The best way for aquarium maintenance is to plan in advance. Setting up your aquarium correctly will bring a proper needed improvement to your maintenance routine.
6 Tips for the Maintenance of Saltwater Aquarium
There are many things that you need to do if you have a saltwater aquarium. Here are a few of them:
1. Checking Salinity Daily
Due to the increase in the heat of the aquarium, water evaporates, due to which the salt content in the aquarium increases. This happens because the water turns into vapor and the salt in left behind, thus increasing the concentration of the salt, and hence the salinity. You may use a hydrometer to check the levels.
2. Changing the Water Weekly
Keep and maintain regular water changing schedule. Special attention needs to be paid during the first few months when you’re cycling the tank. Regular changing of water will help keep these from becoming a bigger problem later on.
When you perform a water change, it’s better to use gravel for the deeper layers of the substrate which will prevent you from hurting the bacteria living in the substrate.
3. Making Saltwater as per Need
Now, if you have saltwater fishes, you will be needing a way to have saltwater with you. If you have a beach nearby and you’re planning on collecting water from there, please make sure that it has properly been tested for safety measures and your local laws allow that.
Also, it’s highly recommended that you sterilize that water using a UV sterilizer so that you don’t bring home, any dangerous pathogens.
4. Cleaning of Pumps Quarterly or Bi-Annually
It’s important to clean all of your aquarium’s pumps and powerheads. It’s better if you follow a schedule and this quarterly or bi-annually.
You may soak the pumps in a small amount of acetic acid, mixed with RO water. It will help soften any hard deposits there, so that you can easily remove them.
5. Scrubbing the Algae Weekly
It’s a known fact the fish and water together, lead to algae and this problem worsens if you have corals. This algae growth forms a layer on the aquarium walls and isn’t hygienic. This measures for regular cleaning of the algae using a scrubber, razor, or scraper. If you have frequent and higher growth of algae, check the water quality.
6. Inspection of your Filter Media
It’s important to inspect the filter media regularly as part of your water-changing regimen, no matter what kind of filer media you’re using. It should be remembered that water should always have a free flow through the filter media there shouldn’t be any debris.
7. Checking the Water Temperature Daily
It’s a MUST to check the aquarium’s water temperature. Submerged thermometers and digital thermometers are a good choice for this. It is necessary to make sure that the heaters are functioning correctly or not. Tropical saltwater fish aren’t suited to cold and will easily sicken, and ultimately die. That’s why it’s mandatory to have a regular check on the water temperature.
