How to Set Up a Saltwater Aquarium

Jim Karinikas: Hi! This is Jim Karinikas from Tropical Fish World, and I am going to over a little bit about the basics of keeping a salt water aquarium. So the different clips we are going to be covering today, are the basic water requirements for a salt water aquarium, such as adding the salt and the additives and the foods. First, we are going to discuss lighting for the salt water aquarium. The lighting for a fish only aquarium is much different than that of a reef tank. So we are just going to discuss your different options for lighting. We will also going to cover the equipment that is needed for a salt water aquarium. I also want to show you all the interesting live animals, including fish, live rock, crabs, corals. Probably the most important thing I am going to talk to you about, is water quality and troubleshooting some of the more common problems that you are going to have with the marine aquarium. Some of the equipment and products that we are going to need are, de-chlorinating drops or liquids. We are going to need some synthetic salt to put in the aquarium. We are going to also need something to measure the amount of salt that's added to the aquarium. We are also going to need a filter system, and along with the filter system a heater, and we're also going to have some safety concerns with the aquarium. We're going to have to make sure that we drip loop all of the cords that go into the outlets, because salt water is a very good conductor of electricity, and we want to make sure that we don't get any of the salt water into any electrical outlets, that might cause a safety hazard. My name is Jim Karinikas. I have a degree in Marine Biology from the University of Maryland. I have run an own Tropical Fish World since 1989, and before that I worked at another aquarium store for about 13 years. So let's say, kind of fish is my life, and I really enjoy the salt water aquariums, and I want to make sure that understand how to do it right. So I know you are eager to get started, so let's go ahead and see how to set up a saltwater aquarium.