Saltwater aquariums are considered difficult to maintain by most aquarists who have never owned one. The many stories of hobbyists who failed with their aquariums. Why do some people have so many problems with saltwater aquariums? The internet has many pages devoted to disease and water chemistry problems that a lot of hobbyists have faced.

A few basic rules need to be applied to have success with saltwater aquariums.

The first mistake is many people believe that starting with a small aquarium is best then get a larger aquarium later after they get used to keeping Saltwater fish.

A larger aquarium is much easier to maintain than a small one because the water chemistry is far more stable in a larger volume of water. Simple overfeeding or water evaporation has a huge effect on a small volume of water.

This can be very detrimental to the fish.

Patience is another prerequisite of keeping saltwater fish. During the first few months the aquarium water chemistry is very unstable as the aquarium goes through its cycle stage. During this stage of the aquariums life the bacteria which converts all the fishes waste is still building up to cope with the bio load in the aquarium.  Stock the aquarium with fish and invertebrates very slowly. This gives the biological filters a chance to catch up with the waste produced in the aquarium.

Lack of oxygen is a big problem in Saltwater aquariums. It is 250 times harder to dissolve oxygen in saltwater than in freshwater. The surface skin of the water or the meniscus seals the gases in the water. The meniscus must be broken to allow gas exchange at the surface for the water to expel carbon dioxide form the fish and replenish the oxygen. This requires a lot of circulation at the surface. Agitating the surface water just like waves in the ocean.

Saltwater aquariums require a massive turnover of water to achieve this. Some Saltwater aquariums run with just enough oxygen to sustain the livestock in the aquarium. Marine fish also utilise more oxygen than their freshwater cousins. So lack of aeration is a major problem.

The biggest problem faced by saltwater aquarium hobbyists is poor quality livestock.

Buying fish and corals that already have an invisible problem just waiting to manifest itself in your aquarium. Some of these problems may cause an instant problem such as a fish fatality or may take several weeks. 60% of marine fish potentially carry disease pathogens and if left untreated will cause heartbreak for the hobbyist.

Never buy fish that have “just arrived” into your local store. See if they are willing to hold the fish for a week or ask, “do you quarantine your fish?”

Healthy fish and good water flow with correct water chemistry are the basic foundations for success.

Of course, regular maintenance of the aquarium and good quality feed is also important but that goes for all aquariums.

Those subjects will be covered in depth another time.