Title: #1 Way For Your Saltwater Aquarium Setup Word Count: 995

Choosing A Tank

Summary: Following on from our introduction to saltwater aquariums this segment is design ed to give you some idea of a typical saltwater aquarium setup. The type of saltwater aquarium setup you choose depends on a few factors. For ex ample, the kinds of species you want to stock, the space you have available, and your budget. In general you will want to buy the biggest saltwater aquarium set up you can afford that will fit nicely into your living environment. This is so that your ... Keywords:

Article Body: Following on from our introduction to saltwater aquariums this segment is design ed to give you some idea of a typical saltwater aquarium setup. The type of saltwater aquarium setup you choose depends on a few factors. For ex ample, the kinds of species you want to stock, the space you have available, and your budget. In general you will want to buy the biggest saltwater aquarium set up you can afford that will fit nicely into your living environment. This is so that your fish and other animals can have the most comfort possible a s they grow. The fish and other invertebrates that you choose to stock your tank with need enough space to swim and grow in and enough oxygen to survive. When y ou choose a saltwater aquarium setup remember that these two factors are determi ned mainly by the size of the tank. So let s talk about the oxygen component of a saltwater aquarium setup. The amount of oxygen in the water is related to the tanks surface area. This means the amo unt of area on the tank s surface that is exposed to the air. The greater the surf ace area of your saltwater aquarium setup, the more room there is for exchange o f oxygen to happen at the surface. The more oxygen that is allowed to enter the tank and the more harmful gases lik e carbon dioxide are allowed to leave the healthier your saltwater aquarium setu p will be. The oxygen content of the water is also influenced by its temperature . In general, the warmer the water, the lower the oxygen content will be. Most marine species from the tropics like water that is 75 degrees or higher so this means that less oxygen is going to be available to them. This is when it be comes important to increase the surface of the tank by making sure your saltwate r aquarium setup is as large as possible. How do you do this? There is no typical saltwater aquarium setup. Marine tanks c ome in a variety of shapes and size, but it is the shape of the tank, not its vo lume that influences surface area. This means that even where two tanks have ide ntical volumes they might not have the same surface area depending on their shap e. A saltwater aquarium setup that is tall and slender won t get a good rate of ga s exchange. An ideal design would be one that is short and wide.

Once you ve chosen your tank its time to start thinking about its residents. Of co urse the size of your tank is going to dictate how many fish and invertebrates i t can house. The main thing to avoid in your saltwater aquarium setup is overcro wding. Too many inhabitants and your tank s filtration system will be overloaded. Fish living in cramped conditions become stressed and this can lead to illness a nd death. You can calculate how many fish your saltwater aquarium setup will hold by stock ing one inch of fish per four gallons of water for a period of six months. After this period increase the number of fish slowly to one inch per two gallons. Thi s means that a 40 gallon aquarium should not contain more than 10 inches of fish for the first six months. So, for example, you might choose one 3-inch queen angel, two 1-inch clownfish, one 2-inch regal tang, one 1-inch bicolor blenny and two 1-inch Beau Gregory s. On ce the six month period is over you could increase the total number of inches in your saltwater aquarium setup to 20. Of course, your fish are going to grow so you have to adjust for the changing si zes of your fish. The shape of your fish is also important. If your fish are lik ely to be on the heavy side you will need to stick to the low end of the capacit y of your saltwater aquarium setup. A saltwater aquarium setup will cost you time and money so accept this and don t s kimp. Even if you devote considerable time and effort to a small tank you can st ill encounter problems. If you choose the wrong one initially you will probably end up having to buy another one and this may be discouraging. In short, if you don t have the money to buy a tank that s at least 30 gallons, don t invest any money at all. When you choose a saltwater aquarium setup there are many options. You can choos e from glass and acrylic and you can even get reef-ready styles complete with pr e-drilled holes for equipment and plumbing. Glass tanks sealed with silicon rubb er cement are a common choice. Rectangle designs are popular but they are also f ound in octagon and hexagon. They are non-toxic and don t scratch easily. The downside to a glass saltwater aquarium setup is that they are heavy. This me ans that large tanks will have very thick glass. Try to find one with a plastic frame that will make the tank more stable. Plated glass is shatterproof but not as strong as tempered. An acrylic saltwater aquarium setup is molded with few seams so they are more tr ansparent. However your view may still be distorted at the corners. Acrylic tank s are not as heavy as glass and so come in a wider variety of shapes and sizes. Acrylic is also stronger than glass. On the downside acrylic tanks can get scrat ched and are more expensive than glass. They are easily scratched by algae scrap ers and decorations. It is possible to buff these marks out with a special kit. Whichever saltwater aquarium setup you choose make sure it provides a healthy en vironment for your fish. You also need to make sure that you can afford to maint ain it properly and that it suits your lifestyle and available time. Once you ha ve everything set up correctly you will be able to enjoy the colorful antics and shapes of your fishy friends, corals and other invertebrates. Enjoy the wonderf ul world of your saltwater aquarium!