How Does a Saltwater Aquarium Work?

Colors Of the Sea

The most colorful fish you can find in the world live in the saltwater oceans and seas. From Clown Fish to Gobies, there are a number of awesome fish species that can make the ocean waters look like a crayon box gone wild. It's no wonder that people like to keep them at home in a saltwater tank, despite the levels of maintenance it can involve. This article explains how saltwater tanks work.

Salt-To-Water Ratio

A saltwater aquarium works by mimicking the ecological cycle of salt water oceans and seas. Saltwater aquariums can do this by ensuring there is a ratio of salt to water, proper water and sand, a filtration system, and a lighting system for all the living creatures inside it.

To ensure there is a good water-to-salt ratio, saltwater aquarium owners use what is called synthetic salt, purified water, and a hydrogemeter. Owners must first make sure they have pure, fresh water. They usually use at the minimum triple-filtered water that is free of chlorine and other harmful chemicals. They then mix the salt according to directions with the water and let it sit in the tank and cycle. The hydrogemeter is used to measure the salt-to-water ratio, ensuring it is at an acceptable level for the aquarium's living plants and animals.

Filtration and Live Rocks

The filtration system can be done a number of ways, the best being a combination of natural filtration and a protein skimmer. Natural filtration can be done with "live" rock, or rock that has living creatures in it such as copepods and feather-dusters. Those creatures, as well as the rock itself, can absorb bacteria that need to be filtered out of the tank or else it will create diseases. Live sand is also a natural filter because it has small creatures that like to eat the harmful bacteria. The protein skimmer works by making small oxygen bubbles in the tank. The bubbles rise and go through the skimming tube, taking any proteins off the top of oxygen bubbles.

Lighting

Lighting is also adamant in getting a saltwater tank to work properly. Some owners buy timers and even three sets of lights of lights to simulate sunrise and sunset in a tank. If the tank is a very deep one, owners can buy Metal Halide lights that shoot plenty of lights to the bottom.

As you can see, a saltwater tank is no easy set up. These are just the basic needs that haven't even delved into water testing, water cycling or running reef tanks. However, many people find that once a saltwater tank get up and running the maintenance is as easy as a freshwater tank.