The Best Guide for Starting a Reef Tank

There is never a bad time to jump into the world of reef aquariums. You might have never owned an aquarium or just starting the move from freshwater to saltwater tanks now is the perfect time to dive headfirst into the saltwater.

The best decision you can make is to branch out to the underwater world filled with colors and all sorts of different creatures. You want to become an official reefer and the benefits of maintaining and running your own personal slice of the ocean are not limited.

所以你决定享受视觉和emotional benefits of reef aquariums but alas where do you start? Taking the first step is always the hardest. What do you purchase? How do you keep saltwater fish alive? How do you feed a coral? What water parameters do I need to worry about? What are algae and what type of aquarium lighting do I need?

Learn from the Professionals – Reef Builders® Guide

Reef Builders is the source for the Aquatics industry and future hobbyists like you. We’ve been keeping reef aquariums for well over 30 years, keeping them is one thing however, diving in the wild is another altogether. We’re not armchair experts like so many other spammy content sites – we actually alldive in the oceanand our careers are centered around saltwater. Check out our关于我们页面看看我们的团队以及我们如何开始。实际上，礁石建筑商已在CNN，MSNBC上列出，并在科学论文和开源百科全书Wikipedia中列出了许多地方。

由于我们的经验和激情，我们为初学者制作了指南。我们了解采取第一步的恐吓是多么令人生畏，但也从我们的经验中知道，这很容易，因为我们用他们的坦克帮助了全世界的数百万人。如何选择理想的水箱，详细的水参数建议以及如何改善珊瑚健康。我们将逐步完成所有操作。

Reef Builders welcome’s you to the wonderful world of reef tanks.

When I first saw a saltwater aquarium I do not remember my age, but I will never forget the sight of that tank. If you are like me you want that in your home, business or wherever you are so that you may enjoy it at all times. It is interesting is it not? To sit and stare and look at a saltwater aquarium for hours, the fish, invertebrates and other creatures in their own little world. It just captures your attention, is relaxing, and needless to say, is an enjoyable way to reduce stress. This guide endeavors to assist you in reaching your goal of enjoying a piece of the saltwater world.

Part 1:预算对于任何新的爱好,你是明智的set a budget. Owning a saltwater aquarium is just such a hobby where a budget is an absolute must. A budget will let you know what you can and cannot afford. As with most who want to get into this hobby, we love to see those fancy 15 year reef projects and want the same result tomorrow. So you really have to ask yourself, can you afford all of the bells and whistles and losses which might certainly occur when starting out, or am I looking to just start with a barebones system to get up and going. Once you have set a budget, you can begin to move into the planning stages. Please for the sake of all aquatic life, don’t jump feet first into this without planning ahead. A good rule in setting a budget is to figure at least $25 per gallon. Yes that is correct. I am sure you are now feeling a little shock as the math is done and you are thinking, it just fish as a lot of wives will say. But it is much more than that honey, it will reduce stress. It will help reduce stress, but getting started might create stress. Oh and if you are a do-it-yourself kind of person then you are already saving yourself money. If you are not the do-it-yourself kind of person, anything can be bought, and do not worry, neither am I.

Part 2:Equipment When I had just turned sixteen, I, like the rest of the world wanted a car. Without a car, you can’t go anywhere in Texas. So I had to have the right equipment to do things. The same can be said about Saltwater Aquariums. Without the right equipment you have nothing. Here is a quick list of the things you need to have a basic saltwater aquarium.

Aquarium

The aquarium is the single most important piece of equipment you will buy. Granted I may say that again on something else, but for the time being, it is very important. There are two types of aquariums, glass and acrylic. Acrylic tanks are stronger, lighter, and won’t be affected as much by your room temperature versus glass tanks. The drawback to acrylic tanks is that they scratch easily. This can be a very big drawback. I personally hate acrylic because of this fact. Glass tanks do not scratch as easily, but they are heavier and can crack and leak. Both have pros and cons. This is nothing more than personal preference. Picking one type of tank over the other will not make your tank look better, but it might make it last longer. Get the biggest one that you can afford as well as fit in the location that you want.

Why should you get the biggest one that you can afford? The bigger the total system volume, the more stable your aquarium is, which means less water changes, and less time spent by you in maintaining your new found hobby. I had a 55 gallon starting up and when I got my new 75 gallon it was much easier to maintain because the tank parameters were less affected by minor changes, thus making it more stable. A quick note about stands: be sure that your stand will be able to support your aquarium weight plus water. More importantly, make sure your floor will support the weight. This is especially important if this is a second floor or higher room and is not designed for the types of weight we are discussing here. Water is very heavy. At about 9 pounds per US gallon, this can add up very quickly! Consider a 75 gallon glass tank. Basic weight will be around 140 lbs and when you add water this becomes almost 900 lbs! Don’tt forget that when adding any of the following two aspects (substrates and or live rock), will also in turn add additional weight as well.

基质

基质is the next step when planning your saltwater aquarium. There are several different types to choose from, all of which are great for beginners, however, some as with most things are better. Since you are just starting out, you will want a regular sand bed, which is about 1 inch deep. Figure at least one pound of substrate per gallon. If you have a 90 gallon tank, that is 90 pounds total of substrate. You can pick between crushed coral which is commonly sold at national pet chains or live sand which can be purchased from online vendors or perhaps a local store may carry or be able to order it for you. Crushed coral is less expensive than live sand, but collects more detritus, which means more tank maintenance for you. Live sand is the best substrate you can pick, and is expensive, but it offers the most efficient substrate for your aquarium. What is live sand? Live sand is sand that has been taken directly from the ocean floor. There is also something called southdown playground sand, which is a subject for future discussion.

Live Rock

Live rock is a huge investment for you aquarium but can be well worth it. Live rock is the single best way to improve your filtration of your aquarium which will make your water clearer your fish happier. It provides lots of area to attach corals including your invertebrates who will love the environment as well. Live rock acts as a natural biological filter. Figure at least 1 pound per gallon. You can max out at 2 pounds per gallon but that is again a personal preference. You can either get this from your local pet store or order from an online vendor. Some of the best rock I have found has been through online vendors.

Salt Mix

Saltwater isn’t salt without the salt mix. If you thought that you would be just using table salt then you will be in for a big surprise. The natural ocean water contains more than just salt. It contains a host of other minerals that create proper water chemistry. Salt is measured in relative gravity and should be between 1.022 and 1.025. There are several brands that you can buy, however the key is that whichever one you decide to use, you need to stick with it. That is the most important aspect of this hobby: consistency.

筛选或过滤

If you bought live rock and live sand, the only thing you will need is a mechanical filter or something that catches free floating debris. You can buy an overflow for your aquarium and have that drain into a sump sock system, or a hang on the back filter. I really recommend the overflow system into the sump. The most important thing is water flow which I will get to a little later on.

灯光

Okay, we have reached the part where you want to know which animals to place inside your saltwater aquarium. Do you want to keep corals or fish only? I suggest that you plan on keeping corals from the start. Eventually you will be learning more and more that will make keeping corals easy and something that is nice to add to your aquatic world. It is important to consider this when speaking of lights because different types of coral have different light requirements. Soft corals will do fine under fluorescent, power compact, and Very High Output (VHO) and LEDs. Hard corals need Metal Halides, T5, LEDs fixtures in order to survive. This is because a lot of hard corals can be compared to plants and thus they require TONS of light to survive. You might want to research LED lights as they might cost a lot more initially you will save a lot on electricity costs down the road.

Protein Skimmer
A protein skimmer will increase the quality of your aquarium water and is a must have. I would not run a saltwater aquarium without one. When shopping for one, look for either a needle-wheel or a re-circulating design. Those are the best.

Water Temperature
盐水水族馆需要恒定稳定的温度。这是通过加热器和/或冷却器实现的。如果您生活在一年中大部分时间里的气候中，则可能不需要冷却器。我总是建议加热器，因为大多数水族馆都是室内，家庭空调会影响您的水箱中的水温。关于加热器被卡住并从字面上煮了牲畜的恐怖故事很多。因此，投资优质的加热器非常重要。如果您确实决定了金属卤化物照明，这将增加储罐的温度。如果您使用这种照明，我强烈建议您在水族馆吹冷却器或风扇冷却，否则您的温度将窥视，鱼和珊瑚将死亡。良好的温度计也是非常重要的东西。如果您能够负担得起，控制器可以成为维护环境的好朋友。 The key to remember is that your water temp should be between 78-84F.

Water Flow
Good water flow contributes to the success of a saltwater aquarium. In a reef aquarium, water flow should be at least 20x that of the size of the aquarium. If you had a 50 gallon aquarium, total water flow or gallons-per-hour (GPH) should be 1000GPH. Water flow can be achieved by power heads which are like mini pumps inside your aquarium. They easily stick on glass with suction cups, are adjustable, and most are inexpensive.

Test Kits & Precision Grade Hydrometer
Water parameters tell you if you will have success in keeping a saltwater tank. Brands that I recommend are Seachem and Salifert. Those are the best you can buy. When you first start out, a 6 in 1 test kit is fine but you will eventually need to upgrade to a higher quality test kit that measures more precisely your levels. A hydrometer measures specific gravity of your aquarium. This is an absolute must have tool when keeping a successful salt water aquarium. One important thing to remember when purchasing a hydrometer is that precision grade hydrometers are much more accurate than refractometers. This can easily be seen in the prices alone. You can pick up a precision hydrometer for around $50 compared to a general hydrometer for around $9. This can make a very big difference in the success of your aquarium.

隔离舱
A quarantine tank is great for keeping new corals or fish in before they go into your main display tank, but is not something that you really want to avoid NEEDING. This is necessary when you need to treat an illness of fish or other invertebrates without treating the whole tank. Some medicines will kill other inhabitants in your aquarium. In order not to add stress to the treated fish or invertebrate, make sure that the water parameters in the quarantine tank are kept as close to your primary tank as possible. A 10 gallon is a perfect size tank for this. Another simple and viable option is to use a simple hang on filter as well.

Odds and Ends
It is helpful if you make sure that you have a few 5 gallon buckets (to drain and mix new saltwater), a scraper (to clean the glass or acrylic), a fish net and a power strip to run your aquarium system.

Part 3:Setup of your new tank So you have purchased all of your equipment. This is not a throw it together process. Get used to the slow boring process of cycling your tank. It is painfully slow, but you will be glad you did it. You are going to learn a lot with this process and that is why it is so important.

选择您的水族馆将坐在哪里非常重要。这可能会成为坦克家的家，尤其是因为它非常沉重且在到位后很难移动。非常重要的是，不要用大门或空气管道搭配它，并在其附近流动冷空气或冷空气。这一点将有助于调节温度。这是有趣的部分。实际上，您现在可以将所有内容放在一起。将您的摊位放在您之前选择的位置。将水族馆抬高到看台的顶部（如果您认为需要的话，请从某人那里得到帮助）。完成此操作后，您现在可以用自来水填充水族馆以测试泄漏。是的，您需要这样做，是的，我知道这很痛苦。 You just don’t want to start adding salt right away. Always check for leaks, it will save you a headache later.

You can add a background if you want. There are basically two ways in which to do this. Either buy a pre-printed background or paint a background on the back of your tank. If you buy a pre-printed background pick either a straight black or blue background. Do not pick other designs because it only detracts from your live rock, sand and livestock. If you decide to paint, remember you are painting the outside of the glass or acrylic, not the inside. Make sure you give ample time for your paint to dry.

Adding your equipment is especially easy if you picked a sump design. You can place all of your equipment in your sump. If you didn’t, set up your equipment according to the manufacturers instructions. Make sure you use a drip loop on all cords as this will save shocking your fish and perhaps a electrical fire.

Bring on the water
Your aquarium will only be as healthy as the water you put in it thus repeat this to yourself: Always use reverse osmosis/de-ionized (RO/DI) water. You can either go to the store and buy this water, or invest in a RO/DI filter and use that for your drinking water as well. This is the choice of most hobbyists since it is cheaper at like 5 cents per gallon. For the first time you can mix your salt that you purchased earlier in your 5 gallon buckets adding it to your tank. You want to shoot for a SG of about 1.024. if you bought any powerheads for your tank you can turn those on to help with mixing the water in your tank. Once the water is added and the SG is good, then you need to relax and sit back. We are going to let the tank sit for a bit.

Nitrogen Cycle
既然我们的水箱启动并运行，我们可以添加鱼吗？否。我们现在必须通过氮循环进行。您应该每天测试水族馆水，直到氨达到0。首先，它将读取0，但随后会爬升。这可能需要几个星期才能进入。您必须等到此过程完成，然后再添加牲畜。现在是购买活岩的时候了。如前所述，活岩是一种自然的生物学过滤器，并加快了循环时间。您可以将岩石放在水箱中，并将动力头指向岩石，这有助于治愈岩石并去除任何垂死的生物。您可以用砾石真空去除任何水，以卷入碎屑，然后用盐混合物制成新的水，然后将其添加到水族馆中。

添加基材
Arranging the rock in a manner that you like is called aquascaping. You want to do this after the live rock has been cured. When you add your substrate your water will be cloudy, this is normal, it will eventually get stable again. At this point you need to make sure you have a reliable test kit that has at least ammonia, ph, nitrate and nitrate along with PH. If you are thinking reef you need to buy calcium, carbonate hardness, magnesium, phosphate.

Temperature: 78°F-82°F
Specific Gravity: 1.024
PH: 8.3
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nirate: 0
Carbonate Hardness 7-11 dKH

Adding livestock

If you achieve these parameters then you can begin adding livestock! Congratulations! You’ve come a long way. First, start with smaller livestock such as crabs and snails. If these do great for a few weeks then you can buy fish. Don’t forget to acclimate your new livestock (this is covered in another article)

Maintenance

As with everything you buy, odds are that it requires maintenance. This is true with saltwater aquariums too. You need to do water changes at least 20% of your tanks volume, which for example: if you had a 100 gallon tank, 20% would be 20 gallons. You remove this old water, and mix fresh new water from RO/DI source water. You can either do this weekly or monthly. Whatever schedule you decide to keep, stick to it! The secret to keeping a successful saltwater aquarium is stable tank parameters. If something gets out of whack, seek advice on the forums to correct it.