How Difficult Is It To Keep A Saltwater Aquarium ?

There is a common misperception that keeping a saltwater aquarium is difficult. I’m telling you that is a myth!  Keeping a salt water aquarium is amazing hobby that is not hard, as long as you follow some basic instructions.

Many people are fascinated by the ocean and keeping a living piece of it alive in their home with salt water reef tanks. I think the salt water hobby has a bad reputation of being difficult to keep because so many that take on this endeavor do so on a whim and are ill prepared. Not enough time and research goes into proper care. With the right techniques and care keeping salt water fish and corals is actually very easy and enjoyable!

The #1 key to success in keeping a salt water aquarium is patience & research. As a store owner we see people come in literally every single day of the week, 365 days a year looking to start a salt water aquarium. The vast majority of people that come in we actually turn away! Can you believe that? Most people want to jump right in without little research and this is what sets most people up for failure. I think we are one of the few stores that actually turns away paying customers because we want them do well.

So step #1is get online, check out your YouTube channel and make sure this hobby is right a fit for you.

Many new reefers would like a 100 gallon mixed reef tank packed with fish and corals. These types of aquariums take time though, literally years and thousands upon thousand of dollars. And I think that’s where most fail.

Step #2 decide on a tank
We almost always suggest new hobbyists get the fluval evo 13.5 nano reef tank to start.  I know its not what most people want to hear. Many new reefers would like a 100 gallon mixed reef tank packed with fish and corals. These types of aquariums take time though, literally years and thousands upon thousand of dollars. And I think that’s where most fail. No one tells them how long it takes to get a tank looking like this one. This is a hobby of patience unlike any other hobbies. Salt water corals and fish are sensitive animals and we are trying to create the worlds largest and most diverse and ecosystem in a drop of water relative to the oceans size. Many other hobbies you go out, drop a couple thousand dollars and you are instantly rewarded with your purchase. This hobby is the exact opposite, you need to spend money and then wait !

The points where I see new reefers fail the most

1. Little to no understanding of cycling an aquarium

A salt water aquarium needs to go through something we call a cycle before it is ready for any live animals. In this time you are basically waiting for your filter of your tank become alive and the filter is the rocks
Yes the rocks!
The rocks you add to your tank whether live rock or dry rock will literally filter your saltwater of harmful ammonia. The ammonia come from  fish waste and highly poisonous to both fish and corals. Imagine we lived in a small room, think about this room as if it is our personal aquarium. The room has no exit and we live inside it 24/7 ( just like a fish in its aquarium) Everyday someone brings to our room food and naturally we produce waste. No imagine this room has no toilet! I think without getting to graphic you can imagine what would happen in a very short amount time. After only a few days this room would become unbearable and after a short of time nothing would be able to live in this room. This is exactly how a fish system works. So how is it fish can survive in a closed aquarium environment.?

Aha! Live rock ! The magic of the ocean

The rock in the aquarium is covered it literally trillions of little bacteria that we call destroying bacteria. What they do is consume the fish waste ( ammonia) and they in turn create their own waste. BUT the waste of bacteria is not as harmful as the ammonia rich fish waste, it is represented as nitrate instead.

But where do these bacteria come from ?
They take time to cover newly added rock and surfaces in your salt water reef tank

How long does it take the bacteria to establish?
4 weeks

How long does it take before my new aquarium is safe to add fish and corals?
4 weeks !

Do I have to do anything to get these bacteria to grow ?

Nope, just add a small amount to start and then wait ( which is actually very hard to do :p

This is what we call cycling a new tank
We are basically waiting for denitrifying bacteria to be present so that it is safe to add live animals

This is a very basic understanding of cycling. If it makes sense you are one step ahead to starting your salt water tank! If not we invite you to research this topic some more

With over 50 years combined reef keeping experience in our store I am confident in saying this is the number one cause of failure of new reef tanks

Many hobbyists go out and set up a reef tank in one day with little to no research. They add everything to their aquarium in one shot. In just a few short days they are adding corals and fish without knowing they are setting themselves for failure. And it’s not their fault , sadly many stores simply do not take the time teach their new customers the right and ethical way of setting up a reef tank.

So keeping a reef tank really isn’t that hard once you understand the basic filtration premise !

Corals and fish should always be added slowly. You don’t want to shock your aquarium with too many animals at once. You would bring 8 new puppies one day right ? The same goes for fish, sadly I feel many of us forget they are living, feeling animals the same as any pet we keep. They are often rated as 2nd class pets though without the same care given.

The second most important part about keeping a reef tank is water change

Now remember the example I gave about a room without toilet ? This still applies to your aquarium even if it is cycled with live rock and bacteria. We still have nitrate building up in the tank from fish waste, which can be harmful at higher levels. Nowhere near as lethal as ammonia but now that we have live rock processing ammonia to nitrate we now longer are really concerned with ammonia, we now pay attention to nitrates
High nitrates in a reef tank can lead to a variety of problems including nuisance algae , decreased coral growth and coral and at high enough level fish mortality.

So how do we control or lower nitrates in our reef tank ?

The #1 way to do this is through what we call a water change. And its exactly what is sounds like. We take our a portion of water from our reef tank, usually about 15-20% every 2-4 weeks and we replace that with nice new clean salt water

This helps to replenish key minerals in the water and reduce nitrates

If we go back to our closed room analogy, ammonia is waste, nitrates would be like smelly stale air. So imagine every 2 weeks someone comes and opens all the windows in the room releasing a large portion of the air and allowing  nice new clean fresh air in. How often an aquarium needs to be water changed will depend on how heavily stocked it is. More fish means more fish food means more waste means more ammonia means more nitrates means more water change If you kept a salt water tank with little to no fish, maybe it is a coral dominated tank than you would have to water change FAR less often because little to no waste is being created

Once you understand how cycling a tank works and how nitrates are controlled the rest is easy !

Other than water changes what’s involved with keeping a reef tank?
You need to test the salt to ensure its accurate
Feed fish daily or every other day
Clean the glass of the aquarium every 3-4 days
Clean the filter component usually once a week

I could literally write this article 1000 pages long but in order not to bore you I will stop here
For more info on keeping reef tanks check out YouTube channel !!
We post a reef related video almost every single day of the week
For any specific questions feel free to email us using our contact form

In summary keeping a salt water aquarium is not difficult! It just requires patience and research before diving in

Have fun and happy reefing