Aquarium Set Up Instructions

1. Choosing your aquarium
• Glass or acrylic
• Sump
• Location and weight
• Stand
2. Plan your plumbing and electrical
3. Filtration
4. Water motion
5. Lighting
6. Aquascaping your tank
7. Foods
8. Regular maintenance
9. Water Parameters

The very first step in planning out your reef tank aquarium set up is also the most important one. You must decide what type of inhabitants you would like to keep in your aquarium. This will help you decide what type of tank to choose, since your inhabitants will all have specific requirements. Different fish and corals require various lighting, water movements and tank sizes. Then you must decide on the location you intend to keep your aquarium.

These are all very important steps. You must realize the commitment required to maintain your reef aquarium, since most animals will come from the wild. A reef aquarium is not something you can just setup and walk away from; therefore you must be ready to do what it takes to keep your animals thriving. However, a properly planned and maintained tank will not require all that much care.

In this guide, I will discuss a few basics of aquarium selection, design and location. I will not go into detail on how to do various tasks such as cycling live rock or choosing an alkalinity supplement, but I would be glad to help on an individual basis (Contact Me). This is a very rewarding hobby, and I hope to be your personal guide to success.

Your Aquarium

Once you have decided on what inhabitants you will keep in your aquarium, the next step is to buy one. Keeping in mind your tank inhabitants, you can get an aquarium with overflows built in and predrilled bulkhead holes. You can choose a glass tank or an acrylic one. There are pros and cons to both types:

• Glass tanks are more durable overtime, but can become very heavy as you get into the larger sizes. Glass is scratch resistant and is easier to clean. It is also structurally stronger than acrylic, and is less prone to bending or warping under pressure. It can also be less expensive. The primary drawback to glass is that it is difficult to modify it or drill holes in it. Also even though it is more scratch resistant than acrylic, once it does scratch it is very difficult to remove. The other major drawback is that glass is much heavier, and the weight must be taken into consideration when choosing your location and stand.
• Acrylic tanks are more popular mostly from the various shapes and designs that can be made. The biggest advantage of acrylic is the ability to make modifications with ease. Holes for overflows and return lines can be easily drilled. Acrylic tanks are also much lighter than the equal sized glass tanks. The drawbacks to acrylic tanks are that they require more bracing that restricts your access for maintenance, aquascaping, and lighting penetration.

Since I like to make my own modifications to my designs, I prefer the acrylic choices.

When you're choosing the size of your aquarium, I would buy the largest size that you can afford and that fits your space. Most of the inhabitants that you wish to put into your tank will benefit from the extra space. Keep in mind, our goal is to mimic a natural piece of a wild reef. Starting with a tank of at least 50 gallons in size (190L) is large enough to keep you're your tank chemically balanced or stable, but still small enough to keep your costs low and fit into almost any space in your home.

I always recommend larger, because once you have it for a while you will start to realize that you never have enough room in your tank to add that new coral or fish you've just gotta have. In creating your design you will also want to choose a design that gives you a lot of depth from the front to back. This will allow you to create some interesting aquascaping effects.

The next piece of your aquarium is one of the most important components. This would be your sump. A sump is another box-shaped aquarium that is kept underneath your main display tank. The sump allows your surface overflows to drain into it, to start the filtration process. The sump also is a handy place to hide all your equipment away, so it keeps your display tank looking as natural as it can be. The tank water would travel from your overflow into this device to be filtered, heated or cooled where it is then pumped back up to your display tank.

There are many uses for your sump, and it is an easy way to make water changes without disrupting you display area. The size of the sump is important. You want to make sure it is large enough to handle the overflow of water from your display tank when your main pump is turned off. An easy way to calculate this is . . .

Location and Weight

When choosing your location you must think of the physical considerations. Think of your aquarium as a piece of furniture or a work of art. Will it enhance the appearance of the room? Once it is together you will not be able to move it unless you completely break it down.

The weight of the tank is important as well. One gallon of saltwater weights about 8.5 lbs. So a basic 65 gallon aquarium full of water will weigh about 553lbs, not including the weight of the tank itself and your other equipment, as well as the live rock and bottom substrate. So you must make sure the floor underneath it can handle the extra weight.

You also want to make sure that the location is level, so your display tank will look appealing to your guests. You would also want to consider access to electrical outlets and a water supply for maintaining your tank. Windows and sunlight is another factor that can fluctuate your temperature causing harm to your inhabitants.

Stand

This is the support under the aquarium that must be able to hold the weight of the tank. It should allow easy access to your equipment and permit good airflow for excess heat from your equipment to dissipate. It should be made of a material that is water resistant. You can purchase premade stands for your size aquarium, or build your own. Metal is the strongest choice but it must be coated to prevent corrosion. Wood is easy to use, but make sure you treat it with a varnish type coating so it will not weaken over time.

Planning Your Plumbing and Electrical

When planning the plumbing for your tank you want to look at it as a work of art. Therefore, you should keep all your tubing neat and organized and preferably out of sight, even as you also allow for future expansions and easy maintenance.

When connecting any pumps or other equipment you should use union type fittings to allow yourself to take them apart for replacement of parts and cleaning. Before the unions you should include ball valves to keep the extra water in your tubes from draining on the floor. Vinyl tubing is easy to use and is flexible for those hard to fit spaces. I like to use pvc tubing since it keeps a neat look and is more durable than vinyl.

No plumbing is complete without your pump to circulate the water in your system. The pump you choose should be large enough to circulate your system water with adequate water flow for your inhabitants.

Most pumps are plumbed from a bulkhead that is installed in your sump. Your main pump should not be used to create the extra water movement in your tank, but only for recirculating the water to your filters and sump. The extra water movement in your tank should be created by a closed loop system or power heads dedicated to your display tank. Also, when creating your plumbing layout use as many straight lines as possible. Any curves you use will create water friction and reduce your water flow.

Often very little consideration is given when it comes to your electrical supply. Most hobbyists just plug their equipment into the wall with a power strip or two. It is a good idea to plan out how many outlets you might need and how much power it will use. You want to ensure the safety of your family and not overload you home's circuits.

For larger systems it is a good idea to have an electrician install a dedicated circuit panel just for your aquarium needs. Larger systems require lots of high wattage lighting and pumps. Then add in your heater and chillers and soon you have an electrical nightmare on your hands.

You also want to make sure your outlets are not in a position to get wet or splashed from the water. Use the drip loops for any cord near your tanks and gfi ground fault outlets.

It is also a good idea to have some type of battery backup power for your main pump and heater, in case of a power outage. After putting all your time and effort into your dream system, not to mention the expense of stocking it, you do not want to lose any animals due to a power outage.

Filtration

This topic is very complex; there are many approaches to filtering your aquarium. To maintain animals in a closed system environment you must incorporate some sort of filtration methods.

There are 3 main types of filtration - mechanical, chemical, and biological. Any method you use should use all three of these types. I like to use a balance of the natural approach with some artificial methods to maintain the closest environment to nature.

Mechanical filtration refers to any device that traps and removes large particles from your system so it does not breakdown and pollute the system. In nature, waves and tidal currents remove the particles from one place to another. Artificial methods include sponge pads, fiber mats, and canister filters. The easiest is surface skimming from your overflow box that drains into your sump with some sort of filter sock or canister filter.

An alternative design can use a refugium, which is a tank attached to your system with a slower water flow, allowing the particles to settle to the bottom. It can be used as a place in your aquarium for small organisms to develop without being eaten, while growing live macro algae to help purify the water.

Biological filtration is the easiest; it uses several types of nitrifying bacteria to break down the decomposition of organic waste. This is your basic nitrification cycle of ammonia to nitrite to nitrate. The biological bacteria are in your live rock and live sand and trickle filters.

For a better understanding, I recommend reading books for more detail. There are many artificial filters that allow the bacteria to grow. These would be nitrifying filters, trickle filters, and fluidized sand filters. You must decide what works best for you.

Chemical filtration is another topic many aquarists do not understand. There are many forms of chemical filtration, but to keep this simple I will only describe a few.

Activated carbon can be thought of as a giant, porous sponge that can absorb impurities from the water, eliminating the dissolved organic compounds that create ammonia. It will remove a wide variety of toxins by trapping them in the pores, and keeping your water looking crystal clear.

It is most commonly placed in a canister filter or in an inline reactor chamber in your plumbing design. Others use it in media bags placed in a high water flow area in the sump. My experience is that a canister filter or reactor is the most effective method because they confine the water flow to the area or the carbon, utilizing all of its pores.

Phosphate absorption media is similar to activated carbon but focuses on the phosphates within your aquarium. High phosphate levels create a stressful environment and promote high algae growth.

Protein skimming this is one of the best methods used and acts like the natural process of the ocean. If you have been to the beach and noticed the foamy water washing up on shore, this is the same function of a protein skimmer. A turbulent water current mixed with air creates this foam that contains the waters impurities. Of the many chemical filtration methods used, protein skimming is the only method that removes most organics from the water before they begin to break down.

Protein skimming is highly recommended to be part of your reef aquarium system. When purchasing a skimmer always look for one that is sized for a maximum capacity higher than your tank size.

There are 2 common set up methods that incorporate all 3 forms of filtration. The Berlin method and the Jaubert method. I would recommend further reading on these approaches as it will take quite a bit of your time to explain here. I personally use a little bit of everything in my system, including the natural approach with a refugium, with a large sump and protein skimmer.

Water Motion

Water motion is another critical physical parameter that determines the health of your aquarium inhabitants. There are 3 main types of water motion in a reef environment. They are surge, turbulence, and laminar flow.

Surge is the back and forth movement caused by the waves. Surge helps to eliminate debris from settling on the corals and helps provide oxygen and food. Turbulence is a random swirling of water in all directions caused by opposite currents clashing. Laminar flow is water movement in one direction, and is the common flow created from aquarium pumps. In nature this is typically found in the deeper parts of the reefs.

The most important role of these types of movement is that the motion brings food, oxygen, and helps to release wastes. You must consider the needs of the animals you wish to keep and provide them with the proper water flow rates. For instance, if you wish to have a mostly small polyp dominated reef, then you need a high water flow. If you plan on keeping mostly soft skeleton corals, then a slower flow will be needed.

You can create good water flow in your aquarium very easily by using your return pump as your laminar flow. A closed loop system for turbulence, and a few power heads that rotate or turn on and off for your surge. There are many pumps and wave makers on the market that you can choose from.

Lighting

When you are planning your aquascaping for corals, plan what types of coral are going to be placed in which areas, then plan the light for that area. Since there is no single best type of lighting, I can only provide recommendations on what might best suit your system.

The 3 types that I use include metal halide lamps for small polyp corals and natural looking ripples in the water, with the supplement of actinic blue vho fluorescent lamps to provide the blue spectrum of light. There are many books and websites that you can read for explanations on light spectrums and wave lengths, lumens and what wattage you should use. I also like to use a moon light for the natural lunar cycle that aids in spawning in your inhabitants, as well as giving you light for night time viewing.

Make sure your corals that have a high light requirement are placed at the top of your aqua scape, and the lower light creatures are towards the bottom half of the tank. Feel free to contact me for other links for books and supplies that I can recommend.

Aquascaping

This is very important to me. If you want to avoid the look of a bunch of rocks thrown in with an upward slope to the back of your tank, then you want to spend a lot of time on this subject. Rockwork is important in creating your vision, and unfortunately gets the least amount of attention.

The most beautiful tanks are created from great aquascaping. This designs the slopes and overhangs in your reef, as well as the actual placements of each color of coral. Think of it as a piece of art work, and place your colors in locations that will attract your eye. Use your lights to highlight the middle portions of your tank, and lower light towards the walls.

A good guide is to take a photo from a real reef in nature that you like and try to duplicate it. Use the same corals and fish from that area.

The design is not limited to inside your aquarium, but also involves the exterior and how it blends into the room. Choose a cabinet stand and hood that flows with the décor in your room, maybe create a beach theme in the room. Make sure you focus on hiding plumbing and wiring so they are not visible from the room. If you have the space, build your aquarium into a wall and create a "fish room" behind it.

Stocking Your Aquarium

Once you have your tank design plumbed, checked for leaks and made sure your water has the correct parameters, you can now start stocking your aquarium. You should have decided if you want to use a bottom substrate by now. If you do, you would put this in first. Then add your live rock and create the aquascape that you have designed.

You should allow your tank to run for about two weeks with little or no lighting, to allow the live rock to shed its decomposed parts and start to cycle your nitrifying bacteria. You will notice a lot of waste on the bottom of your tank. At this time you can pick it out or siphon it. Make sure your protein skimmer is adjusted properly, as this will filter out most of the decomposing organics.

During this stage you also allow time for the micro organisms to start to multiply. It is very important that you be patient and not add any fish at this stage! They will eat and destroy the microorganism base that you are trying to start.

After the two weeks you can test the water for ammonia and make sure the water parameters are stable. If so, you should add your invertebrate clean up crew. This will consist of various snails, hermit crabs, starfish, sea cucumbers, shrimp ect . . . keeping in mind their compatibility with the other tank mates you wish to keep. This clean up crew will aid in keeping the detritus and algae from getting out of control.

At this stage it is okay to start increasing your lighting a little at a time. The tough part is, you should now wait for 4 to 6 months before adding your fish. This will help to develop your beneficial organisms and the making of your own live sand. Trust me, by waiting this extra time you will have a more natural aquarium environment, and your animals will benefit from it.

Now you can start adding your fish and corals. Add them in small groups, with the more passive species first. Once you introduce some of the more territorial species into your tank they will not easily accept any new comers. Make sure you add them in small groups to allow for the tank to adjust to the higher bioload. You are now on your way to maintaining the beautiful piece of art you envisioned.

Foods

There are many fish foods on the market today, and many are very nutritious. Gear your feedings to the requirements of the animals you are keeping. There are flake foods, frozen, freeze dried, pellets, and live foods available. If you are keeping tangs, make sure they get their algae requirements. I like to create my own frozen blend made from various ingredients. It acts as an all-in-one food for my corals, large tangs, smaller fish and bottom dwelling invertebrates.

Maintenance

The success of your reef aquarium relies on you. The best looking and thriving aquariums are the result of a regular and thorough maintenance schedule. This is not just cleaning the algae film off the glass, but inspecting and cleaning your equipment, changing your light on a schedule, and partial water changes.

Keeping a log is a good idea; if something doesn't look right you can refer to your notes to see what is different. It also helps to remind you when to change your bulbs or media reactors, and water changes. You can go high tech for automation and operating your system easier, with probes to tell you your ph and temperature.

Water Parameters

I will give you a guide to what parameters are okay, so your reef can thrive and be healthy. Once you do some research, you will find that every tank is different and will not have the same water parameters as someone else's might. You will discover the correct balance for your system. The most important thing is to keep your system stable. As a general guide, here are some guidelines for your setup that will maintain a healthy reef environment.

• Temperature: 74-78 degrees F
• Salinity: 1.025
• Ph: 7.9-8.4
• Alkalinity: 7-10dkh
• Calcium: 350-450mg/l

Keep in mind, these are only guidelines. Depending on what equipment you use these will all vary.

NOTE:

If you get nothing else from this, my brief tutorial on setting up a reef aquarium, please get this: To get the full enjoyment from your aquarium it is necessary to read and learn a bit about all the different aspects of this wonderfully exciting hobby.

Here are a few of the best aquarium information sources:

Books

Aquarium Fish Magazine

Coral Magazine

Also, for all your aquarium supplies, check out our new online store. Come back often as we will continue to add more products.

The Home-Reef Store