Reef tank temperature

How to make your aquarium temperature lower?

Want to know tips and tricks on how to make the temperature of your aquarium lower? Read this article and you going to find some useful information on how to solve this type of problem.

We all know how frustrating it can be when the temperature of your precious aquarium gets higher and higher. There can be plenty of  reasons why your aquarium temperature gets higher when it needs to be for your fish to stay happy and healthy.

Hot living areas

If you live in an area where a natural weather temperature is pretty high, it is not a surprise that the water temperature of your fish tank gets higher. In these types of areas people usually tend to own air conditioners is their home area, but sometimes air conditioners can’t chill all of the houses, so there is always a possibility that some of the aquariums that you own going to have a much higher temperature than others.

Reef tank lower temperature gadgets

Gadgets

Another reason why your fish tank temperature is higher when it should be naturally is the gadget that you use in your fish tank. For example, if the problem of high water temperature is in the marine fish tank, the cause of it can be the equipment of your marine fish tank. To be exact, usually, these problems are caused by various fish tank lights, that produce a lot of heat or, the temperature can be raised by fish tank pumps that produce heat by working.

Why temperature is important?

The average optimal water temperature for the saltwater fish tank is approximately 78 degrees. Even slight temperature differences can cause a lot of harm to your fish. Higher saltwater temperatures are great for algae producing and they can consume a lot of oxygen for your fish tank and can cause dangerous conditions for your aquarium reefs or fishes. 

Solution

If you want to avoid such things, you must consider buying a high-quality aquarium chiller for your fish tank. Even though a lot of people that live in high-temperature areas and have air conditioners, you simply can not leave the air conditioner on the whole time, especially if you are not at home, this is why an aquarium chiller may come in handy.   

Reef tank water chiller

What is aquarium chiller?

The purpose of an aquarium water chiller is to lower the temperature of your fish tank water if it is needed. These type of gadgets maintains safe water temperature for your fish tank. You can control the aquarium water chiller and set the temperature that your fishes need. If you have a small aquarium and want to keep it minimalistic and to keep and impression of a low-tech fish tank, you can choose an external aquarium chiller that basically would not be visible.

Tips

Here is a couple of tips how to keep your aquarium chiller working perfectly, chose a good quality water pump, keep your aquarium chiller in a well-ventilated area, make sure that the chiller always has water in it, clean fans and condenser fins regularly from dust, make sure that you remove all of the calcium build-ups from the mechanism.

Professional reef tank

Things that you going to need for your first marine fish tank

A marine aquarium is a lifetime dream for a lot of people. Even old aquarium hobbyists dream about having a marine fish tank in their collection. A marine fish tank is a difficult task even for those, who are interested in the aquarium niche for a long period of their life. Even though marine aquariums look very minimalistic and create an image that does not need a lot of equipment, actually, it is not true.

We all know that fish tanks need regular water changes to keep fish and plants happy and healthy. The water of regular freshwater aquariums can be changed easily by using only tap water. When it comes to marine aquariums everything is a lot more difficult when it looks. You can not change marine fish tank water by using water from the sea, this is why you need certain products that prepare water, so it can be added to your marine fish tank.

Since marine aquariums can be quite difficult if you are a newbie in aquariums keeping. This is why we decided to make a list of this you will need for marine aquariums and also in this article, we discuss what things you need to consider before buying a marine aquarium. We hope that in this article you will find useful information!

Fish tank glass and size

Now, let’s talk about aquarium glass itself. Aquarium glass is going to be a base for your marine aquarium. At this point, various aquarium shops have plenty of options for marine fish tanks. If you want a specific shape of your aquarium you can even order a custom aquarium from companies that does it. But first of all, you can not just buy any aquarium from the pets store. If you want to achieve a maximum result and have a stunning view that actually looks like a sea reef, you have to buy a white glass aquarium. Usually, that type of glass is called optiwhite glass. It means that the glass of your marine aquarium isn’t going to be greenish. It is an important step because you are going to look in your marine aquarium through the glass, so make sure that it is a high-quality glass that does not change the natural colors of your reef and fish.

Another important topic that we need to discuss is the size of your fish tank. If you are an absolute beginner we recommend you choose a smaller size fish tank. We recommend you to chose a fish tank between 4 and 8 gallons. If you are more of a professional in this niche and you feel like you have grown up for a bigger fish tank, than feel free to do so! But keep in mind, the larger tank, the more money it is going to need to install and maintain.

clownfish in marine tank

Aquarium stand

As we mentioned above, marine aquariums that you see on the internet looks very neat and minimalistic, you can not see any equipment in it, expect lighting. But don’t be fooled. Marine aquariums require equipment, but it is usually hidden in special aquarium stands. So if you want that minimalistic look, we highly suggest you to look for an aquarium stand. All aquarium shops have these products, but if you want something unique you can find special brands that make customized aquarium stand that perfectly suits your need and blends well in your home design.

Live rock

Firstly, let’s discuss what live rock actually is. The Live rocks are typically extracted for the ocean and they are made of calcified coral that is no longer alive and became hard. Even though the live rock is not technically a live coral it still contains plenty of live organisms such as bacteria that is a great base for your marine aquarium plants and corals that you are going to buy and plant in your marine fish tank.

Another great thing about live rock is that it creates natural hiding places for some fish that you will be owning in your marine aquarium. Also, certain protozoans that live in live rock can be a great food or food supplement for aquarium fish. It is important to mention, that live rock also works as a ph buffer and helps to maintain calcium levels in your fish tank.

Protein Skimmer

There are two main types of a protein skimmer. If you are planning to get a big fish tank, we highly recommend you to get a protein skimmer that goes into the sump. If you decide to have a smaller aquarium and do not want to have a sump, there is a hang-on protein skimmer, but keep in mind that they are more visible than those that are hidden in the aquarium stand.

A protein skimmer is very important equipment for your marine aquarium. It filtrates aquarium wastes and keeps optimal oxygen levels in your aquarium. So all in all, protein skimmer makes the water of your aquarium higher quality.

Reef tank water circulation scheme

Movement of the water

The water of your aquarium needs to be moved, especially in the surface area. For your fish tank water to move you will need a HOB skimmer, powerheads, and return pump from a sump. Water needs to be moved to a higher level of oxygen. Also, since wastes tend to be on the surface of the water, water needs to be moved so protein skimmer can filtrate all the wastes.

Water

And last, but not least, if you want a healthy marine aquarium you need to use a top-quality salt that is specially designed for marine aquarium, and also, you must use reverse osmosis water that contains no TDS. You can get RO water from your tap water if you install a certain filter in your home.

Conclusion

We hope that this article helped you to realize how marine aquarium is installed and how it works. Good luck with your marine fish tank project!

shy pleco in natural fish cave

How to Help for Shy Aquarium Fish?

For many aquarium hobbyists, it is not a surprise that certain fish species tend to be more anxious and stressed in the fish tank comparing to other species that feel pretty great even in empty fish tanks. In certain situations, only one individual fish from the fish tank shows its anxiety and stressful body language. Also, it is important to mention that certain species just can not get along together, especially if the aquarium has a lot of empty spaces, and fishes just can’t hide from more aggressive species.

Aggressive species

Certain species, such as Betta Fish are quite dominant to each other. For example, two Betta fish males can’t live together, because they tend to fight until death. Also, a new Betta male added to the fish tank where females lives, can experience a lot of stress because old females can fight male Betta too. 

Adding equipment

To avoid these types of situations, that was mention above, we highly recommend not to leave your fish tank empty, even if you try to make it minimalistic. Various hiding places such as high or thick plants, rocks, and others can make the life of your aquarium fish a lot easier. Fish species that are not predators naturally like and seeks for hiding spaces to breed, eat, or just swim around. Even though fishes are most of the time a center of attention in a fish tank, they need to have their safe spaces in order to live a happy and healthy life.

fish home cave

Plastic hiding places

There is a lot of option for making a hiding space in your fish tank. If the fish tank that you own is a kids aquarium that is playful and small, we recommend you to search for some caves in local pet stores. A pirate ship, a cave, or a barrel might be a perfectly funny and playful solution for your kids’ aquarium! Make sure, that you buy it from pet stores, if not, check if the hiding place is made of animal-friendly and non-toxic plastic.

Rock cave

If you own an aquascape or a bigger aquarium and you want your aquarium to become the main decoration of your room, we recommend you to make a fish hiding space from rocks. Basically, any aquarium rocks that are suitable for freshwater or saltwater aquarium will be a good material. By doing this, you will reach the most natural and outstanding aquascape look. Also, it will be a unique decoration that only your aquarium has. A couple of high plants or aquarium grass will add more colors and safeness for your fishes.

Ancistrus in wooden fish cave

Wood

If you are looking for a more natural look, especially if you own a freshwater aquarium another option for your fish tank cave would be a natural wood that contains various gaps and spaces that can be a great place for your fish to hide. Also, it is a great aquarium decoration that makes it look natural and beautiful. It is important to mention, that not every wood is suitable for aquariums, make sure that you buy it from pets stores and if you want to use something that you find yourself, make sure to check if that wood can be used in an aquarium.

We hope that you find useful information in our article!

Clownfish

There is no more beautiful aquarium sea fish than a clown fish. It is one of the brightest and most popular aquarium fish used in television in the world. It is not for nothing that this fish deserves such a title. She is very impressive and eye-catching, not only for her looks but also for her lifestyle.

Clown fish usually choose another sea creature actinia as their living quarters. This close connection between the fish and the name seaweed is very unusual. Scientists believe that actinia would simply disappear without these fish! This is another stalking fact surrounding these nano marine aquarium favorites clown fish.