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S A L T W A T E R . F I S H
M . Y . . A . Q . U . A . R . I . U . M |
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My Aquariums
My current saltwater setup (purchased 10 years ago) is a simple fish only 55g, UGF w/2 Penguin powerheads, Fluval 303 and UV sterilizer. I keep an eye on my water chemistry, fish behavior...and those monthly water changes! I'm considering upgrading my current setup since so many think a protien skimmer is beneficial. There are many posts on this subject on the internet. |
55g SW Livestock: Tank Decorations: Hardware: Supplies: Water change supplies: Decoration cleaning supplies: Medications (Rarely need these...knock wood!): Fish Food: 10g Quarantine tank
Chemical Test Kit Some of their test chemicals are interchangeable with both fresh and saltwater. I emailed them the question and here's the direct quote from Aquarium Systems: "Use in fresh water: [If you have the older kit] You can use the FasTesT reagents with your old SeaTesT vials/chips." My husband, a biochemist, compared the results of their ph test with his lab equipment at work. We were surprised how close the results were. Years ago I phoned them to ask technical questions about SeaCure, their effective copper product. They seem very knowledgeable & helpful. When I recently emailed the question above, they answered promptly.
UV Sterilizer The UV only kills what passes thru the tube and is exposed to the light, so the attached “good” bacteria in the tank isn't harmed. It also kills free-swimming parasites without stressing my fish. Since mine was added to my setup (10 years ago), I've had no cloudy water due to bacteria problems and only experienced a few brief parasite problems brought about by my own carelessness (as in skipping the quarantine tank...bad!). I’ve been successful keeping some of the reputedly more delicate fish with this setup including the Orange Spotted Filefish, Copperband Butterfly, Pakistani Butterfly, Regal Tang, Clown Tang and Cleaner Wrasse. I run it constantly. A couple of cautions:
This site and all photos, graphics & content copyright © Debra Turner Graphics and Mike McCulloch
Pakistani butterfly
Australian Copperband butterfly
Pearlscale butterfly
Longnose butterfly
Longnose Hawkfish
Flame Angel
Cleaner Wrasse
2 Blue Yellow-Tailed Damsels
2" layer fine crushed coral base
3 large pieces coral
3 medium pieces coral
2 sea fans
5 plastic seaweeds, misc sizes
2 large clam shells
Barnacle cluster
Penn-Plax aquarium background
UGF
2 penguin powerheads
Fluval 303 canister filter
Ebojager 150 Heater
8W UV sterilizer
50/50 coralife flourescent light
SeaTest test kit
Sea Buffer
Charcoal
Bio Beads
Magnets for cleaning glass
Brine shrimp net
Fish net
Long plastic tongs
Instant Ocean aquarium salt
Garbage can for pre-mixing saltwater
Instant Dechlor
Xtra Heater
Cheap Air pump, tubing & airstone
Plastic syphon
5g plastic bucket
Lots of old towels!
Regular Chlorox Bleach
AmQuel chlorine/ammonia remover
plastic washtub
2 5g plastic buckets
toothbrush
plastic vegetable brush
Lots of old towels!
SeaCure copper
Maracyn II
Formula One by Ocean Nutrition
Formula Two by Ocean Nutrition
Sally's Emerald Entree for FW & Marine Omnivores by SF Bay Brand
Freeze-dried sheet algae by Ocean Nutrition
Live brineshrimp
Minced raw scallop
Minced raw prawn
Live mussel
Live clam
Hardware:
heater
Air pump & airstone
hang-on filter
A test kit is an absolute must-have item. If I see a problem that's not outwardly obvious with my fish, I can test temp, ph, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate to get some clues. I use the FasTest (formerly SeaTest) kit by Aquarium Systems. The kit refills are widely available.
Ammonia - you can use it in fresh, but the reading may not be exact, it will produce yellow color with zero ammonia and will produce green colors with ammonia present so it will tell you what you need to know Nitrite - will work in fresh water Nitrate - if using in fresh water divide the reading in half pH - will not work in fresh
The UV works very well for me in my fish only tanks. Just be aware it can only kill parasites & bacteria in the free-floating stage, so you shouldn't skip the usual precautions. After going through ich several times and one bacteria wipe-out when I first started, I'll never have another SW tank without one! Wait until the tank has finished cycling before hooking up your UV! Don't run a UV when medicating; the light can change the composition. To maintain effectiveness, replace the bulb every 8 months.
