#reefing

The first step in any aquarium set up is a whole lot of choices to make. There are few things worse than following an easy start up guide only to find you built the wrong thing! You’re tank is now incompatible with the animals you wanted and now it either time to peruse the path you have already built your tank up for or it is back to square one. 

I am a strong believer in doing a lot of aquarium planning, and research before actually getting started on anything. Why? Because I’ve been there! And maybe you have too if you are reading up on this page. If you haven’t yet fallen into this as an aquarium hobbyist and you are here, you are a far more prepared person than most of us.

So, where to start in the salt water world of planning? 

Choosing a Tank Size

Lets start with tank size. Contrary to what you might think, it is a generally well accepted fact that larger salt water aquariums tend to be easier. You’ll be worrying a lot less about water parameters the more they are deluded (i.e. the more water there is.) Unlike in fresh water, you will be needing to keep an eye on salinity. It is not a hard measurement to take or keep track of, but it is very important for your fish and corals. Think about what how much time you want to put into thinking about this. Not as often? Think bigger, maybe a 30 or 40 gallon at least.

The next thing to consider with size is what animals you have your eyes on. Do you  like big fish, like tangs, or are smaller clown fish more your speed? Look into the needs of the pets you want. Some need a lot of swimming room like anthias, while others (again like clown fish) like to stick to a territory. 

Pick a Tank Build

Once you have a size in mind the next thing to think about is the fact that salt water tanks are usually just built differently. Please, PLEASE, do not go to your local chain pet store and buy a regular, aqueon tank. You will be setting yourself up for a BAD TIME. Salt water tanks are usually built with a separate chamber for filtration and other needs whether it be a sump (a second small tank under the display tank that is hidden in a stand) or an overflow box in the case of nano tanks (a space built into the back of the tank hidden by a false backing.)

Although there are ways around this, know you will be making a ton of work for yourself and it will never run quite as cleanly as a system that has one of these features. Depending on the size of tank you are looking at, consider which of these would make more sense. Big generally means a sump and small generally mean an overflow box, but there are so many options! depending on how much money you are willing to put into this project, sumps can be home made, while overflows are usually a professional built in feature.

Note that the plumbing is not shown in the first picture, but that is for another time. While this sump modified tank on the right is home made, please know that there are plenty that come pre-made and with all the plumbing done for you. The tank on the right is a Nuvo 10 gallon Nano tank that comes as seen here and only needs to be plugged in and a heater added.

Coral or No Coral?

Another thing to keep in the back of your mind is weather or not you want coral. There are many different kinds of coral with many different needs. I will go more into this in future posts, but the biggest thing you need to know is that with coral (and sea anemones for that mater) you are going to need  coral lighting. This does not come cheap. For smaller tanks you can be looking at a Kessil A80 Tuna Blue, the cheapest light that gets the job done right in my opinion, running for about $150. From there it is only goes on to get more expensive and this light only works up to about 20 gallons.  But  don’t let me make you think anything about this hobby is cheap. It will be one cost of many. 

On top of this, there are many reef dwelling fish that like to eat or nibble on coral and can cause real trouble for anyone going into reefing (growing corals). Having coral in your tank will mean there are going to be a whole lot of fish that you are barred from adding to your tank (many puffer fish, angels, and butterflies.)

All of this being said, I don’t own a single salt water tank that doesn't have coral in it and the process of growing corals is as rewarding as it is beautiful. You will see colors completely new to you that only occur in these fascinating ecosystems! I will always say the little extra work and attention is worth it. In the end though, it will always come down to you. What do you want in your tank? What do you want to put into it and get out of it?