Water Analysis – How Often?

Proper marine aquarium management and maintenance requires periodic testing which is carried out by means of water analysis. This can be done by selecting good test kits and using them properly is an important skill for all of us. Two methods are chemical tests or we can use electronic instruments for fast, accurate assessments of water chemistry.

How Often?
Checking up or water analysis should be done on our marine aquarium on a weekly basis.

Therefore keeping track of changing water conditions in the marine tank means that we must periodically carry out water tests and keep a record of the results. Without keeping our result the new information form the next test becoe meaningless, the test equipment used must be sufficiently accurate for the purpose, and the actual testing must be done correctly. Shoddy equipment and / or sloppy technique will inevitably produce results that do not reflect actual conditions in the tank.

Such a situation is potentially more dangerous than ignoring test altogether. Hence means that bad data leads to bad results, quality and acurate testing will ensure the well-being of the tank’s inhabitants.

When doing water analaysis you will check for the variables as in the Marine Aquarium Water Quality Parameters.

For more information on Marine Aquarium Water Chemistry or the Marine Aquarium Beginners Guide click here.

Recommended Water Testing Kits by Saltwater Aquarium Guide

Stony Corals

Stony Corals, also known as Scleractinians or hard corals are the founders of any reef and get there name from there ability to secrete a calcium carbonate exoskeleton. There is 3,500 species documented and most of these contain zooxanthellae from which the stony corals gain most there nutrients.

Each group of stony corals require slightly different conditions, for example small polyp stony corals (SPS) prefer strong aquarium lighting and water currents compared to large polyp corals (LPS). It understood that Large polyp corals are easier than smaller polyp corals but actually both require good,stable water conditions and maintenance to thrive.

The most common forms include conical and horn-shaped scleractinians. In a colonial Scleractinia, the repeated asexual division by the polyps causes the corallites to be interconnected, thus forming the colonies. There are also cases in which the adjacent colonies of the same species form a single colony by fusing.

Stony corals are colonies of individual animals. Each animal, called a polyp, lives in its own calcium carbonate skeleton called a corallite. Each successive generation of polyps living on the skeleton build up of the previous generations. This reef building abilty gives hard corals the label hermatypic.

All hard corals are to a greater or lesser extent predatory, catching food with their tentacles that are lined with stinging cells. However the majority of hard corals have also formed a symbiotic relationship (beneficial to both parties) with zooxanthellae, single-celled algae that live within their tissues. The algae carry out photosynthesis sharing the sugars and oxygen produced with the coral polyp. The coral returns the favour by providing protection, useful waste products like carbon dioxide and nitate plus simple minerals.

These corals with a symbiotic relationship make up the majority of hard corals and live close to the surface, where there is plenty of sunlight. The extra source of food enables them to grow faster, than hard corals that don't have a symbiotic relationship (called ahermatypes) arguably making them the main reef builders of our oceans. This is why the term hermatypic is often used exclusively to describe hard corals containing zooxanthellae.

It should be noted that many other animals also produce calcium carbonate skeletons, including some soft corals.

Iodine In Marine Aquariums

The hobbyist literature contains numerous references to the benefits of adding Iodine to the marine aquarium. Iodine is found in natural seawater at concentration of 0.06mg/L, in our saltwater aquariums it removed by protein skimming and by activated carbon filtration.

The Iodine is essential to many fishes and invertebrates, for example certain corals that pulsing movement in the water may become motionless in there a lack of iodine in the saltwater. Fish such as sharks, jawfish and hawkfish will develop goiters ( an abnormality of the thyroid) again if they receive a lack of iodine.

Test kits are ready available at your local fish shop along with additives for replenishing iodine, be careful not to over dose.

For more information on Marine Aquarium Water Chemistry or the Marine Aquarium Beginners Guide click here.

Recommended Water Testing Kits by Saltwater Aquarium Guide

Boxfish and porcupine fish

These fish have a distinctive appearance, and can become surprisingly tame in an aquarium surroundings. Characterized by a lack of streamlining, they can't swim quickly to avoid danger. They do however have other means of protection, such as sharp spines of the porcupinefish.

Take special care when catching and handling these fish of this group, since many release a poisonous mucus that, in the confines of an aquarium will be deadly to themselves as well as other fishes within.

The powerful jaws and teeth reflect their natural diet of marine crustaceans and molluscs. The aquarium species require a similar diet to ensure their teeth don't become over grown.

Starfish, Urchin and Sea Cucumber (Echinoderms)

Echinoderm meaning spiny skin is a feature shared by most species in this group, another character they all have is the radial symmetry, meaning the body can be divided into five similar parts around a central axis, more commonly known as starfish, sea urchins and sea cucumbers.

Over 6,000 echinoderm species have a water vascular system that powers their tube feet. These specialized features are used for gas exchange, feeding and other tasks. But the system is sensitive to sudden changes in water chemistry particularly salinity. To prevent undue stress for the echinoderms it’s recommended to acclimatize starfish, sea urchins and sea cucumbers over a long period before adding to any aquarium.