Starting a saltwater fish tank is one of those undertakings that many aquarists consider on and off for a few years before jumping in to this challenging, but very rewarding, phase of fish keeping. Done properly, a marine aquarium can be the highlight of your house – a carefully planned and painstakingly maintained ecosystem bursting with life and dazzling colors unmatched by any freshwater aquarium.

But setting up a marine tank can be a daunting task – between your decision to begin your saltwater adventure and your completed aquarium is a formidable landscape of high-tech sounding equipment and scientific terms. Add to the mixture the expense of saltwater fish, live rock, invertebrates and all that equipment, and you have the potential to sink a lot of money into what may ultimately end up a stinky mess.

Before you start down this road, you need to be sure to learn about everything you don’t know today. And a great starter book is The Simple Guide to Marine Aquariums. First published in 2002, this all-new second edition is a major revision to this bestselling guide, and features a brand new introduction addressing the rapid evolution in the marine hobby, plus an additional new chapter reviewing unusual and interesting saltwater setups and specimens.

The author, Jeff Kurtz, has been involved in the aquarium hobby for over 20 years, and a regular contributor to Tropical Fish Hobbyist magazine. He is also the writer/publications coordinator for The Toledo Zoo.

As with The Simple Guide to Freshwater Aquariums, this book is broken out into Four sections to walk you through the process of starting your Saltwater fish tank. A new layout and design makes the content easy to access and understand, while the updated full-color photographs help illustrate the stunning beauty of marine aquaria.

Part One- Getting into Marines
The author sets the table quite appropriately in this first section by describing the many benefits and challenges of starting and maintaining your saltwater aquarium, including reviewing equipment that can be reused from your freshwater setup, and discussing the reality behind why saltwater fishkeeping is much more expensive than its freshwater counterpart.

Part Two – Getting Started
This section introduces you to the basics of the setting up your saltwater aquarium, ranging from

Part Three – Stocking your Saltwater Aquarium
I personally enjoy the exercise of setting up the tank and making sure the foundation is properly set. But the fun really begins once you can start to populate your tank with real living inhabitants. This section is a great overview of the types of marine animals you can keep in your new saltwater setup, including:

Part Four – Care and Feeding

After you finish The Simple Guide to Marine Aquariums, you should have a very good understanding of the basics of getting started with your new saltwater hobby. If you are an experienced freshwater aquarist, you should be able to step in to saltwater with confidence, as many of the basic lessons of saltwater fishkeeping are better learned in a freshwater environment – if for cost alone. If you are new to fishkeeping, or have been away from it a while, I would personally recommend focusing on a fish-only saltwater setup, and avoid the Mini-reef which this book does make sound very simple.

The Simple Guide to Freshwater Aquariums (Second Edition) was first written in 2001 and has helped thousands of beginning aquarists get their first aquariums started.  The second edition updates this great resource to cover how fish care techniques have evolved, highlight some new equipment that has since come onto the market, as well as give an update to the already-clean and picture-rich first edition.

The author, David E. Boruchowitz, is currently the Editor in Chief of Tropical Fish Hobbyist magazine, and has been an aquarist and fish breeder for over half a century.

My original Simple Guide to Freshwater Aquariums is a well dog-eared version after the many times I have lent it out to friends or family that have asked me “What do I need to know before I buy my first aquarium”.

This book covers it all in an extremely easy-to-understand fashion and simple layout that makes for an engaging and hard-to-put down read.  It is packed with over 200 stunning fish, plant and tank pictures that will give the new aquarist a great idea of the range of available fish, plants and tank styles as the get started.

The second edition closely follows the outline of the original, which bodes well if you don’t already own the first edition.  The book is separated into four distinct parts to help get you started:

Part One – So You want to be an Aquarist?
The first part of the Simple Guide really serves as an introduction to the fishkeeping hobby, including the importance of succeeding the first time and how to avoid the most common mistakes common to the beginner.

Part Two – Sifting through the Hardware
The second section gives you a great overview of all the different types of required aquarium equipment, including tanks and aquarium sizes, lighting options, types of filtration (including undergravel filters, basic sponge filters, hang-on outside filters, Canister filters, Wet-Dry filters and others), maintenance equipment, heating options, substrate, fish food and a quick overview on the higher-end “Bells & Whistles”

Part Three – Time to get Wet!
You’ve done the research and have your basic aquarium equipment.  Now the guide helps you get setup by helping you decide where to place the tank, how to fill the tank and start your filtration, how to cycle your new aquarium, and how to conduct regular aquarium maintenance.

Part Four – Research & Planning
I thought this part might have been better placed before the Tank setup, but the Research & Planning portion of the guide helps you decide what type of tank you’d like, what type of fish to purchase, how to stock your tank, how to choose individual fish, and even provides a myriad of potential stocking schemes for your new aquarium.

If you are new to fishkeeping or want to get an easy-to-read book to get your kids or spouse interested in your hobby, I highly recommend The Simple Guide to Freshwater Aquariums.  It will help you avoid common mistakes and, in the end, save a fair bit of money as a result.

Most of all, you want to make sure that you choose an aquarium  location where you will also be able to enjoy your fish. Remember that a fully set-up aquarium is heavy and difficult to move, so time spent before setting up your tank will save you time and effort if you choose the wrong location.

Choose an Aquarium Location that is:

• Large enough for your aquarium and accessories
• Structurally strong enough for the weight of the aquarium, aquarium stand and canopy, and other aquarium accessories.  This usually means locating the aquarium (especially a large aquarium) by a load-bearing wall or in a corner, and not in the middle of a room.
• Close to an electrical outlet to plug in your lighting, filter(s), heater(s), air pumps and any other accessories
• Close to a bathroom or other water source for easier tank refills
• Away from windows, exterior doors or other sources of drafts and direct sunlight
• Away from heating ducts or air conditioners which could cause fluctuations in your aquarium temperature.  Sudden changes in aquarium temperature can stress your fish.
• Away from heavily-trafficked areas or any appliances (washer, dryer, dishwasher, etc.) that cause vibrations to the floor
• Has sufficient space around the aquarium to easily access the back and top of the tank for easy maintenance
• Preferably on a hard surface (wood floor, vinyl floor, etc) in case of a tank leak or occasional water spillage (especially for saltwater tanks)

For structural weight-bearing considerations, please don’t forget to add the weight of your aquarium stand, canopy, filters and any other aquarium accessories you will be including.

Basic Glass Aquarium Sizes & Weights

All that is needed to start the Nitrogen Cycle and begin the building of beneficial nitrifying bacteria is ammonia.  Ammonia is created in your aquarium by fish waste – rotting plant leaves, excreted waste from your fish and uneaten fish food to name a few sources.  While the standard method to start the cycling process has been to introduce a few hardy freshwater or saltwater fish into your aquarium, the cycling process can be hard on these fish, and these may not be fish you want to keep once your tank is ready to go.

Fishless Cycling with Fish Food
Decomposing fish food is an inexpensive (and more humane) method to introduce ammonia into the aquarium.  Any type of fish food works well to kick off the process – flake food, pellet food, or even chopped up shrimp (frozen or raw).

To start cycling your tank with fish food, you want to make sure that your aquarium is fully setup with your filter equipment operational.  The objective of the cycling process is to establish sufficient numbers of beneficial bacteria to process both the toxic ammonia and nitrites that are produced in a tank into the less harmful nitrate.  Without your filter equipment running during the cycling process, there may not be sufficient surface area for the bacteria to grow on to deal with the increased levels of ammonia and nitrites produced when you add your fish.

Once your tank and filter are setup, simply add some fish food to the tank to get started.  If you are using pellet or flake food, start off with a measured teaspoon of the flakes on day 1, and then simply add a small pinch of food each day to keep a steady supply of organic matter in the tank to produce the required ammonia waste.   The decaying food will begin releasing ammonia, and the tank will start the cycling process.

If you don’t want to worry about “feeding the tank” on a daily basis, then you can chop up one or two tablespoons of raw or cooked shrimp and place it into the aquarium.  Follow the testing instructions listed in How to Cycle Your Fish Tank to determine when the cycling process has completed and your tank is ready for stocking with fish.

To keep cleanup of your tank easier through this process, place the food in an old sock (nylon is best!) which can be removed and thrown out once your aquarium has been fully cycled.

Fishless Cycling with Ammonia
Rather than using fish or fish food to produce ammonia and kick off the Nitrogen Cycle in your tank, why not go straight to the source?  You can cycle your tank with ammonia just as easily as using fish or fish food.  You can find ammonia at your grocery store, but want to make sure that you select pure ammonia – don’t get a brand with perfumes or added cleaners or surfactants as they can leave residue in your tank.

To start the Nitrogen Cycle with ammonia, begin by adding a teaspoon (tanks up to 20 gallons) or tablespoon (20+ gallon tanks) of ammonia to your aquarium.  Continue adding ammonia until you get a reading of around 5ppm (parts per million).  At this point you can stop adding ammonia to your tank.  In about 7 to 10 days, you will notice the ammonia levels drop suddenly, down to a level approaching zero.  The bacteria in your tank able to process ammonia into nitrites are now at a sufficient level, and your tank is now starting the second stage of the Nitrogen Cycle – growing the bacteria able to process the resulting nitrites into nitrates.  At this point, you want to begin adding a small amount of ammonia to your aquarium again to keep these bacteria fed, and to continue to produce nitrites for this part of the process.  Follow the testing instructions listed in How to Cycle Your Fish Tank to determine when the cycling process has completed and your tank is ready for stocking with fish.

What is a biofilter?  Basically, a biofilter is a natural system made of colonies of bacteria that turn the harmful fish wastes in your aquarium into less harmful substances which can be removed during your regular water changes.  When you first setup your aquarium, you need to give it time to develop these naturally-occurring bacteria to process the ammonia produced by your fish into the more harmless nitrate.  This process can take up to 8 weeks, during which time it is important to not have too many fish in your aquarium, and to do weekly water changes (15-20% of the water).  Your chance for success is very slim if you setup your aquarium and add fish in the same day, or even the same week.

So how exactly do you cycle your tank?  Your objective is to grow certain bacteria to serve as your biofilter and make your tank fish-ready.  This basically means that your tank needs to complete the Nitrogen Cycle (Ammonia => Nitrites => Nitrates) before you add all your fish. Luckily, this process is fairly easy to accomplish if you have the patience to wait it out and not over-populate your aquarium at the start.

Six Steps to Cycle your Fish Tank

1. Choose your biological filter
   The beneficial bacteria you want to grow in your aquarium needs plenty of surface area on which to grow.  For external filters, this would be sponges for power filters or canister filters, and grooved plastic balls for a wet/dry filter.  For internal filters, the biofilter could exist in sponges or in the form of an undergravel filter.  Indeed, an undergravel filter is one of the best mediums for establishing a biological filter.  For saltwater aquariums, the biofilter can also include live rock (the more the better!).
2. Select a few (2-3) small hardy fish.
   It is important that you consider the hardiness of the species of fish you use during the cycling process, as they will need to be tough enough to withstand the high levels of Ammonia and Nitrites that may be present in your aquarium during the cycling process.  Some good hardy freshwater fish to introduce during the cycling process include guppies, platies, White Cloud mountainfish and zebra danios.  Popular saltwater fish include the damselfish, although the clownfish may be a more desirable species of fish to keep after the cycling process is complete.
3. Test your Water for Ammonia (Days 1-15)
   During the first ten days of the cycling process, Ammonia will steadily grow to lethal levels while bacteria capable of converting ammonia to nitrate are growing.  In freshwater, these bacteria double in number about every 8 hours (about every 20-24 hours in Saltwater).  In about 8 to 12 days, the bacterial colonies will have grown to a sufficient number to dramatically reduce the ammonia levels in your freshwater tank to near zero (This process can take 15-20 days in a Saltwater tank).  During this time, you should regularly test your water quality, and do 15-20% water changes when the ammonia levels are the highest to reduce the stress on your fish.
4. Test your Water for Nitrites (Days 20-35)
   After the ammonia has been reduced to nitrites (still a lethal substance to fish), the next set of bacteria capable of converting nitrites to nitrates will begin to grow.  The nitrite levels will usually peak in days 30-35, after which they will dramatically drop to levels near zero as the nitrite is reduced to nitrates.  During this time, you should regularly test your water quality, and do 15-20% water changes when the ammonia levels are the highest to reduce the stress on your fish.
5. Final Water Change
   Once your nitrite levels have dropped, your tank has been properly cycled and is ready for you to introduce fish. Before you add your fish, however, you should test for nitrates, and conduct a final 50% water change if the nitrate levels are above (or close to) 20ppm (parts per million).
6. Test your Water for Nitrates (ongoing)
   Once your tank has cycled, you should only need to test for nitrates on an ongoing basis. If you are conducting regular water changes (10-15% of the water volume every week), you should rarely get levels over 20ppm.  Fish can tolerate levels up to 40-50ppm, although I would recommend doing a larger (25%) weekly water change whenever your nitrate levels exceed 20 ppm.

Cycling your Tank Without Fish
The process of cycling your tank with fish may seem cruel to some, and is actually unnecessary.  I mention it here because I think it is easier for people to hold off on adding a bunch of fish to their tank if they (or their kids!) AT LEAST have one or two fish to look at.  And if you conduct daily 15-29% water changes when the ammonia or nitrite levels are the highest, your starter fish should not suffer from too much stress.

However, the cycling process can easily be accomplished without fish through a method called Fishless Cycling by adding a small amount of fish food (or ammonia) on a daily basis.  The food will decompose, releasing ammonia and kicking off the Nitrogen Cycle.

For the starter saltwater aquarist, the Occellaris Clownfish are a hardy and a fun fish to have because of their unique swimming motion and their interesting behavior.  They are not too aggressive, will accept most foods and are a relatively easy species to care for. An ideal aquarium setup for the Clownfish would include a tank of at least 30+ gallons, with plenty of nooks, caves or other hiding places where the clown can retreat to if feeling threatened.

Clownfish are somewhat unique by their ability to resist the toxins of sea anemones. While the Occellaris Clownfish does not require an anemone, they would definitely welcome one. In fact, only by keeping a Clownfish with an anemone will you be able to enjoy the full range of behaviors and display of this fish.  While not recommended for a beginner, an anemone should only be kept if your saltwater aquarium has sufficient light to meet their high lighting requirements.  A Bubbletip, Carpet, or Sebae Anemone would be an excellent choice if you choose to get one for your clowns.

The Ocellaris Clownfish is an omnivore, and should take most foods well, including marine flakes.  A good diet for an Ocellaris would be a staple of marine flakes supplemented by the occassional live or frozen food.  In a marine tank with live rock, the Ocellaris will also nibble on algae and resident crustacea and copepods.

Ocellaris Clownfish Overview

Common Names: False Percula, Common Clown Fish, Nemo Fish, Occelaris

Adult Size: 3 inches

Minimum Aquarium Size: 30+ Gallons

Temperature Range: 74 to 82

pH Level:8.1 to 8.4

Care Level: Easy

Temperament: Peaceful

Diet: Omnivore

Reef Safe: Yes

Supplies you need to hatch baby brine shrimp:

• Air pump
• Airstone
• 3 ft section of air pump tubing
• Baby brine shrimp cysts ()
• 2 quart or larger canning jar (new, or not previously used to store non-food stuffs)
• Freshly prepare synthetic seawater with a specific gravity of 1.020-1.022 at 80 F.

Step 1
Fill your canning jar approximately 2/3 full with your fresh salter mix, and add 2 teaspoons of brine shrimp cysts (you can use more or less depending on how much you want to hatch out)

Step 2
Connect your airstone to your pump and place inside the container.  You want a vigorous “current” in your jar, but not so much as to cause the water to bubble out.  At this point, it may be a good idea to lightly cover the opening with aluminum foil to keep the saltwater from splashing out.

Step 3
After 24-48 hours, the brine shrimp should hatch, and you can turn off the airstone.  Shine a bright lamp at the bottom of the jar.  After 10 minutes, you should see a light orange mass of baby brine shrimp congregating at the bottom of the jar while the empty cysts float at the top.

Step 4
Insert your extra section of air pump tubing into the jar and suction the baby brine shrimp into a smaller container.  You feed them directly to your fish, and store any extra in the refigerator for 2-3 days.

Step 5
Clean your container and airpump out and repeat the process or store until you next hatch out more brine shrimp.

“I’ve been doing this for ten years and I’ve never seen anything like it”,  owner Mark Hamran said of the February surge in freshwater aquarium plant sales. “I guess that consumers are turning to soothing and relaxing hobbies like aquariums to relieve stress from the recession”, Hamran said.

Hamran stated, “We are seeing a boost in new buyers just getting into the hobby, as well as returning customers expanding their aquascape”. “Friday and Saturday night orders have increased substantially, I guess it’s an indication that people are staying home more”, Hamran said.

Nestled in the tiny town of Tea, South Dakota, the company has already hired one new employee in February, and was recruiting another aquarium expert and customer service representative in March as their surge in sales activity continues.

If you are looking at starting a new freshwater aquarium fish tank, or just want to redesign your existing aquascape, be sure to check out their selection of online freshwater plants or aquascape design services.