09/03/2020
It has been a while since we last shared with you all but we hope this piece of information may help a few.
Recently we have been getting numerous calls and emails in regards to how to look after clown fish and also small fish tanks for them. We have noticed a lot of these fish unfortunately been sold in small containers at Koki fish market.
Saltwater/marine fish can be very beautiful and can have such soothing and relaxing benefits but a lot of times people are not aware of costs and challenges they may face trying to look after them. Here is some advice to take note of before purchasing saltwater/marine fish.
Here are a few questions you will need to ask yourself.
1. What type of tank do you want?
2. How much do you want to spendon equipment?
3. Where dk I put the fish tank?
4. Should I get someone to maintain or can I do it myself?
1. Choose between Fish only or Reef tank
Firstly choose whether you want a fish only tank (cheapest option) or Reef tank.
Fish only tanks are a lot easier to maintain as you are only worrying about the fish and if something goes bad in the tank it won't affect the fish as much, eg water is too salty or ammonia levels too high.
Reef tanks on the other hand need a lot more attention but the results can be amazing.
2. Equipment
This can be the issue that deters most from starting the hobby. Most of the equipment sold for fish tanks are suitable for fresh water as they may have metal parts inside which can rust out and constantly replacing them can be a real deterant.
Aquarium/ fish tank - the bigger the better. Knowing the costs of fish tanks this can be an issue as everyone wants to save instead of buying bigger. The rule of thumbs with aquariums whether you decide fish only or reef, is that the bigger the volume of water the less worry it is for you if anything dies or even if you have a black out for a lengthy period of time. Recommend 60L and above is ideal for beginners
Lighting - poor lighting can change the color of your fish. Some may notice their fish loose color because there is not enough light. Lighting for a reef tank is vital as corals need execlent light to grow (just like plants).
Filtration-- there are a few choices, internal, overhead, canister and even sump filtration. For salt water fish tanks you will need at minimum filtration that can turn/clean your water 4x the amount of water. For example if you have a tank that is 100L volume. You will need a a filter that pumps at minimum of 400L/per hour. Note the more Liters per hour the better.
3. Location
Most importantly with location of putting your aquarium, is NOT TO PUT in a place where there is direct Sunlight. If you have it in direct sunlight you will run into major algea problems. Make sure the Aquarium is in shaded area and away from electronics. Beware of evaporation, if you have the Aquarium near electronics it can cause issues
4. Maintenance
A lot of people think that once you put a fish in a tank that's it.... Maintenance is key to have a good looking tank and most importantly healthy fish. There are thi gs you will need to do weekly and monthly to have your tank looking like what you see out at the reef. For more information on that do send us a message.
After taking in this information and answering those few questions, you should be able to enjoy your fish you purchase or realise there is a bit more to just getting a bucket and looking after them and having the poor fish die.
We hope this has helped you.
