| A salt water fish tank is an aquarium that mimics | | | | 400-450ppm Ca++Though keeping a salt water |
| an ocean environment to support salt water fish | | | | fish tank may sound daunting, it is a rewarding |
| verses freshwater fish.Salt water fish tanks are | | | | experience to recreate the ocean environment in |
| considered more difficult to keep than freshwater | | | | your home. If new to fishkeeping, starting out |
| tanks because salt water fish have less tolerance | | | | with a freshwater tank might be a good idea. |
| for fluctuations that can occur quickly within the | | | | Freshwater fish come from smaller bodies of |
| closed environment of an aquarium.Aquariums, | | | | water and therefore can tolerate mistakes slightly |
| when setup properly, operate as self-supporting | | | | better than their salt water relatives. Once you |
| ecosystems. In an ecosystem, artificially created | | | | have the experience of basic fishkeeping under |
| or natural, every element relies on every other | | | | your belt, moving to a salt water fish tank is a |
| element for its stability. The art of fishkeeping | | | | natural next step. Note that freshwater and salt |
| becomes a balancing act of monitoring and | | | | water fish cannot be kept together. Freshwater |
| maintaining specific parameters in order to keep | | | | fish will die in salt water, and salt water fish will die |
| the entire system stable. This is especially critical | | | | in freshwater.If considering a salt water fish tank |
| in a salt water fish tank because the ocean is an | | | | bear in mind that the bigger the tank, the easier it |
| surprisingly stable environment. Life forms that | | | | is to keep the ecosystem stable. If a heater |
| evolved in the ocean do not have the physical | | | | should fail, for example, it will take longer for the |
| ability to adjust quickly to radically changing | | | | temperature to begin to drop in a larger tank and |
| conditions. Any changes that occur in the ocean | | | | it will drop slower, relatively speaking, than in a |
| occur slowly. For example, a quick drop or rise in | | | | smaller tank. This principle is true of every water |
| the temperature of a salt water tank can cause | | | | parameter. The larger the tank, the more |
| salt water fish to take ill, even if the fluctuation is | | | | forgiving.Another good reason to consider tanks |
| relatively small.Aside from temperature there are | | | | of greater capacity is that salt water tanks |
| many other factors to consider in a salt water | | | | support 50% fewer fish than their freshwater |
| fish tank. When the ecosystem is functioning | | | | counterparts. A 30 gallon (114 liter) salt water |
| properly, they should all take care of themselves, | | | | tank is fully stocked with just a few small fish.For |
| but they must be monitored. A typical reading for | | | | those who take the plunge into one of the most |
| some of these parameters might be:pH: 8.2 | | | | popular hobbies in the world, you'll find many |
| Nitrates: < 20ppm for salt water fish and < | | | | resources to help you along the way. With a |
| 5ppm for invertebrates | | | | desire to invest the necessary interest and time, |
| Salinity/specific gravity measured at 77F (25C) | | | | you are bound to reap an experience rich with |
| with a corrected hydrometer: 1.022 | | | | reward that gives much more than it takes. |
| Temperature: 77F (25C) | | | | Nothing is more primordial to humankind than the |
| Alkalinity: 3.0 | | | | ocean, and keeping a bit of it near is a magical gift |
| Calcium for reef keepers and invertebrates: | | | | that is well worth the investment. |