TROPICAL MARINE AQUARIUM: PREPARATION
To build a tropical saltwater aquarium, you need:
- A tub (you can use an aquarium)
- Lights (buy a good LED light, you will have less maintenance problems)
- Filter
- Skimmer
- Heater
- Pumps
- Stable support, where to place the aquarium and take a place for the sump or filter housing
- Coral sand or aragonite substrate
- Live rocks
- Resins for filter insert
- Sump (optional)
For the maintenance of a saltwater aquarium, you will need:
- Refractometer (for checking the water salinity)
- PH nitrate and nitrite test
- Phosphate test
- KH test
- Magnesium
Tropical Marine Aquarium: How to start decorating
Start by documenting the coral and fish species you wish to introduce into the aquarium. If you have a clear idea of what you want to breed, it will become easier to weigh the initial costs.
Soft corals, for example, multiply very easily and do not need clean water, so you will not even need to get tested for nitrates and nitrites if you periodically restock.
If you want to breed hard corals such as Acropora, you will need to monitor the water carefully.
If your focus is less on corals and more on fish, you may want to start a marine aquarium with very few fish.
What is a sump tank? It is an additional tank that acts like a filter. A skimmer and filter media of various nature (resins, sponges) must be inserted in this tank. An oil pan is very handy, but not obligatory. If you choose a sump, you will have to buy a lift pump.
How the sump works
In practice, an aquarium has a main tank connected by a fitting (descent pump) to a secondary tank (called a settling tank), in which foaming agent and other filter media are placed. Once the water enters the sump, it is cleaned and pumped to the main tank by the lift pump.
The sump is convenient in that it includes a separate tank for filling with water. In fact, the aquarium will be subject to constant evaporation, and you will need to monitor the water level and refill. Refilling can be done daily in summer if the aquarium is in a very dry location. Refilling should be done with osmosis water to avoid a salinity peak (which you will have to monitor with a refractometer).
