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AVAILABLE FROM
WORLD OF WATER
www.worldofwater.com
●
Frozen food
to offer your
freshwater and marine fish a
complete diet.
●
Hydor Koralia pumps.
High-
volume, low-wattage pumps for
increasing circulation.
●
V
2
Vecton ultra violet steriliser
from TMC. This unit fits easily
into a cabinet and lets you know
when the bulb needs changing.
UVs help to stop disease and
suspended algae.
●
Gamma Improvit
This unique food provides
the health benefits of a frozen
food with the convenience of a
dry food.
The majority of marine fish and
invertebrates that we keep come
from the warm, shallow seas of the
tropics. For much of the day, coral
reefs are exposed to full sunlight
and it’s much brighter than we
provide for most freshwater set-
ups. Furthermore, most corals rely
on the sunlight to give them their
energy as they harbour algae called
zooxanthellae, which need bright
light in order to photosynthesize.
Lighting is available for marine
tanks and it is generally brighter and
of a different colour to freshwater
lighting. Marine lighting tends to
have a blue tinge to replicate the
light available underwater.
This can be done by using a
combination of daylight and actinic
(blue) tubes, or by using light tubes
that combine both types of light.
You may need extra lighting for
more demading corals.
We also use more light for lighting
marines, and we do that by using
a number of standard light tubes,
high-powered T5 light tubes or
metal halide lighting – high-powered
bulbs that are normally
suspended over open-topped
aquariums.
A minimum requirement for small
tanks is two light tubes, preferably
high-powered ones. For larger,
deeper aquaria, four T5 tubes (two
blue and two white) are normally
necessary, and for the brightest light
with the best effect, choose metal
halide light in combination with
actinic blue fluorescent light tubes.
As a rough guide, aim to provide
one watt of lighting for every litre
of water.
This area is dealt with in a
different way to freshwater
filtration. Marine reef aquariums
require the best possible water
quality at all times, and most
use a combination of filtration
and protein skimming to
achieve that.
An external filter packed
with mechanical, biological
and chemical filtration is a
good start, and is essential for
most fish-only marine tanks
where fish are the focus and
no invertebrates are added,
but the majority of modern
reef aquariums are actually
filtered primarily by live rock,
with powerheads providing
food and oxygen for bacteria,
and the rough inner and outer
surfaces of the rock providing
a home for them to grow and
multiply.
When lots of live rock is
used, biological media can be
removed from the filter and it
can be replaced with important
chemical media like carbon
and phosphate remover.
With bright lighting and lots
of pumps and equipment,
it is not heating that is
the problem with most
marine tanks, but cooling.
High temperatures (over
27ºC/80ºF) can stress and
even kill tropical marine life,
so artificial cooling is the
sensible long-term option.
A cost-effective cooling
method is to use fans.
Several small fans can be
fitted to the top of the tank
to blow cool air across the
surface of the water. One
can even be fitted on either
side of the tank rim – one to
blow cool air in and one to
suck hot air out.
For larger aquariums,
hot rooms and tanks that
use very bright lighting,
a chiller may be the only
option. Chillers work like
refrigerators, only they
connect to the aquarium
via pipework. The required
temperature can be set
on the chiller and it will
work tirelessly to hold that
temperature, venting off lots
of heat as it does so.
A chiller must be
connected to a either a
powerhead in the main
tank or an external filter
underneath.
They are not cheap, but
the cost can easily be offset
when protecting a tank
full of corals and fish from
overheating.
UVs can help to kill
disease pathogens and
parasites. Some marine
fish like Powder Blue
and Regal tangs are
susceptible to marine
whitespot, and the
addition of a UV can help
to prevent that.
UVs can be fitted below
in a cabinet, above or
behind an aquarium, and
can work in conjunction
with external filters,
sumps or powerheads.
They are also suitable
for disease prevention in
freshwater aquariums.
Change the bulbs
regularly for maximum
efficiency.
Filtration
Chiller
Lighting
Ultra-violet
steriliser
Neil Hepworth