Are saltwater fish aquariums more expensive and difficult to maintain, and if so, how?
How To Setup a Saltwater Fish Aquarium This is for anyone interested in learning how to set up a saltwater aquarium. Starting a saltwater aquarium doesn’t have to be difficult. It just takes some effort on your part to learn about and research the necessary topics in order to have a good saltwater setup. What do I need to start a saltwater aquarium? Well, for the type of saltwater fish tank setup (marine aquarium) described in this article you will need the following equipment: * Aquarium * Aquarium Photo Background or Paint the background – see Aquarium Aquascape Design for more info on painting the tank background. * Aquarium substrate such as live sand or crushed coral * Live Rock * Saltwater Mix * Saltwater Hydrometer or even better a refractometer * Aquarium filter (not absolutely necessary if running with adequate amounts of live rock, but nice to have if you need to use a mechanical filter or activated carbon, etc.) * Replacement filter media like filter floss and activated carb
Freshwater Aquarium $270. Saltwater Aquarium $635. Saltwater is easier to maintain. As you can see, a saltwater aquarium requires some additional aquarium test kits and some additional equipment not found on the freshwater side of the hobby. You’ll need to invest in a good quality protein skimmer and some good quality live rock. Live rock is important from a biological filter perspective and if you’re using live rock you don’t have to use an external filter on the tank. Let the protein skimmer remove the dissolved wastes. The external mechanical aquarium filter may actually become a source of nitrates if not cleaned often enough since the power filter just traps waste. The protein skimmer on the other hand actually removes the dissolved organics from the water. Water changes are easier for freshwater tanks The periodic partial water changes are one of the most important tasks that a hobbyist performs on a regular basis and the process is a little different when you move into saltwater
