The fish will shelter under this overhang to escape the bright aquarium lights if they so choose.

    • 7

      Position pieces of living coral onto or between the pieces of live rock. Although living coral grows, it is incapable of movement and will remain in the position that you choose to display it.