So you go to a public aquarium, get excited, and decide to start your own saltwater aquarium. You think, “how hard could it be? Just add water, salt, a few rocks, and fish.” After buying a pre-assembled 10 gallon setup from PetBig with the hang on back power filter it may seem easy at first, but there are many problems that will arise. After setting up this all in one package, things may go well for the first month or two, you may even be able to keep a few fish for that span of time, but what happens when that yellow tang catches your eye? Or when that angelfish is calling you to take it home? It will usually end in someone getting flushed.
When keeping saltwater fish the most important aspect to keeping a successful aquarium is water flow and water quality. This time around we’ll be talking about water movement, or circulation.
Circulation is important for a few reasons. First, it keeps the water sufficiently aerated. Without the proper amount of oxygen in the water your fish will die, and/or look like they should be dead. Secondly, the more times water is pumped through the filter the cleaner the water will be, and better water quality means healthier fish.
Typically the flow in a saltwater fish tank, without corals or live rock, should turn the entire volume of the tank through the filter at least 8 times up to 10 times per hour. So for a 10 gallon tank, the water should be circulating about 80-120 gallons per hour. The water needs to flow all throughout the tank, and there should be no dead spots where there is no circulation. If there are dead spots the uneaten food and fish waste will settle there and begin to decay.
Take the 10 gallon all in one tank with the hang on back power filter, and even if the filter is rated to pump 80 gallons per hour not all of the water will be circulating throughout the tank. In this case a small submersible powerhead will need to be added to the tank to circulate the water perpendicular to the flow of the power filter. Simply put, this will eliminate all dead spots.
Next time you are at the beach or a large lake with a beach area, look under the water at the sand and notice how the water flows over the sand disloging small particles and debris. This type of flow is what we are trying to mimick in our glass boxes. Have fun with it, keep it simple, and eliminate dead spots.
Love Your Fish.
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