As marine aquarists we all want to have aquaria with healthy inhabitants, few or no problems and we don't want to spend too much time looking after the tank. If we can achieve these goals we'll have a successful tank and the key to a successful marine aquarium is planning.
It is very important to plan every aspect of the tank from the initial setup right through to stocking and regular maintenance. The purpose of this article is to discuss the aspects of planning a tank and suggest an appropriate order in which the aspects should be considered.
The appropriate order for planning a new tank is as follows:
All of the above items should be considered before ordering any equipment. This ensures that no equipment is purchased that turns out to be not necessary or less than ideal for what you want to keep. While these items should be considered in order, it will not be unusual to jump back to a previous item to reconsider it based on a later item. For example, the requirements of surgeon fish might be a very large tank, but when the maintenance tasks are considered, a very large tank has to be ruled out and the list of considered inhabitants would need to change.
Consider the intended inhabitants for the tank
This is probably the most important aspect of tank planning. Different organisms have different requirements and as you need to create a suitable requirements for the organisms you need to know before starting what you want to keep. It is possible to set up a tank and the look for suitable inhabitants, but you are likely to be disappointed as you will not be able to keep all organisms.
Look through books, aquarium shops and friends tanks for ideas on what you may want to keep. Create a wish list of organisms and if possible rate the organisms in terms of how desirable they are. Think about the organisms that will look cool in your tank.
Research the requirements of the considered inhabitants
Once you have compiled a list of the organisms you want to keep, you need to research each and every one of them to determine their requirements. You must consider:
As you go through the above questions you may have to eliminate some organisms on your list. They may required too much space. They may require a constant source of live food, or need to be fed more regularly than you can manage. They may not be compatible with the other organisms on the list. They may have a poor track record in captivity.
You are going to be responsible for the care and well being of a number of organisms. You have to be certain you can meet all their needs and that they will thrive in your aquarium.
Confirm list of intended inhabitants and their requirements
After researching the requirements of the organisms you'd like to keep, you should be able to refine the list to a set of organisms that you can successfully maintain. Additionally, you should know their requirements and so understand what you will need to provide in terms of the tank, equipment and maintenance.
In your list, include some substitute organisms with similar requirements in case your first choice is unavailable, or at least be prepared to wait until the organisms are available.
As you go on to the next stages in planning, be prepared to come back and revisit the inhabitant list as further planning may change things as previously mentioned.
Decide on tank size
Tank size is an important decision. The tank must be large enough for the organisms you intend to keep. For example, most tangs need a lot of swimming space and Pomacanthus angels require a large tank.
Also consider the shape of the tank. Tanks that are wider than they are high are much easier to landscape and allow you to create a more natural looking reef. Width also provides more usable swimming space than height.
When considering the size and shape of the tank, think about maintenance tasks. Can you reach all areas of the tank? How will you do water changes? Will you be able to store sufficient water for water changes? How will you clean the glass?
Most tanks are going to be a showcase of some type. How many sides will be visible? Can you get far enough from the tank for effective viewing?
The final position of the tank will influence its size and so should be considered.. How will you get it to that position? Will it fit through the doors? Is it blocking an entrance? To what sorts of extremes of temperature will it be exposed? Does it receive good clean air? What happens if the tank leaks or overflows? Is there power close by and is it protected by a safety switch?
Once you have decided on the tank size, go back over the inhabitant list and ensure they are still compatible.
Consider maintenance tasks
Consider how you will perform maintenance on the tank. How will you do water changes, how often and how much? How will you dose additives such as Kalkwasser? How will you feed the organisms in the tank? How will you test the water parameters?
Selecting equipment
You have decided what you want to keep and how big your tank is going to be, now you need to plan what equipment is required. Some equipment is essential no matter what you intend keeping. Other items are necessary but may vary depending on the inhabitants.
When selecting the equipment for the tank, it is best to take a functional approach. Look at each necessary function of the tank and choose appropriate equipment to perform that function, ensuring that the requirements of the intended organisms are met. The choice of some equipment may influence other decisions you have made or will make and so it is important to make all the necessary selections before purchasing any equipment. It is much easier to build things in from the start than have to make changes to an already running system.
The functional areas for consideration in equipment selection are:
Consider the costs - start-up and ongoing
Once you know what you want to keep and what you need in the way of tank and equipment, you should consider how much the tank is going to cost to set up and also what the ongoing costs are for the tank. You may consider the costs of some items as part of the planning, but it would be a good idea to create a list of all the things you need to purchase and how much they will cost.
As part of considering the costs, also consider places where the equipment can be purchased. Some goods will need to come from an aquarium store and where possible you should support your local shops. Some equipment can be purchased via mail order and this can save quite a bit of money. There are a lot of items where there are non-aquarium alternatives, that can be purchased from places such as hardware stores or electrical wholesalers. Finally, DIY (do-it-yourself) should be considered. In addition to the setup costs, the ongoing costs should be considered. Ongoing costs include electricity, replacement parts and other consumables such as lamps, water changes, top-up, additives and food for the inhabitants.
The cost of electricity usage can be approximated for each item of electrical equipment by multiplying the wattage by the length of time per day it will be used. Add the usage for all the items together and convert to kilowatt hours (kWh). For example, 2 x 250W lamps running for 12 hours per day will have a usage of 6 kWh per day. (The real cost will be higher as 250W lamps draw more than 250W of power, so for MH lamps assume 1.25 x the rated value which would give around 7.5 kWh per day). Look at your last electricity bill and get the rate for 1 kWh and determine the daily and yearly cost of running the aquarium.
Once the start up and ongoing costs have been determined, you may wish to go back and reconsider some of the previous decisions.
Quarantine tank
As part of the planning of a new tank, thought should be made of using a quarantine tank for all new fish. A quarantine tank servers two main purposes:
The planning process for a quarantine tank should be similar to that of any other tank.
Conclusion
In this relatively brief article I have only scratched the surface on the aspects to be considered in planning a tank. Each of the aspects could be discussed in further detail, but I hope that I have provided enough information to assist in the planning stage of a new tank. It will not be possible to get every aspect of a new tank correct, however, with careful consideration, most things will be more than satisfactory.
In future articles I will cover more detailed aspects of equipment selection.
Last updated: November 1, 2002