Fish Only Systems

If you intend to keep fish only (i.e. no corals or other invertebrates) then the lighting does not need to be too intense, in fact, lighting which is too intense could lead to nuisance algae problems within a fish only aquarium. The lighting should still be of the correct spectrum for a marine aquarium in order to mimic the sunlight found in the inhabitants natural habitat. A combination of ‘Marine White’ and ‘Marine Blue’ (actinic) lighting is preferable in most cases.

Suggested lighting type: T5, T8, LED

Fish Only With Live Rock

The lighting required for this type of aquarium is the same as that of the Fish Only system outlined above. However, if you increase the lighting slightly the aquarium will benefit.

Suggested lighting type: T5, LED

Soft Coral Reef

As this aquarium will most likely contain photosynthetic invertebrates the lighting required will be more intense than the previous types of marine aquarium mentioned. Most (though not all) soft corals require light to grow and flourish. A 50:50 marine white/marine blue ratio is a good starting point and will be desirable to both your corals and yourself from an aesthetic point of view.

Suggested lighting type: T5, Metal Halide, LED

Full Reef Aquarium

The lighting required for a full reef aquarium (i.e. an aquarium containing SPS/LPS corals) is significantly more intense than for any other type of marine aquarium. Insufficient lighting can result in coral bleaching or coral death. Most corals have a symbiotic relationship with algae which lives inside the tissue of their body. The algae use light to photosynthesise and the coral feeds on the by-products of this procedure, insufficient lighting will therefore cause the coral to effectively starve to death over a period of time. As a general rule of thumb for a reef aquarium you should aim for 1 watt of lighting per litre of aquarium water. This should be used as a guideline only as many factors such as aquarium depth, tank inhabitants and surface area of the tank have an effect on the lighting required. We would advise that T5 lighting should not be used on aquariums deeper than 30” without additional metal halide lighting unless no corals are placed below this point.

Suggested lighting type: T5, Metal Halide, LED

Lighting types

So, you’ve decided on which type of aquarium you wish to set up, you know how intense the lighting should be and you know which types of lighting are able to provide this, but, wish type should you purchase? Now we will take a look at the pros and cons of each lighting type.

T8

T8 lighting is probably the most common form of lighting supplied with ‘Complete’ aquariums. The tubes are 1 inch in diameter and are available in many different lengths and outputs. One of the main advantages of this type of lighting is that, as mentioned above, if you have purchased a ‘complete’ aquarium and wish to convert it to marine it is relatively straightforward to retro fit the lighting as a tube change is all that is required.

Fluorescent light tubes become less efficient after 9-12 months and the colour temperature can shift. This means that in order to keep your aquarium looking at its best you must replace the tubes every 9-12 months.

The output of this type of lighting is considered to be quite low in relation to other types of lighting available today which means that they are only really suited to a fish only system.

Fitting reflectors to T8 lighting is definitely something that we would recommend. Doing this can increase the light actually reaching the aquarium by up to 100%.

T8 lighting should only be used on aquariums up to 24” deep.

T5

T5 lighting is becoming an increasingly common choice amongst aquarium manufacturers when selecting the lighting that is included with aquariums. This is good news for the same reason as T8 lighting. Retro fitting marine specific lighting involves merely changing the bulbs.

T5 lighting is similar in physical appearance to T8 lighting but is 5/8 inch in diameter. The T5 tube will produce a significantly higher output when compared to the same length of T8 lamp, e.g. a 48” T8 tube produces 36w of light whereas a 48” T5 tube will produce 54w. While T5 lighting is marginally more expensive than T8 lighting, in terms of ‘bang for buck’ the T5 represents better value.

As with T8 tubes, these lamps will need to be replaced every 9-12 months due to light quality degradation.

T5 tubes generate heat which can be an issue in aquariums with hoods, although the heat output is not normally an issue.

As with T8 tubes, reflectors can be fitted to T5 lamps to greatly increase their useful output.

Using T5 lighting in your aquarium normally allows you to easily upgrade once your experience (and wallet) allows. Adding more T5 tubes is an easy way to increase light output if you decide to move from soft corals to LPS/SPS. You will need an appropriate lighting controller and the bulbs to add more lighting. The controller is normally positioned in the cupboard out of sight, and the new lights attached to the existing hood using the brackets supplied with the controller.

T5 tubes should only be used on aquariums up to 30” deep unless they are being used as supplemental lighting to metal halides.

Metal Halide

Metal halide lighting was, until very recently, seen as the only real choice for lighting a full reef aquarium due to its high light output capabilities. Using metal halides also creates a pleasing (and natural looking) shimmer effect on the sand bed and corals in an aquarium.

Metal halides are capable of penetrating the aquarium water to greater depths than other forms of lighting, although LED technology is rapidly improving in this area. As a general rule we would suggest using the following as a minimum for a full reef aquarium:

18” Depth = 150w Metal Halide

24” Depth = 250w Metal Halide

24+” Depth = 400w Metal Halide

Metal halides will need to be suspended above the aquarium either from a wall or a ceiling. This gives the benefit of being able to easily adjust the distance between the light source and the water surface to fine tune spread of light and intensity.

As metal halides generate a significant amount of heat, suspending them above the tank allows for air flow around the units and the surface of the water to aid cooling. In summer, fans may be required to keep things cool.

Bulbs in metal halide units will need to be replaced every 8-12 months.

Metal halides normally need to be supplemented with actinic T5 lights to provide the correct light spectrum for coral growth.

The running costs and energy consumption of metal halide lighting are considerable. However, if you wish to keep SPS corals successfully in a relatively deep aquarium, they are almost a necessity. LED lighting is now capable of giving comparable performance.

If using more than 1 metal halide lamp to light your aquarium you may find that a chiller becomes essential in order to keep the aquariums temperatures in check.

LED

LED lighting is still considered to be the ‘new boy’ amongst aquarium lighting choices but it is quickly proving itself to be an extremely viable and cost effective solution.

The latest generation of LED lighting, such as the TMC AquaRay range, boast impressive light output figures and low running costs.

Unlike fluorescent lighting and metal halide lighting, LED lights have a life of around 50,000 hours (that’s about 14 years at 10 hours a day!!!) with no noteworthy light quality degradation and less than 20% output reduction over that lifespan. Taking into account how many times you would have to change fluorescent tubes or metal halide bulbs over that period, LED lighting is fantastic value for money.

LED’s use very little energy, and the energy they do use is converted into light very efficiently, which reduces the heat output of your lighting system removing the need for expensive cooling equipment.

The coverage of LED lighting is quite concentrated and so for larger aquariums, quite a few units will be required to get an even spread of light. As with metal halide, LED lighting is a point light source and so, creates a shimmer effect.

LED lighting is controllable (depending on brand) allowing for dawn/dusk effects amongst other things. This creates a more natural environment for your tank inhabitants and reduces stress for your fish.

Running cost comparison

This table shows the running costs (for lighting) for a 36x18x18 aquarium containing a mix of SPS and soft corals. Costs are based on the lights being on for 10 hours per day.

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1. Understand Algae and why it occurs

All algae requires light to photosynthesise and nutrients on which to feed. Different types of algae prefer different levels of light and different nutrients. It is true that any body of water suitable for maintaining aquatic life will also offer a suitable home to some of the thousands of species of algae.

Even the cleanest looking aquariums and ponds will contain some algae, it is inevitable! So this is a guide to control the growth of algae, it is normally possible to retard its spread to the point that it is no longer visible or of concern.

Always remember that out of control algae will not harm your fish. It is in fact a symptom of underlying conditions that will actually aid water quality until better conditions are restored. At this point the level of algae will naturally reduce.

2. Lighting can be used to fight algae

Or rather a lack of lighting or the correct lighting! Most common forms of algae require continuous lighting to photosythesise. Broadly speaking most algaes will not start to multiply until they have been exposed to light for a period of 2-4 hours. For this reason we recommend in most instances using a light timer and running the lights for 4 hours on, 2 hours off, 4 hours on. This is not including blue lighting used in the early mornings and evenings. The blue light spectrum is much less useful to most types of algae and therefore less of a concern. When following this advice in a reef tank it is worth considering certain corals and invertebrates do require longer periods of continuous lighting. In this instance it would not be suitable to introduce a break in the aquarium lighting.

The quality of the light is also important, older tubes that need replacing will over time change in colour spectrum and so regularly replacing your tubes will ensure the correct light is being used.

NOTE: Any aquarium that receives direct daylight, or bright in-direct daylight will struggle with algae problems and should be relocated. Ideally all aquariums should be sited away from natural light sources.

3. Do I need to water change more?

Water changing is not always the best answer to any given problem but in almost all cases it will help. There are a variety of ways to reduce the build up of undesirable nutrients and chemicals in an aquarium, however none are as instantly effective as a water change. This is becasue a water change will immediately dilute the effects of a problem whilst its route cause is addressed.

10. Red/Brown slime algae

Characterised by its rapid spread over pretty much any surface in the aquarium. This form of algae is very common in new marine aquariums. Typically it occurs shortly after adding the first livestock (including living rock) and will naturally subside as the tank matures. These algaes feed from Nitrite which is more prevelant in new aquaria. As the filter matures Nitrate will be reduced to an effective zero, thus removing this type of algaes food source. Slime Algae also perfers low lighting, often it will be replaced by coarser algaes in new aquaria with powerful lighting.

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There are 2 main ‘types’ of marine aquarium, fish only or a reef aquarium. A fish only aquarium is generally easier to maintain than a reef aquarium as corals are more demanding and are less tolerant of poor water quality. The list of basic equipment is much the same for both types, you will need: Aquarium, protein skimmer, lighting (high output for reef systems, see our marine lighting guide), heating, powerheads for water circulation, filtration. In addition to this list, it may be wise to also include a calcium reactor, uv steriliser etc dependent upon the stock within your aquarium.

The list of equipment above is considered essential, further into this guide we will look at some equipment which, although not essential, can make your life easier and/or your aquarium more spectacular.

When choosing a protein skimmer it is always best, in our experience, to choose one that is rated for a larger aquarium than you intend to keep. For example, if your aquarium is 200 litres, look at a protein skimmer which is rated for at least 300 litres or even 400 and above if you intend to keep more demanding inhabitants.

When choosing a heater a good rule is to allow for 1w of heating per 1 litre of aquarium water. In larger aquariums more than 1 heater may be required and even in smaller aquariums having 2 heaters is a good failsafe to avoid costly losses if one stops working. The heater should be placed in an area with good flow to ensure even heating of the tank.

Good water movement is vital to the health of a marine aquarium. Corals need the movement to bring food and fish will appreciate the exercise. As a minimum you should look to turn the tank volume over 10 times per hour, although more would be better and in fact, for a reef aquarium, 15-20+ times per hour is a necessity. This is normally acheived via the use of powerheads such as the Newave or Koralia ranges.

When choosing an aquarium we would suggest that you purchase the largest one that your space/wallet/purse will allow. Marine fish need a larger swimming area than most tropical fish and so it is only right that we keep them in as large a space as we can to ensure they thrive. Ideally there should be at least 9-10 litres of water for every 1 inch of fish in the aquarium. This is just a general rule of thumb, we’re not sure a 6 inch tang would be happy in a 60 litre aquarium (!) so always check the minimum recommended tank size for your wish list of fish, before purchasing the tank if possible.

You also need to consider what type of aquarium you want. Do you want a convenient, all in one set up such as the Red Sea Max? Or would you prefer to choose individual pieces of equipment and design your own system? Both have their merits and which one you choose will ultimately come down to your own personal choice and experience level. Please give us a call if you would like to discuss either option.

So, you’ve bought the aquarium and all the required equipment, now what? Its time to add the water and rockwork. When keeping marine fish and coral it is vital that water quality is very good. We recommend using only reverse osmosis (RO) water for marine systems as this has had all of the contaminants and heavy metals removed. We can provide pre-mixed RO saltwater (we use Red Sea Coral Pro salt), either from our shop, or we can even send you some in reusable containers. We keep our water at a salinity of between 1.022 and 1.025. We would recommend that marine aquariums are kept within this range at all times. The salinity can be checked using either a hydrometer or a refractometer to ensure that it remains within these parameters. A stable salinity is more important than the actual salinity (providing it is within this range. When saltwater evaporates it is only the water that does so, the salt will remain in the aquarium. It is therefore important to top up any evaporation with fresh RO water to ensure a stable salinity.

As for the rockwork, we would recommend using live rock as it forms a major part of the aquariums filtration system, in fact, live rock, a protein skimmer and good water movement can be all the filtration required in a marine aquarium. The large surface area of live rock is colonised by bacteria which acts as the filtration. You will need approximately 1lb of live rock per gallon (approx 1kg per 10 litres) to ensure adequate filtration. Live rock can be added on top of a base layer of ocean rock if desired. We would advise that the rockwork is added before any sand to ensure that the structure is stable. If you place the rockwork on top of a layer of sand you invite the possibility of a fish or other creature burrowing underneath it and undermining the rock which could cause problems.

Once you’ve got the rockwork, sand and water in the aquarium its time to switch on all of your shiny new equipment!

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