Saltwater 101 Click on me to begin

Everything you need to know to start your saltwater adventure! Starter Fish Setting Up Your Tank Setting Up Your Tank Tank Maintenance Tank Maintenance

Setting Up Your Tank

Substrate Using Sand Remove sand every six months and replace This prevents build-up of nitrates Using Crushed Coral Take out every 3-6 months and rinse Replace in tank after air drying This prevents build-up of nitrates

Sand Substrates Sand substrates come in black and natural. Sand also needs to be rinsed thoroughly before being added to your saltwater aquarium to remove any debris.

Coral Substrates Coral substrates are made up of millions of tiny shells and pieces of coral. You need to rinse these thoroughly and lay out to air dry to prevent contamination to your saltwater tank.

Plants and Decorations You can choose between live or artificial plants Live rock is another option and is very good for maintaining balance in your new saltwater environment Corals are another option that can be live or artificial Many other resin decorations are available like sunken ships, treasure chests and other items to suit your tastes.

Tank Maintenance Routine maintenance is important to keep your tank healthy and your fish happy.

Tank Walls Carefully scrub tank walls with magnetic algae scraper Wipe outside of tank with dry cloth NEVER use glass cleaner on the fish tank! Wipe top and rims to prevent salt creep

Cleaning Equipment Remove the filter and rinse in fresh water Allow to air dry before returning to the tank Use tank brush to scrub inside of filtration system to remove excess algae Add fresh carbon in a dual filter system

Testing Marine pH Fill sample pipette to base of bulb and dispense in test cavity Add one drop of Marine pH and stir briefly Read pH from chart Marine pH should be between 8.2 and 8.4

Testing Salinity Purchase a hydrometer to measure the salinity in your saltwater fish tank. Your hydrometer should read around 1.6.

Starter Fish Buying saltwater fish for your newly set up aquarium can be quite exciting. Starting with healthy saltwater fish means a much better chance of maintaining a happy and healthy saltwater aquarium.

Clownfish The Clownfish is one of the most popular marine fish. Its beautiful orange body dressed with white bands outlined in black instantly distinguishes the Clownfish.

Blue Tang The Blue Tang boasts a vibrant electric blue body dressed with bold black markings. The black traces the dorsal to the tail and circles back to the pectoral to create a shape reminiscent of a painter's palette.

Longnose Hawkfish The Longnose Hawkfish has a white body with red striping that runs both horizontally and vertically. They have great personalities and are very interesting to watch.

Green Mandarin Dragonet The head and body of the Green Mandarin are a mazelike combination of blue, orange, and green. Males may be distinguished from females by their more- elongated first dorsal spine.