I wrote this paper during september, and have learned more since then, but other wise I think It's a very informative paper, covering many of the Issues a beginner must deal with to start a successful marine system. Use this for what ever you'd like, all I ask is that it not be stolen or plagerised. Thnx, and enjoy!
Topic # 1 Setting up a Marine Aquarium
Marine Bio
The establishment and maintenance of a marine aquarium can be a very difficult but rewarding experience. The details are often meticulous and the procedures laborious, but one must take into consideration, that an entire marine ecosystem is being created, perhaps hundreds of miles from any real ocean. When starting a marine aquarium, many facets must be taken into account, or the system and its inhabitants may suffer greatly. These facets include but are not specific to, proper equipment placement and usage, water quality, including the nitrogen cycle, and appropriate organism choice and study.
First and foremost in creating a marine aquarium, is obtaining reliable equipment and properly instituting it. Obviously, one of the first and most important decisions to make is choosing the tank. When choosing a tank, one must take into account two things. Number one, how large should the tank be, and Number 2, where in the home it could be placed. Starting out with a tank simply too large to care for, or simply too small to efficiently house organisms is a major problem. From personally experience, a tank from twenty to thirty gallons is a good starter, for it is large enough to accommodate a decent amount of fairly small organisms, yet small enough to fairly easily place in the home. Besides simple aesthetics, the aquarist should carefully decide were to place the tank by structural integrity of their home. Every ten gallons of water weighs approximately one hundred pounds! A thirty gallon tank filled with only water, without substrate, organisms and other equipment, weighs around three hundred pounds. As one could surmise, a perpetually situated three hundred pounds can affect the floor of your home. (Sources 3,4)
Next and equally important is the choice of filter, type of substrate, application of water heaters or chillers, and inclusion of aeration devices. When deciding what kind of filter will be used in the tank, the aquarist must realize there are three main types of filtration, each with its own benefits. These filtration types include Mechanical, which manually removes debris from the water, by flowing it through a filter medium, Chemical, which utilizes a chemical adsorbent to remove debris from the water, and Biological, which uses beneficial bacteria to remove debris from the water. Applications of these filtration types include the H.O.B., or hang on back filter, and the U.G.B., or under gravel biological filter. The H.O.B. filter draws water up a tube submerged in the tank, and passes the water over a filtration pad, which mechanically removes debris from the water. Besides just a regular filtration pad, many H.O.B. filters apply an active carbon pad, which chemically adsorbs debris from the water. After being filtered, the water in a H.O.B. filter is returned to the tank through a trough. (Source 4)
While the H.O.B. filter mechanically and chemically removes debris from the water, the U.G.B. filter mainly used biological filtration to cleanse tank water. This filter consists of riveted plates which are placed below the substrate upon establishment, that are connected to an air supply. The air supply, possibly bubble stones, produces oxygen to the plates below the substrate, which in turn produces beneficial aerobic bacteria. As the bubble stones work to supply the bacteria with air, they serve a second purpose, that of circulating water down to the bacteria, which in turn clean the tank.(Source 4)
Once a sufficient filtration system has been chosen, type of substrate, application of water heaters and chillers, and usage of aeration device must be selected. The type of substrate used depends chiefly on the organisms which will be present in the finished aquaria. While certain fishes are not largely affected by substrate choice, most invertebrates and flatfish are. These bottom dwelling organisms most often require a fine, sandy substrate, chiefly for the purpose of burrowing. The failure to accommodate the needs of any organism will no doubt lead to its poor health or death within a marine aquarium. Just as suitable substrate is necessary for the health of an aquarias organism, so is the temperature of the tank. Through the usage of water heating and cooling devices within the tank, temperatures can be accurately reached to comfortably house almost any type of marine life that would be desired. The usage of aeration devices is also a very important, intricate part of setting up a marine aquarium. Aeration, besides to fuel certain types of filtration, is necessary to aerate the water, for the organisms to be able to respire, and circulate water within the tank. While it is obvious aeration is important for organisms being able to breathe, circulation is another crucial factor of aeration. Numerous organisms need a well circulated tank to survive, for various life forms rely on circulation for sustenance and aid in procreation. Circulation does not only help organisms perform life functions, but it also deters the build up of algae and or detritus.(Sources 1,4)
Once the aquarist has assembled all needed physical components of the tank, he must turn next to the subject of water quality. Water quality is a large and important topic, and when filling the tank, three important aspects must be considered. These aspects include salinity, the presence of trace elements and the nitrogen cycle.(Sources 1,2)
First, and an obviously important part in any marine aquarium, is water salinity. Quality saline water can be obtained through two main sources. The first of these two sources is the ocean. The ocean mostly yields clean water with the proper salinity, but one must be careful, not all water is clean, and some water may harbor parasites. The second of these sources is mixing salt water, which is an extreme convenience for those who do not have access to the ocean, or the time to collect ocean water. Various types of salt water mixes can be purchased, many including other elements that can increase the productivity of a marine system. When mixing salt water, the water should achieve a specific gravity of about 1.020, or a salinity of around twenty seven particles per thousand. Another similar process to adding salt to an aquarium is the treatment of water in which trace element are added. Trace elements, including calcium, strontium and iodine, are added in small amounts, often in powder form. These elements aid the growth and wellbeing of certain animals, including corals, which need calcium to grow. (Source 1)
The establishment and stabilizing of a nitrogen cycle is the next and possibly longest process when setting up a marine aquarium. The nitrogen cycle is an essential form of biological filtration, in which the ammonia waste products of an aquariums organism are consumed by beneficial nitrifying bacteria present in the water, to produce nitrite, and then broken down again by another form of nitrifying bacteria, to produce nitrate and thus leaving the potentially lethal waste products benign. The unaided establishment of a nitrogen system can take up to seven weeks, in which the aquarist must seriously refrain from overstocking his or her aquaria. The failure to comply with this rule of thumb often results in what is called New Tank Syndrome. New Tank Syndrome is a technical term for an aquariums animals being poisoned by their own waste products. A healthy nitrogen cycle is a key part of any healthy aquarium. (Source 2)
The last and extremely important aspect of creating a healthy marine tank is the study of and choice of the organisms that will inhabit it. The first step to successfully populating a marine tank is looking either online or in a marine life book and finding and organism, or community of organisms that interests you, will be comfortably housed in your tank and will not require attention you are unable to give. After finding an organism that interests you, it is essential to perform as much research as possible on the organism, and therefore become a professional on it. Knowing all there is about your organism can greatly help you take care of, and appreciate this animal, and provide it with the best care possible, ensuring it a long healthy life span.
Through the use of and abidance by these three topics, any aquarist will be able to establish a healthy marine aquarium, which can provide years of hobby and enjoyment to come.
Bibliography:
1) My Experiences In Reef Keeping By Jason Barrett, Sea-Scope, Volume 17, Fall 2000.
2) Nitrogen Cycle PETCO, PETCO Care Sheets, www.PETCO.com
3) Setting Up A Salt Water Aquarium PETCO, PETCO Care Sheets, www.PETCO.com
4) Marine Science Log Book, Written By James Kommer, Dictated By Mr. Kommer
Topic # 1 Setting up a Marine Aquarium
Marine Bio
The establishment and maintenance of a marine aquarium can be a very difficult but rewarding experience. The details are often meticulous and the procedures laborious, but one must take into consideration, that an entire marine ecosystem is being created, perhaps hundreds of miles from any real ocean. When starting a marine aquarium, many facets must be taken into account, or the system and its inhabitants may suffer greatly. These facets include but are not specific to, proper equipment placement and usage, water quality, including the nitrogen cycle, and appropriate organism choice and study.
First and foremost in creating a marine aquarium, is obtaining reliable equipment and properly instituting it. Obviously, one of the first and most important decisions to make is choosing the tank. When choosing a tank, one must take into account two things. Number one, how large should the tank be, and Number 2, where in the home it could be placed. Starting out with a tank simply too large to care for, or simply too small to efficiently house organisms is a major problem. From personally experience, a tank from twenty to thirty gallons is a good starter, for it is large enough to accommodate a decent amount of fairly small organisms, yet small enough to fairly easily place in the home. Besides simple aesthetics, the aquarist should carefully decide were to place the tank by structural integrity of their home. Every ten gallons of water weighs approximately one hundred pounds! A thirty gallon tank filled with only water, without substrate, organisms and other equipment, weighs around three hundred pounds. As one could surmise, a perpetually situated three hundred pounds can affect the floor of your home. (Sources 3,4)
Next and equally important is the choice of filter, type of substrate, application of water heaters or chillers, and inclusion of aeration devices. When deciding what kind of filter will be used in the tank, the aquarist must realize there are three main types of filtration, each with its own benefits. These filtration types include Mechanical, which manually removes debris from the water, by flowing it through a filter medium, Chemical, which utilizes a chemical adsorbent to remove debris from the water, and Biological, which uses beneficial bacteria to remove debris from the water. Applications of these filtration types include the H.O.B., or hang on back filter, and the U.G.B., or under gravel biological filter. The H.O.B. filter draws water up a tube submerged in the tank, and passes the water over a filtration pad, which mechanically removes debris from the water. Besides just a regular filtration pad, many H.O.B. filters apply an active carbon pad, which chemically adsorbs debris from the water. After being filtered, the water in a H.O.B. filter is returned to the tank through a trough. (Source 4)
While the H.O.B. filter mechanically and chemically removes debris from the water, the U.G.B. filter mainly used biological filtration to cleanse tank water. This filter consists of riveted plates which are placed below the substrate upon establishment, that are connected to an air supply. The air supply, possibly bubble stones, produces oxygen to the plates below the substrate, which in turn produces beneficial aerobic bacteria. As the bubble stones work to supply the bacteria with air, they serve a second purpose, that of circulating water down to the bacteria, which in turn clean the tank.(Source 4)
Once a sufficient filtration system has been chosen, type of substrate, application of water heaters and chillers, and usage of aeration device must be selected. The type of substrate used depends chiefly on the organisms which will be present in the finished aquaria. While certain fishes are not largely affected by substrate choice, most invertebrates and flatfish are. These bottom dwelling organisms most often require a fine, sandy substrate, chiefly for the purpose of burrowing. The failure to accommodate the needs of any organism will no doubt lead to its poor health or death within a marine aquarium. Just as suitable substrate is necessary for the health of an aquarias organism, so is the temperature of the tank. Through the usage of water heating and cooling devices within the tank, temperatures can be accurately reached to comfortably house almost any type of marine life that would be desired. The usage of aeration devices is also a very important, intricate part of setting up a marine aquarium. Aeration, besides to fuel certain types of filtration, is necessary to aerate the water, for the organisms to be able to respire, and circulate water within the tank. While it is obvious aeration is important for organisms being able to breathe, circulation is another crucial factor of aeration. Numerous organisms need a well circulated tank to survive, for various life forms rely on circulation for sustenance and aid in procreation. Circulation does not only help organisms perform life functions, but it also deters the build up of algae and or detritus.(Sources 1,4)
Once the aquarist has assembled all needed physical components of the tank, he must turn next to the subject of water quality. Water quality is a large and important topic, and when filling the tank, three important aspects must be considered. These aspects include salinity, the presence of trace elements and the nitrogen cycle.(Sources 1,2)
First, and an obviously important part in any marine aquarium, is water salinity. Quality saline water can be obtained through two main sources. The first of these two sources is the ocean. The ocean mostly yields clean water with the proper salinity, but one must be careful, not all water is clean, and some water may harbor parasites. The second of these sources is mixing salt water, which is an extreme convenience for those who do not have access to the ocean, or the time to collect ocean water. Various types of salt water mixes can be purchased, many including other elements that can increase the productivity of a marine system. When mixing salt water, the water should achieve a specific gravity of about 1.020, or a salinity of around twenty seven particles per thousand. Another similar process to adding salt to an aquarium is the treatment of water in which trace element are added. Trace elements, including calcium, strontium and iodine, are added in small amounts, often in powder form. These elements aid the growth and wellbeing of certain animals, including corals, which need calcium to grow. (Source 1)
The establishment and stabilizing of a nitrogen cycle is the next and possibly longest process when setting up a marine aquarium. The nitrogen cycle is an essential form of biological filtration, in which the ammonia waste products of an aquariums organism are consumed by beneficial nitrifying bacteria present in the water, to produce nitrite, and then broken down again by another form of nitrifying bacteria, to produce nitrate and thus leaving the potentially lethal waste products benign. The unaided establishment of a nitrogen system can take up to seven weeks, in which the aquarist must seriously refrain from overstocking his or her aquaria. The failure to comply with this rule of thumb often results in what is called New Tank Syndrome. New Tank Syndrome is a technical term for an aquariums animals being poisoned by their own waste products. A healthy nitrogen cycle is a key part of any healthy aquarium. (Source 2)
The last and extremely important aspect of creating a healthy marine tank is the study of and choice of the organisms that will inhabit it. The first step to successfully populating a marine tank is looking either online or in a marine life book and finding and organism, or community of organisms that interests you, will be comfortably housed in your tank and will not require attention you are unable to give. After finding an organism that interests you, it is essential to perform as much research as possible on the organism, and therefore become a professional on it. Knowing all there is about your organism can greatly help you take care of, and appreciate this animal, and provide it with the best care possible, ensuring it a long healthy life span.
Through the use of and abidance by these three topics, any aquarist will be able to establish a healthy marine aquarium, which can provide years of hobby and enjoyment to come.
Bibliography:
1) My Experiences In Reef Keeping By Jason Barrett, Sea-Scope, Volume 17, Fall 2000.
2) Nitrogen Cycle PETCO, PETCO Care Sheets, www.PETCO.com
3) Setting Up A Salt Water Aquarium PETCO, PETCO Care Sheets, www.PETCO.com
4) Marine Science Log Book, Written By James Kommer, Dictated By Mr. Kommer
.