The longer that you have your coral reef aquarium, the more you will have to keep up on your maintenance and cleaning. Having clean water will make a big impact on the well being of your aquarium. Some things that you have to keep in mind when changing your water are the salt levels, temperature, and the pH level of the water. You want it to be as consistent as possible, which could take months to accomplish in a new coral reef tank.
Everyone knows that filters are important to have in any coral reef tank, despite the types of coral in the tank. But many people forget about the importance of maintaining the lighting on the coral reef. Sometimes the lighting changes are hard to see with the unaided eye because they happen so gradually. You won't start to see the change in the lighting until the coral reef itself presents change. Some of the things you will notice are the dulling of colors in the coral and less motion of the different fish. If it gets to be a serious problem, the coral will not be opening fully like they used to and some may even start to regress.
It is important to think about changing the light before it starts to affect the coral reef and fish, not after. Many aquarium light fixtures have a cover that over time will build up a fine coating of dust. This causes a reducing in the amount of light reaching the corals. This cover should be cleaned on a monthly basis.
In general, you should consider changing your lights about every six months. Some lights might last eight to twelve months. Keep constant watch on your lights to ensure that they last longer and do not cause any problems with your coral reef. After a certain point you will not only have to replace the lights in your coral reef tank, but also have to deal with treating each coral and coral fish to save its life.
