Not a few people are mesmerized with the idea of having a saltwater aquarium full of dazzling tropical fish in the living room.
Without any doubt, saltwater aquariums are usually breath-takingly beautiful.
Either you have one for hobby or as a marine biologist; you will agree that maintaining a saltwater aquarium is serious business.
Why dedicated maintenance is needed: Unlike their freshwater counterparts, saltwater aquariums have to be specially catered for.
The major reason is the difference in the electrolyte composition.
Saltwater has a number of dissolved salts in it.
Natural seawater (the same in saltwater aquariums or close to it) has a salinity of about 35g/l (600mM).
Some of these salts are chlorides, sodium, calcium, potassium and magnesium salts.
The essence of the salt water supplements is to maintain this delicate composition.
A daunting task: What this translates into is that in order to ensure that those exotic organisms of yours do not die off; you must replace the saltwater from time to time.
Another thing is to replace the depleted salts with supplements.
For example, corals and sea anemones are some of the organisms that need constant replenishment.
In this case, the volume of the saltwater in the aquarium matters.
This is because the smaller the aquarium, the higher the rate of supplement that is to be administered.
A systematic procedure: However, the fact that supplements have to be added does not mean that you just pour a bag of calcium carbonate in the tank! Just as you should not overpopulate with fish, adding saltwater supplement is like a subtle art- it must be learnt and carefully executed.
This is very important as unwanted changes in the saltwater composition can cause fatal osmotic shock for the inhabitants of the aquarium.
Replenishment with supplements is done only when necessary.
This is detected with an aquarium test kit.
A sophisticated aquarium test kit can contain the following: hydrometer, calcium reactor, chiller, ultraviolet sterilizers, filters, dosers, heaters and skimmers.
Factors to be monitored include pH (alkalinity and acidity), carbon hardness, specific gravity, salinity and temperature.
Common saltwater supplements: At this juncture, it becomes imperative to talk about some of the most important saltwater supplements in use: -Calcium salts: Calcium salts are particularly needed for the proper growth of corals, sea anemones and reef invertebrates such as clams, snails and even algae.
Calcium is also needed to clear unwanted bacterial growth, detoxify heavy metals, remove carbondioxide, phenol compounds and prevent nitrification.
Calcium salts can come as diluted calcium chloride or as calcium carbonate.
The concentration should always be maintained at about 0.
01025 mol/kg.
-Sodium salts: These supplements are also critical for the survival of the organisms.
Sodium salts are useful in the conduction of synapses in the nervous system, homeostatic regulation and overall physiological integrity.
Sodium carbonate is a common example.
-Plankton: Plankton (zooplankton and phytoplankton) is the major diet for most of the saltwater organisms.
Scallops, seafans, featherduster worms and other filter feeders depend on zooplankton made of dried crustaceans.
Phytoplankton is usually made from seaweed and various types of algae.
Other supplements: These include magnesium sulphate, potassium-iodide solution, molybdenum salts, vitamins (containing amino acids and lipids), bromides and strontium.
Thus, if you really care about your jewelled blennies, percula crownfish and blue damsels, then their supplements should never run out.