How to Set up Live Rocks in a Saltwater Aquarium
Displaying a saltwater tank in your home or office is an excellent way to bring nature into the area while creating a serene atmosphere. The addition of live rocks to the aquarium further enhances the beauty of colorful saltwater fish while providing an appealing aesthetic. Live rocks assist visually and contribute to the function and maintenance of the tank by providing a place for your fish to frolic and hide; they also play an important role in the ecosystem of the aquarium by supplying food and acting as a biological filter for your system. Incorporating these rocks into your aquarium is an easy task, though it does require some planning.
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Things You'll Need
- Mineral balanced aquarium (pH, Calcium and Alkalinity)
- Sand
- Cured live rocks
- Pencil
- Paper
Instructions
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Design your live rock layout beforehand. By mapping your design on paper you will be able to display your rock in an interesting way and limit the shuffling once in place.
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Begin with an empty clean tank. This can be accomplished by scooping the fish and placing them in plastic bags with the water from the tank. By placing them in their same water this will reduce shocking their system by abruptly changing their water temperature. Plastic bags should be secured at the top with enough air to last the fish for approximately three hours; one to three inches of air space is advisable.
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Clean the aquarium thoroughly. Inquire at your local pet store about aquarium cleaning kits.
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Place live cured rock directly on the glass at the bottom on your tank. This will allow the sand to be poured around the rock base, thus securing it to the floor of the aquarium.
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Select the aquarium sand you would like to use. There are many available; consider grain size in your choice and how it will look and behave in your tank. Fishlore suggests using sand with a grain size of 1 or 2 mm in a shallow sand bed. Using this size will prevent trapped debris from acclimating and contributing to organic build-up and will also allow gases and grains to escape. This grain size is also visually appealing in saltwater aquariums.
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Tips & Warnings
Developing a weekly and monthly maintenance routine will ensure that the aquarium is at optimal water and chemical levels and that your fish and rocks are healthy and clean.
It is important to keep the aquarium water at optimal pH, Calcium and Alkalinity levels to ensure healthy corals and facilitate growth. Fishlore.com recommends the following levels:
Specific Gravity 1.023 - 1.025
Temperature 75 F to 80 F
Calcium 400 - 450 ppm
Alkalinity - 2.1 to 2.5 meq/L
Magnesium - 1200 - 1400 ppm
Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrates and Phospate - 0 ppm
Iodine - 0.06 meq/L
Inquire at your local pet store for water testing kits. Be sure to write down the results of the testing to chart conclusions and trouble shoot.
After placing your live rock and sand in the tank and filling with water, be sure to float the fish in their plastic bags in the water for approximately two hours to allow their bodies to acclimate to the water temperature, then untie the top of the plastic bag, submerse the bag in the tank and allow the fish to swim out into the tank.
References
- Photo Credit aquarium fish image by Alison Bowden from Fotolia.com
