When it comes to saltwater aquarium keeping you really don’t want to be like everyone else…
That’s because most people fail at this hobby and within the first year have given up and blown a ton of money on equipment and marine pets who have met their unfortunate demise.
Most of these people fail because of 1 of these 6 saltwater tank mistakes, and I’m going to tell you how to avoid all of them!
But before that, I just want to give you a heads up about my Ultimate Saltwater Aquarium Success Guide which is now comes with 3 great bonuses.
I created this guide because when I was starting out I did a LOT of research online, everything and everyone advised me something different. After becoming fed up with failure and confusion, I decided to actually apply my biology degree to the problem and do things according to the marine biology and captive marine system principles I had learned, and to experiment, test and measure everything scientifically and finally my saltwater aquarium bloomed and I have never looked back.
Since then over 3000 people have read and benefited from my book, which I am really proud about 🙂
So the worst saltwater aquarium mistakes always involve marine life… and your marine life itself is the most important indicator of what is going on in your aquarium.
Sure sometimes equipment fails, but if your stuff is of good quality, well maintained and not worn out, regular checking to see if anything needs to be replaced and everything is functioning as it should be is all you need here for trouble-free aquarium keeping.
But, if your underwater environment is not as healthy as it should be or if marine life is stressed out and/or not introduced to the aquarium correctly disease and often death can easily result.
Here are the top 6 saltwater tank mistakes people make with their saltwater aquariums and how you can avoid them:
1.Purchasing animals not knowing enough about them: learn about the species before you buy, especially in terms of the environment and diet it requires. Remember that environmental stress caused by sub-optimal conditions is the number one cause of disease.
2. Purchasing unhealthy animals: learn how to carefully select the perfect example of the species you want. Don’t rush it and be patient; shop around if you have to. Make sure you observe it eat (a few times is better) and if it is new to the store give it a couple of weeks to see how it adapts to the stresses of captive life and of its capture which is the single most stressful time of a marine fishes life!
3. Having sub-standard water conditions: maintain optimal water quality at all times. Having a stable, pristine environment is key to long term aquarium health.
4. Mass disease outbreaks from new fish: quarantine all new additions to your aquarium for around 4 weeks. This greatly reduces stress and will give any potential disease the chance to show itself before your new addition is added to its other tank mates. Additionally a sick fish immediately removed to a quarantine tank will minimise spread of the disease to other marine life and enable that fish/invertebrate to be medicated in a stress free environment where treatments cannot adversely affect other individuals (for example the some Ich medications contain copper which kills corals and other invertebrates), this procedure will maximise chances of speedy recovery.
5. Moving too fast when you introduce new animals: learn how to acclimate your marine life correctly; and by this I mean emptying the bag with your new pet into a bucket or small plastic aquarium, then adding aquarium water drop by drop using thin tubing and clamp over 45 minutes until the fish is swimming in 90% aquarium water and has been gradually acclimatised to its new homes’ specific gravity, temperature and pH.
Do you really know how to medicate your Clown Trigger?
6. Overmedicating: you need to know the correct way to carry out medication and dips/baths for your marine life. Dips are an important technique for medicating (methylene blue works well and is harmless) and getting rid of potential parasites that will literally swell up and burst from the osmotic shock of the freshwater! A freshwater bath should be done in 80% fresh water and 20% aquarium water adjusted to the temperature and pH of the aquarium using sodium bicarbonate. If rapid breathing or distress occurs put the fish back into the aquarium. Never leave the fish in there longer than 10 minutes. Dips are an excellent precaution for new livestock as part of the quarantine process.
Now you know the top 6 saltwater tank mistakes that sink aquariums fast…but you also now know how to avoid them!
Succeed with your reef or saltwater tank; Get my ultimate saltwater tank guide!“Ultimate Saltwater Aquarium Success Guide” |
