Keeping Marine Fish Is COOL!

 

Thank you for visiting Fish N Friends! We hope you will enjoy this exciting new hobby.

 

WHY KEEP MARINE FISH?

The Negative

You always hear that it is very difficult and troublesome and is also expensive…….

  It is not difficult now with chemically processed salt . You only need to wash the equipments that the fish tank uses once every few months and do a 5% to 20%  water change if you maintain a good filtration system….which is slightly more expensive than normal freshwater types but the rewards you get is many times more rewarding!!!

 

The Positive

  The fishes are so rich in colors and you have a piece of the sea in your home/office...not many people can do that and show it off to their friend…Now You Can!

 

Follow these basic steps and you will start enjoying your new exciting hobby…

 Some Friendly Fish Facts:

A) Aquarium Tank 

- Size: the larger the tank the easier it is to maintain. 2Ft tank is recommended for beginners in this new hobby because of cost factors.

- Location: tank should not be exposed to direct sunlight because of unwanted algae and may affect water temperature.

 

B) Lighting  

- T5 Fluorescent: light shows off fish and LPS corals, very economical and provides good illumination.

- MHL expensive but necessary when keeping corals, highlights certain spectrum of light to intensify the colors and to aid the photosynthetic process from the zooxanthellae algae living in the corals. .

 

C) Filtration  

- Mechanical: traps waste material as it passes through the filter material.

- Biological: purifies water by using living organisms such as nitrifying bacteria. Converts toxins such as ammonia and nitrite to less harmful nitrate, most desirable among all aquarium filtration.

- Chemical: Using carbon to capture dissolved substances. They control or convert the chemical makeup or characteristics of the aquarium water.

- Capacity: Don’t save on filters…over-capacity is better than under-capacity. For smaller setup canister filter recommended because it can incorporate all 3 filtration systems!

 

D) Feeding  

- Do not feed more than fish can consume in 2 to 3 minutes.

- Feed only one or 2 times a day.

- Do not overfeed the fishes and must take out excess food to avoid contaminating the water.

 

E) Tank Maintenance  

- Top up weekly with distilled water mixed with Kalkwasser because of water evaporation to keep the salinity, PH, KH and Ca level constant.

- Do not overstock the fish tank with too many fishes…It is very tempting because they are so pretty..

- Test the water every 2 weeks or when necessary with the appropriate test kits.

- Change 5% to 20% of the saltwater at least once a month to remove nitrates from the water or to replace trace element lost in the water.

- Scrap off all excess algae using magnet cleaner from the tank wall if possible.

 

F) Treatments  

- Marine fish sometimes do fall sick. Most common cure is the copper based medication for basic infections like Ick, velvet, and parasites but some medicines may kill all the beneficial bacteria that have built up.

- Copper based medication will kill your corals.

- Add liquid bacteria weekly for maintenance to also reduce ammonia, nitritite, and nitrates.

Sickness Types:

- Ick: white spots, which may cover entire body, fish may rub or scratch against bottom.

- Velvet: tiny white spots, clamped fins, loss of color, rubbing or scratching against bottom.

- Parasites: extra mucus, visible worms, rapid breathing, flashing and rubbing on rocks.

 

G) Be Happy  

- Keeping friendly fish and corals is fun… with some experience, it can be a truly rewarding hobby because it’s COOL!!

 

FAQs

Tank Set-Up

Q) Is it very troublesome to set up a marine tank?
A) Its easy as ABC. Put in water, then add marine salt and monitor salt level.

Q) Do you need expensive equipment to maintain the tank?
 A) No. I would recommend at least a Jaubert System with powerhead and another external filter for a minimum set-up. Or you can DIY your own equipments.

Q) Do you need to check the water everyday?
A) No. You need only to check the NO2/NO3 level every once in 2 weeks with NO2/NO3 test kit.

Q) What is NO2? What to do once high level of NO2 is discovered?
A) It is ammonia released by decaying fish/ waste. You can either add some bacteria to counter the increase in NO2/NO3 or change water partially. Try reading up Fish N Friends's Articles for more informations.

Q) How often do I need to wash the tank?
A) Nope, just wash the equipments that you are using.

Q) What kind of maintenance is needed for saltwater tank?
A) Top up with freshwater weekly to the original level because of evaporation. Immediately remove any dead fish or plant. Clean the filters at least once a month or when necessary.

Q) Why is Saltwater fish generally more expensive than freshwater fish?
A) Its not easy to breed in captivity and must be imported from around the world.