How to Maintain a Saltwater Aquarium by greg.chernoffA major component of reefing and keeping saltwater aquariums that deters people from the hobby is the maintenance that is required to upkeep them. It may feel like reefing requires too much work, but it may also be that you have an uncertainty on how to maintain a saltwater aquarium. Luckily for you, this article will explain the basics of maintenance and how you can make it easier to do, resulting in a stable and happy reef tank. Maintenance of Your Saltwater Aquarium can be Challenging Most hobbyists would agree that water changes are not enjoyable. Although, they are one of the most effective methods of maintenance, as they can take large amounts of nutrients out of the water quickly. There is a way, though, to reduce the number of water changes you need to do. If your filtration is good enough, you will not have to do as many water changes. You can replace the nutrient export that takes place during a water change by having a few different components in your filtration. A protein skimmer is a great option for nutrient export. Skimmers are very popular equipment in the reef hobby, as most people have them in there sumps or hanging off the back. They are considered one of the “must have” ways of how to maintain a saltwater aquarium. They simply skim protein from the water and collect it in a container called a collection cup. You will have to empty and clean the cup when it gets full. Protein skimmers can be expensive depending on the size and quality, but they are a standard piece of equipment every reef aquarium needs. Another way to reduce nutrients is to use certain types of mechanical filtration, such as GFO (granular ferric oxide). GFO can be put in a bag and place anywhere in the sump or it can be put in a media reactor where it is most effective. GFO is especially known for removing phosphate, which is a nutrient that causes algae growth. It is important to note that you can use too much GFO and remove too much phosphate. For best results, you should change out the GFO every so often, which depends on the type you use. Carbon is another popular mechanical filtration that will keep your water clear. It too has to be replaced every so often, which adds to the maintenance. [generalhelp] Going Natural There are also natural methods of nutrient export. These methods, such as having excess surface area for bacteria and having a refugium, have proven to be very effective. Possibly the best way of eliminating nutrients is targeting it at its source, which is food and fish waste. When this waste breaks down, it turns into nutrients. These nutrients can then be broken down by beneficial bacteria. Having more of this bacteria will allow for lower nutrient levels. This bacteria needs to have a place to live, such as rocks and sand. You could simply add more rocks to your display tank or you could buy a type of rock media, such as Marine Pure blocks. This will give the bacteria more surface area to live in. These block can be put in any section of the sump, but they do especially well in a refugium. A refugium is a separate section in a sump where you can put sand, media blocks, copepods, and macroalgae. Macroalgae is another way to export nutrients naturally. The macroalgae feeds off the nutrients in the water and grows. You can then take chunks off of the macroalgae to physically take the nutrients out. The most obvious part of how to maintain a salt water aquarium is the removal of large waste in the tank. Mechanical removal is done using a filter sock, a foam block, or both. You will have to clean these out when they get filthy. Filter floss can also be used, but you will have to clean it and replace it more. There are two different types of filter socks: felt and mesh. Felt socks filter out smaller things, but have to be cleaned much more. Mesh socks only filter out larger things, but do not have to be filtered out as much. It is up to you to decide which is best for your tank and situation. Dosing and Stability of your Marine Aquarium Dosing base elements (calcium, alkalinity, and magnesium) may be a major part of your tank’s maintenance depending on what kind of corals you want to grow. If you just have soft corals or none at all, don’t worry about dosing these elements. If you have corals other than soft corals, your tank will probably need some form of base element replenishment. The most common way is dosing. Dosing allows for stability within your tank and increased coral growth. For dosing, you have a few ways of going about doing it. The least favorable way of dosing would be doing it manually. You would have to remember to dose every day, which adds the possibility of forgetting. You can also use a dosing pump and a controller. This could be one of the more expensive ways to dose, but it requires little to no maintenance, aside from refilling the dosing containers. You can also dose using an auto top off. Use something such as kalkwasser in the auto top off reservoir, and as the water in your tank evaporates it will dose the tank. This is the easiest and cheapest automated method but is less precise. Any of these methods will work, but it depends on which one you want to use and how much work you want to have to do. Keeping it Clean Certainly, the most time-consuming part about how you maintain a Saltwater Aquarium is the cleaning, and there is no way around it. You will have to clean your skimmer collection cup and filter sock or filter block the most. This is the type of cleaning you will have to do weekly. The best way to do it is to set a certain day of the week to be your tank cleaning day. Make sure that your weekly cleaning tasks are the first thing you do. You will also need to clean the tank itself. The best way to do this is through a water change. Detritus will often build up on the bottom of the tank and on the rocks. By doing a water change you can suck up some of this waste and keep the tank clean. The number of water changes you have to do in a month will be determined by how good your filtration is. Once again, you should set a specific day or multiple days of the month when you do these water changes. Eventually, all of your tank’s equipment will need to be cleaned. This includes the return pump, powerheads, the rest of the protein skimmer, media reactors, dosing pumps, auto top off, and any other in-tank equipment. This type of cleaning will not need to be done often. It may only be three times a year, but it may be more than that; simply use common sense when deciding if something needs to be cleaned or not. This may seem like a lot of work, but doing it will ensure that your equipment lasts longer and works more efficiently for the tank. After getting into a strict maintenance schedule, it won’t seem so bad. While there are some areas of maintenance that are impossible to avoid, you can get rid of some of the hassle through automation. With technology constantly evolving there are always new ways to make how you maintain a Saltwater Aquarium easier. The downside is that easier often times means more expensive. For example, it is much cheaper to manually add fresh water to your tank to keep the salinity stable, but it is much easier to use an auto top off. Although these automatic devices may be more expensive, they create more stability and result in a better reef tank. When it comes down to it, it is completely up to you and your goals to determine how to maintain a salt water aquarium. More ambitious goals will require better maintenance. It is important to keep this in mind when comparing your tank to others and your maintenance to others. That’s how to maintain a saltwater aquarium. Now go and clean your filter sock, change the carbon, and make your tank beautiful. [generalhelp]
Sean Beaver says December 23, 2019 at 3:23 pm Wonderful read. I need to implement some of the suggestions in my own life. Reply
N L says December 27, 2019 at 10:47 pm regular maintenance is easier than less frequent but more involved maintenance. Stay connected to your tank, and it’s easier to keep up. Reply
Chris Whalen says January 3, 2020 at 2:14 am This is a great resource for beginners like myself. Reply
Gage says January 3, 2020 at 1:43 pm This website is very convenient and has everything all in one site Reply
Jerry Pearson says December 23, 2019 at 3:30 pm This is good to know, as my tank is only a couple of months old. Reply
Ashley Zabel says December 23, 2019 at 3:48 pm Saltwater aquariums are so expensive, but so worth it! Reply
Amber V says December 31, 2019 at 4:35 am Nothing on testing your water? Don’t necessarily chase numbers as each tank will find its stability as it matures but I do think it’s important to know especially with dosing. Reply
Jayda Patterson says December 23, 2019 at 4:04 pm I’ve never heard of anyone doing the natural approach! I wonder if this was given enough time if it could be successful. Reply
Kristen Maves says December 23, 2019 at 4:37 pm Love the idea of better filtration for fewer water changes! Reply
michael p says December 23, 2019 at 5:37 pm Algae Barn has helped me keep it clean with happy pods and Ocean Magik Reply
Josh Stevens says December 23, 2019 at 6:48 pm Thanks for this helpful information. Happy Holidays Reply
BRANDON Douglas STICKEL says December 23, 2019 at 7:33 pm The basics are the most important and a great place to start Reply
Derek Covatch says December 23, 2019 at 9:15 pm Constant parameters checking (not chasing) and constant maintenance schedule. These will aid in a successful reef tank. Reply
Leo Minegishi says December 23, 2019 at 10:14 pm Maintenance can be as simple, or as difficult as you want it to be. I prefer the simple method, some might call “old school”. Reply
Matt Traylor says December 23, 2019 at 10:17 pm The best way to maintain a saltwater aquarium is to do as much research as you possibly can before setting your tank up. A lot of processes can be autonomous, making your job much easier. Reply
Brian Badge says December 23, 2019 at 11:19 pm Testing parameters is a huge part of maintenance. Recently I had to adjust for alkalinity consumption that outpace my water changes. Not knowing could have been catastrophic. As it is I have one already stressed coral showing worse symptoms. Reply
Cole says December 24, 2019 at 12:43 am honestly salt isnt really that much more work than fresh Reply
Nicholas Nevins says December 24, 2019 at 12:59 am I will be going skimmer and refugium to eliminate excess nutrients and starting off with manual dosing but not for long Reply
Julianne Morgan says December 24, 2019 at 1:00 am I want a ATO or a automatic doser. Ive heard horror stories of both malfunctioning. Which worries me if i spend that much money. I have SPS and soft corals. ? Reply
jason frames says December 24, 2019 at 1:51 am Love the maintenance on my tank I always get super exited when it comes time to clean and maintain Reply
Kyle hagger says December 24, 2019 at 6:09 am Good maintenance is a must for a healthy aquarium Reply
Alan Rowland says December 24, 2019 at 7:50 am I try to keep it simple. I dont test everything and chase numbers. I have a fuge with chaeto, pods, a decent size CUC. And just watch my tank. Do 10% weekly water changes. The more I meddle, the more goes wrong. For every action, there is an equal reaction. Reply
ssemme says December 29, 2019 at 9:51 am Great read. For some reason I find the maintenance piece to be one of the attractions to this hobby. Reply
David DeMarco says December 24, 2019 at 9:04 am Something everyone keeping an aquarium should read Reply
ekersd says December 24, 2019 at 9:06 am Algae Barn, why don’t you look into captive raised bristle worms, mini stars…? They would fit well with your other offerings and really reduce detritus. Reply
steveszczepanowski says December 24, 2019 at 9:24 am Always have a plan, there are applications out there that help with organizing and scheduling maintenance Reply
Catherine says December 24, 2019 at 9:58 am Consistancy is key. Monitoring perameters and frequent water changes. Reply
Joe car says December 24, 2019 at 11:31 am Test,test,test is the best way to keep up with your tank. Reply
Richard Varone says December 25, 2019 at 1:07 pm Great information, keep a consistent schedule! Reply
Shaun Small says December 25, 2019 at 2:36 pm Just getting to the dosing stage of my tank. I will really need to get more information. I am not a newb, bur far from any expert Reply
Donald Carney says December 25, 2019 at 2:40 pm Natural is way to go. But definitely need good information Reply
Frank Fodera says December 25, 2019 at 7:35 pm A few hours of work a month can save so much headache and money. Reply
Ricky Dube says December 26, 2019 at 9:11 am Can’t beat some of those natural methods. I’m always scared I’ll add too much of something and I’ll screw up the tank, but some good old Chaeto will always get the job done Reply
dcallahan56789 says December 26, 2019 at 9:17 am Water changes and refugiums are by far the best nutrient control. In my opinion they seem the most natural. Reply
Ansu Abraham says December 26, 2019 at 10:50 am I was always afraid of doing a saltwater tank until I took the plunge last year. I am loving it now! Reply
Casey Whittington says December 26, 2019 at 1:01 pm Good post, I learned a few things reading this even after being in the hobby for over 10 yrs. Keep up the GOOD work Reply
Jordan Sims says December 26, 2019 at 8:47 pm This was great, you get what you put in for sure. Reply
John Demanko (@jmdreef) says December 26, 2019 at 10:28 pm Nice article. I like to run the KISS method lol Reply
Drew Rollman says December 27, 2019 at 10:04 am I think keeping things stable and being patient and allowing the tank to mature are key. I’ve been in the hobby for 20+ yrs and you still learn things as you go. Automation has come a long way in helping keep things stable as well. Reply
Courtney Hoard says December 27, 2019 at 6:59 pm I was always taught to go for 3-4x the filtration needed. So for one it doesn’t have to work overtime, and secondly if gives you more time in between cleanings. Reply
Jean Pattison says December 27, 2019 at 8:41 pm I have a softie tank, so I am ahead of how much work. Keeping clean is my priority, and keeping parameters stable. I am looking into a fuge for pods for my fish Reply
Tony says December 28, 2019 at 8:02 am Fish with live rock is way easier than with corals… I’ve always thought tanks were easiest after a good Population of pods have been established and some coralline has shown up (around 4-6 months). Reply
littlemoma1985 says December 28, 2019 at 10:38 am My pods went crazy my mandarin is fat and full Reply
Echo Rodetsky says December 28, 2019 at 5:38 pm I love copepods and I use GFO in a reactor. Not enough room for a skimmer, too, but I do weekly water changes. I don’t need to dose that way, either. I imagine my maintenance will change if I get a bigger tank. Reply
Alejandro Rodriguez says December 28, 2019 at 9:44 pm With all the research I have done I have learned once a saltwater aquarium is cycled and up & running there is actually less maintenance involved than freshwater. Reply
Edward Raposo says December 29, 2019 at 1:13 am This post shamed me into doing a water change tonight. Reply
Martin Waite says December 29, 2019 at 11:59 am A great addition to your nutrient removal is a filter roller it replaces the sock and saves you from changing the sock every 3 days. The roll of filter material will last anywhere from 1 to 3 months and it doesn’t give off any smell either. These are a great buy. Reply
James Cato says December 29, 2019 at 7:27 pm This covers a lot more than other articles I’ve read. Reply
Cole Froerer says December 29, 2019 at 8:39 pm Good info since I’m just getting started! Thanks! Reply
Doffrey says December 29, 2019 at 9:29 pm I was looking into getting into saltwater so I’m glad I found this Reply
Rudy A Garcia says December 29, 2019 at 10:19 pm Great article. Wish I had read it before starting a reef tank as it would have made setup and preparation much better for long run stability. Oh well. Live and learn, as they say. Reply
Jaime Quintanilla says December 29, 2019 at 11:13 pm Very useful info for a beginner such as myself Reply
Patrick Stephens says December 30, 2019 at 6:10 am Personally run a 75g refugium on my Frag tanks! Does wonders! Reply
Greg says December 30, 2019 at 9:03 am Great it of info there. Seems like there’s always differ t methods and approaches that work great for some but not always others. Reply
Sam says December 30, 2019 at 9:31 am Need to pin this one for later. Great advice to start with. Reply
doug perry says December 30, 2019 at 9:45 am I wish ppl weren’t so scared to get into this Hobbie it’s really not that hard Reply
Tian Sorg says December 30, 2019 at 12:18 pm I learn so.erhing new everyday about this hobby! Very interesting read! Thanks! Reply
Barry Sylvia says December 30, 2019 at 3:17 pm Would.love to hear from someone doing the natural approach! Reply
Daniel says December 30, 2019 at 5:17 pm That’s good to know because I have a saltwater aquarium Reply
Bethany Souza says December 30, 2019 at 5:29 pm Maintenance maintenance maintenance ….the golden rule Reply
liesle_memmott says December 30, 2019 at 8:16 pm Thanks for the details, we spend a lot of time working on developing /maintaining natural habitats. Have learned so much Reply
Alice Lewellen says December 30, 2019 at 8:30 pm I will be using this when I get a saltwater tank one day! Reply
t.joudi says December 30, 2019 at 10:32 pm Do you recommend against using aluminum oxide for phosphate removal? Reply
samuelwalker1996 says December 30, 2019 at 11:49 pm This is great information for beginner hobbyists! Reply
John Louis says December 31, 2019 at 9:07 am I have a 20 g nano with just an HOB and live rock/sand, I dose microbacter 7 every other day and do a 10% water change biweekly, I have found that adding that beneficial bacteria greatly helps to maintain the water clean, always keeps the nutrients in check and everything is thriving, there should be more information on this out there, you don’t really always need any fancy equipment. Reply
Karie Mabus says December 31, 2019 at 10:57 am Water change, Water change, Water change. Did I say… Water Change! Reply
Kim Eberhart says December 31, 2019 at 3:24 pm Thanks for such thoughtful articles. I am reading them all as I am setting up my new tank now and this is very helpful. Reply
Kale says January 1, 2020 at 6:44 am Great info to have before setting up my first reef tank. Thank you Reply
Eric Rosnick says January 1, 2020 at 11:38 am Great information, just getting started with salt water Reply
Alisa Tejeda says January 1, 2020 at 1:09 pm I hope I can get a huge aquarium and it becomes the center of my life Reply
Tina R Rice says January 1, 2020 at 1:56 pm Ive had many tank setupoverthe trs. Current tank setup was 7 yrs ago. Reply
chereecarter says January 1, 2020 at 7:15 pm Ugh, maintenance is so much harder than set up. Good job with this one guys! Reply
Edgar Alvarez says January 1, 2020 at 9:38 pm The key to a beautiful tank is in the maintenance. Reply
chris peters says January 2, 2020 at 4:04 am Would you agree that adding gfo to my sump with marine pure, and a protein skimmer, and a refugium is to many nitrate exports? Reply
ainarm says January 2, 2020 at 8:24 am Someday I may have the multiple thousand dollars needed to purchase an apex and all the related probes, pumps and other stuff. Reply
Paul Marvin says January 2, 2020 at 10:48 am I’m 4 years into this hobby and still always learning something new Reply
Elizabeth Mack says January 2, 2020 at 12:29 pm Bookmarked this for when I finally get my tank. Reply
Melanie says January 2, 2020 at 6:26 pm Will totally use this info when i start my first saltwater tank Reply
Kaity says January 3, 2020 at 12:14 am Great information!! I think it’s just getting a routine just like you do for everyday life! Enjoy 2020 everyone!! Reply
megan_kim says January 3, 2020 at 8:44 am I learned a lot of important information from this one!!! Reply
ddogusmc says January 3, 2020 at 1:08 pm I definitely learned expensive lessons by overdosing no pox Reply
ddogusmc says January 3, 2020 at 1:08 pm I definitely learned expensive lessons by overdosing no pox Reply
Cole Goracke says January 3, 2020 at 3:09 pm My new years resolution is better maintenance, just got a RO/DI unit to help with that Reply
Charles Brooks says January 3, 2020 at 5:39 pm Wonderful info. Thank you for all the research that goes into these write ups. Reply
Jonathan Dahl says January 3, 2020 at 9:01 pm I love the idea of going natural method. Having cyano bloom issues after beating back dinos and I think these problems are do to not having a healthy enough microbiome before I started adding livestock. Reply
pinckark11 says January 4, 2020 at 1:25 am Always something new to glean from every blog post. Thank you! Reply
kathy pease says January 4, 2020 at 12:12 pm I have always wanted to try having a salt water setup Reply
josephine bylsma says January 4, 2020 at 1:44 pm this is great info for someone like me whose learning about keeping saltwater aquariums Reply
kameronkh3 says January 5, 2020 at 1:28 am It’s always nice having new information and just re-educating myself on tank maintenance and more efficient ways to maintain it. Only having an on the back filter can be a little challenging at times but it’s worth it in the end until I can finally upgrade, not sure when but it’s always nice to dream! Reply
Julian Pillans says January 5, 2020 at 9:23 am My family thinks I’m crazy for the amount of time I spend with my tank. ??♂️ Reply
Amber Kolb says January 5, 2020 at 11:23 am We haven’t had a salt water tank yet, but we are really interested in one. Right now we have 150 gallon for the red-eared slider we rescued, however she eats almost anything put in the tank, so we’d like to get one strictly for fish. Thanks for all the tips! Reply
Judi A Mitzel says January 5, 2020 at 2:39 pm I am trying to tay as natural ad possible with my reef tank, (refuge, pods, skimmer, etc) thanks for the info Reply
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