Gear Guide

Starting a reef tank usually scares a lot of people. Sometimes, people think it’s easy to find “Nemo” but it’s hard to take a little piece of the ocean home for him to swim in. While setting up reef tanks could be quite meticulous at times, it could be made a lot easier if you know what to look for and what to do. Need help? Then here it is, the 8 easy steps to start a healthy reef tank!

1. Research

Research! Research! Research! People say that a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. In any hobby, starting out by researching the ins and outs before starting out is, indeed, a wonderful first step.

Since this is the first, and probably the most important step, it’s extremely crucial to know that before you dive in the colorful and world of reef keeping, you must first gather all of the knowledge you could gather before starting out. In this step, you should be able to have at least a general idea about the reef keeping hobby. Specifically speaking, you must be able to have an idea which fishes and corals to keep, how big of a tank, the nitrogen cycle, basic filtration and what not.

This step may be accomplished by reading books, magazines, online articles and joining various social groups over the internet to be able to intercept as much knowledge and ideas as you can. Just remember that there will always be room for new things to learn and a little help. Also, by reading this article, it’s safe to assume that, at the very least, you’ve taken your first step! In other words, in any battle, preparation is always the key!

Lastly, take note that you will be constantly coming back to this step countless times in the entire process of reef keeping.

2. Picking your Aquarium

Now that you’ve done your homework on the general principles of reef keeping, it’s time to pick your aquarium. For starters, I would recommend something not bigger than 50 gallons. Although some would argue that bigger is always better, such is not always the case. The bigger the tank, the higher the overhead expense and the more maintenance it would entail and such tasks could be daunting to someone who’s just getting their foot in reef keeping.

In picking your aquarium, make sure the size suits the fish and corals you are planning to keep. Furthermore, you have to make sure that it fits perfectly to the area of the house you would want to place it.

The dimensions of the tank matter as well. Some corals and fish dwell on different levels of the water with preference to varying amount of water movement. Having different levels to a tank through making the total height a bit higher would help achieve this but it would also make siphoning dirt from the bottom a bit harder. You should keep all of these into consideration and let them factor in upon deciding which tank to get.

Ultimately, the size and orientation of the tank will limit which species you could keep. Other than deciding which fish fits a tank, I would suggest that you work the other way around and have an idea which species you would like to keep then tailor fit a tank that would best suit them. Another good choice are tanks with built-in filtration systems or “All in One” (AIO) tanks.

3. Filtration System

One of the most integral part of the fish keeping hobby is a proper and efficient filtration system. For this part, although some external filters could help, the most common filtration system we prefer is the SUMP filter. This allows countless modifications and enough space for different types of filtration media. You could even assign a chamber for your protein skimmer so that it would not be placed anywhere within the tank itself.

In setting up a filtration system, make sure it moves at least 300% of the total aquarium water volume per hour. If you have a 50-gallon tank, the filtration system should be able to accommodate 150 gallons per hour. What this means is that the tank’s entire water volume can circulate and pass through the filtration system at least 3 times ever hour. This helps the filtration media treat any impurities on your water which in turn makes it efficient in what it does.

4. Accessories

While there will be essential accessories for every reef tank, in this section we will cover everything that you may or may not need. We will be dividing this section into a few sub-section so that you will find it easier to learn about each product. It would be very helpful if you could source these products first before setting up your tank. Having these products at hand upon set-up could make the process infinitely easier.

a) Aquarium Light

In reef keeping, lighting is very essential. There is a specific spectrum of light that helps fish and corals grow and display their vivid colorations. In picking the proper lighting equipment, make sure to take the depth of the tank in consideration as not all lighting products penetrate water the same way. Furthermore, different species of both fish and corals may need different lighting needs.

b) Wave Maker

Just like lighting, fish and corals prefer different water movement patterns. The wave maker, as it’s name suggests, mimics the movement of water, or waves, in your aquarium. There are fish and corals that prefer strong currents while there are some that prefer more to none. The placement of this accessory is also essential. You could place the wave maker near the species that prefer high current and place the others that doesn’t on parts where it does not flow directly.

c) Protein Skimmer

Also a staple, in not just reef tanks, but salt water tanks in general, protein skimmers remove impurities such as protein deposits from the surface of the water. Although there are protein skimmers that may be hanged from the tank, a better option is one that fits right in your SUMP or other filtration system. Having a protein skimmer right on a display tank may be unsightly at times, so it’s better to have it hidden somewhere near the filtration system. Lastly, make sure that the protein skimmer is rated for the size of your tank and the amount of live animals you would be keeping.

d) Water Test Kit

Testing your water often helps assure you that your water parameters are conducive to life. Reef animals are sometimes very picky with water parameters. Having a water test kit on hand will help you monitor the levels of important chemicals in your tank.

This would be very essential down the road when you are cycling your tank. It would help you gauge if your tank is ready for its residents!

e) Refractometer

Another essential tool in salt water fish keeping, the refractometer is a tool that measures the salinity, or amount of salt, in the water. Having a refractometer is very handy because some reef animals will not tolerate discrepancies in salinity levels. Whether you are mixing your own salt water or buying pre-mixed solutions, it’s always good to check if the salinity is within the range of what your animals would like.

f) Glass Cleaner

Due to intense lighting needs of reef animals, algae buildup is hard to control in salt water tanks. Having a glass cleaner cleanly tucked by your tank is a sure way to help you keep your glass clean and enjoy your wonderful piece of the sea,

g) Fish Net

The fish net is one of the most often used tool in any aquarium. Whether it’s moving fish or removing unwanted things from the tank, you will surely use your fish net frequently.

h) Water Siphon

Having a water siphon ready is always helpful for any reef keeper. This helps you suck water out of the tank especially during water changes. Regular water hoses work but an aquarium water siphon helps reduce the risk of spills, accidentally vacuuming sand and of course, drinking aquarium water!

i) Heater/Chiller

Lastly, depending where your are around the world and the types of animal you would want to keep, having a heater or chiller on hand is essential to your success as a reef keeper. Animals are very temperature sensitive and you have to provide them with the optimal living conditions for them to thrive.

5. Live Rocks/Sand

Although it is a possibility to opt for non-live rocks and/or substrates, having live rock and sand helps the reef a lot. First and foremost, having “live” rocks and sand helps the cycling (to be discussed in detail later) process to be faster allowing you to add fish and coral easier and safer. Furthermore, adding live rocks and sands, will introduce good bacteria and other chemicals to the water that would help make living conditions more suitable for reef animals.

However, in sourcing your live rocks and/or sand, you must always keep in mind, that the live rock and/or sand you are getting must be free of unwanted parasites and chemicals that could be harmful to our pets and our aquatic system in general. Hence, make sure your get them only from reputable retailers.

6. Water

What’s a fish without water? Water is just as crucial as the fish themselves. Now in keeping a reef tank, water need is not as simple. We need salt water. To be specific, we need water that matches the salinity needs of the animals we want to keep.

There are two ways to achieve this, one is buying a “salt mix” or a powdered product we mix with water to get “sea water” while the other is by buying pre-mixed salt water. Both ways are effective and have their very own pro’s and cons.

Mixing your own salt water helps you be more hands on and specific on your salinity. However, it will be hard to correct and if you make mistakes in the mixing process and make your salinity too high.

On the other hand, buying pre-mixed solution, provided they match the salinity that of what you want. If there are discrepancies with the salinity of the pre-mixed solution and the need of the animals, it might not be able to provide the right conditions for your pets to thrive in.

Either way, if done right, should be good for you and your pets. Again, I will reiterate the importance of your refractometer so that you could always check if the salinity levels are right.

7. Cycling your Tank

Now that the tank is ready, there is water and the filtration system is running, you are thinking that the only thing left to do is to add fish right? Wait just a little more! In this step, patience is the difference between success and failure.

Now what Is Water Cycling? Without going in too much details, Water Cycling is basically waiting for your entire aquarium system to mature so that it can support animal life. Ammonia, and Nitrite are byproducts of any organic waste and they are extremely deadly to both corals and fish. However, there are beneficial bacterias that converts the said byproducts to the less toxic Nitrate.

When we say “Cycling” and/or “Aquarium Maturity”, what this means is that we are able to have a good enough supply the said beneficial bacteria within primarily the biological medias of our filtration system to be able to convert such byproducts from the organic waste our fish will produce. In other words, prior to putting in fish, we need to “seed” our filters with a lot of beneficial bacteria. This could be done through either 2 ways. First is the natural cycling method, that could last for weeks or months, where we let nature run it’s course and let beneficial bacteria naturally propagate within our system. Secondly, we could seed our filtration system with products that contain live beneficial bacteria. These are ready made solutions that you just have to add to your water. This helps the cycling process go faster.

In this process, the end result must be zero Ammonia and Nitrite and below 40ppm Nitrate. Such readings is known as “pristine water parameters” to achieve this, the tank must first be fully cycled. To be able to monitor this properly, having a water parameter test kit would be very handy.

8. Fish and Corals

Now that all is in place, running smoothly and fully cycled, the most exciting and fulfilling part starts! It’s time to add fish and corals! After carefully selecting fish, corals and other animals that could co-exist that fits perfectly within your system, sourcing them and adding them to your tank should be a breeze.

Just make sure you properly acclimate and quarantine them (if not sure about the source) before setting them free in your tanks. You would want to make sure they slowly adjust to the temperature and parameters inside your tank to avoid any problems upon release.

Now just have your high quality food ready for feeding times, your siphon for scheduled water changes and your commitment to routine to fully enjoy the wonderful and colorful world of reef tank keeping!