Starting up a salt water fishaquarium can be an exciting hobby! However, as with any major decision the first step is to slow down and learn everything you can about building a salt water fishaquarium. When deciding on a saltwater tank you can choose one of three ways to design your tank. Your options are fish only, fish and live rock, or live rock only. If you decide to go with a fish only system, also buy equipment that could be used for live rock in case you decide to add it later. In regards to salt water fishaquarium size you can start with something as small as a twenty gallon aquarium. It is highly important to point out that saltwater tanks and tropical fish are delicate and a smaller tank will require more frequent monitoring and can be more susceptible to changes in the environment.
Once you have an idea as to the size of your salt water fishaquarium give careful thought to where it will be placed. One gallon of water weighs roughly nine pounds and if you add some sand, live rock, combined with the weight of the tank, your setup will easily exceed five hundred pounds or more. As a result make sure that there is adequate support under your salt water fishaquarium. Also, an unleveled tank can put additional pressure on joints and could cause leaking over time. The next thing to consider is the equipment that you will use in your salt water fish aquarium. If you are doing a fish only tank most saltwater enthusiasts would agree that as a minimum you should have a wet/dry trickle filter, a protein skimmer, a pump, heating equipment and lighting. If your setup will include live rock then you can eliminate the wet/dry filter as the live rock will help keep your system in balance.
