Saltwater Aquariums

In his book Ocean Gardens: The History of the Marine Aquarium, naturalist H. Noel Humphreys wrote, “The marine Aquarium is, as yet, a plaything, a mere toy; but it is destined to become a far more important means of advancing science, and ministering to popular instruction, amusement, and wonder, than is yet dreamt of.” This he wrote in 1857. That wasn’t a typo; apparently, saltwater aquarium keeping was already a thing, and had a history, prior to the American Civil War. It might boggle one’s mind to imagine the lengths these hobbyists must have went through to keep and study marine life in private fish tanks. Saltwater aquaria (if you prefer proper Latin) are quite impressive today. They certainly are a lot more advanced. Yet, you could say that some things have come full circle. Consider the renewed value we place on live foods (e.g. pods, phyto, etc.). Consider also the rekindled interest in biological filters; new developments in natural filtration (i.e. using refugium algae and/or various types of bacteria) are still coming to light. And perhaps most significantly, many aquarium species are now available as captive bred! In this section, you will learn how to build an advanced, modern saltwater aquarium system as well as how to establish a healthy, natural biological community.