Saltwater Aquarium Basics In 10 Minutes
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- čas přidán 13. 05. 2024
- If you're thinking of getting a saltwater aquarium, this is the first video you should watch. I talk you through the foundations of keeping marine in simple terms.
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0:00 Intro
1:02 Saltwater
3:08 Food
4:45 Filtration
8:25 Flow
9:50 Summary
Here's how to set up your first salty tank - czcams.com/video/dCSU6ZnOVTg/video.html
even if i feel very comfortable now after 8months into the hobby with a mixed reef. i'll still watch these beginner level videos, no matter how many are made.
Yeah he explains the concepts really well
Same lol there’s always something to learn
what's with the clickbait woman in the thumbnail?
Nice, well explained video as always! And It just struck me that my wife must be evaporating fresh water because she definitely gets more and more salty as the day goes on....
😅
Haha
Someone tag his wife
HAHAHAHAHA
Not the boomer humor 💀
I’ve always wanted to a reef tank but have been very intimidated by the sheer amount of knowledge it takes and the consequences of harming an animal if you mess up.
This video has really helped demystify it and given me an accessible starting point to start learning. Thank you so much!
I am someone who came from freshwater, and even that hobby I only knew things like pH, dGh and all that other stuff about it, and looking over into saltwater it just seemed like this impossible jump for me with all the maintenance being ten fold and how to keep coral alive and healthy, but this video really did explain everything I needed and wanted to know and I should have my 32.5 gallon Fluval Flex SEA picked up by the end of this month, and then from then just spend months researching things fully before setting anything up. Cheers!
4 weeks into my first reef tank. 2 fish in. Bloody loving it 🤙🏻🇦🇺
are they still alive? just curious...I'm thinking of getting into this very expensive hobby lol :*(
That's such a simple explanation that's super helpful for people who are just starting getting interested in saltwater tanks! Thank you for it! :)
So amazing! And helpful! It is so hard for me an unsettled student to wait for more stability to come back into the hobbie, but that does not keep me from watching so many of your videos and keep learning!!!
Wow, I felt like I was in the Caribbean Sea, swimming with the fish. Loved this video! So knowledgeable. One of the best,if not the best aquariums with so many different fish Corals, I love it! Stay safe, stay blessed, continue doing what you’re doing, great hobby!
Wow, hobby has come a long way since I had my 29 gallon take back in the late 80s, early 90s. I did water changes once a month and had a carbon filter and powerhead and that's about it. I'd probably test the salinity every so often too. Fish poop just fell to the gravel and I assumed bacteria just ate it. I used tap water and would mix it with store bought sea salt. Some of my fish lived for a few years too. I'm thinking of starting another one.
Great Knowledge. Loved the way you explained complicated things in so easier manner. Thanks a lot mate ❤️
happy for these longer videos
After being in the freshwater hobby for just 3 yrs I am looking forward to venturing into the saltwater world so I'm glad I found you Mr. Reef Dork! I am a wee bit intimidated but you have provided a good foundation to get started. Cheers
Thank you. Great refresher! Keep it up!
Its a beautiful hobby and looking at the results of your hard labour is well worth it.Aquariums look fantastic,the corals and fish with all the colours,i wish i had the patience to build a Aquarium.I might start with a fish tank.
very easy to understand video straight to the point
wow! thanks so much for the condensed info!
As alway, a great and interesting video, you never disappoint 👍
i’m working at a shop that sells saltwater fish as an aquatics specialist and i’m very knowledgeable of freshwater but know next to nothing about saltwater. this video will really help me advise my customers although saltwater is currently out of my price range myself as I want to set up another freshwater tank currently 😅
Love this video! Learning a great deal from it. Thank you 👍👏
I've seen many of your videos and I really like your content! One note on that video, regards the algae eating fish, they can't be classed as part of "filtration" as they don't remove any nutrients from the tank, rather recycling it. I understood the way you said it (meant for someone completely new to the hobby) but it's just not right! Other than that, everything else was nicely explained! 👍
Well explained! 💪
Hi Alex! I love your videos & I think that u are doing really, really well with that Copperband! 😀👍👍
Loved the video. Became a new subscriber as a result :)
Excellent Video
Makes thinking about starting a saltwater tank much easier.
Nice Video Brother, very informative
Great video! The only thing I’d add to make the new hobbyists life easier is nitrifying bacteria additives.
excellent video! from Australia.
Probably one of the coolest hobbies there is.
I'm loving your channel.
I am a complete newbie.....GF bought me a Fluval 13.5 for Christmas....I been admiring and wanting to get into reef tanks for the last 15 years. The parameter checking and price of fish/equipment always scared me away. Now I have no choice and I am just going to do it and see how it goes. Wish me luck.
Adding nitrifying bacteria to your tank is a much better way to start the nitrogen cycle than adding a table shrimp.
I've liked aquariums for years but never got past just tropical I'm thinking of going to the next step and having a saltwater tank system but don't know enough about it and don't know anyone to give me a hand or some good advice. Maybe later this year I will get saltwater in the home as a hobby.
@@anthonytindle5758 It’s not as complex as a lot of people think, it’s quite simple. Good luck on your salty adventure!
i'm in the research phase still. this video makes it feel slightly less intimidating. it's still intimidating, but it seems a bit more doable than i thought. i take living things seriously so i want to make sure i'm fully aware of everything before i before i take this on. thank you 💙 back to more research i go lol
Setting up the ro/di is what took so long to get my tank filled honestly.
That was great.
Thank you for Gracing my existence Alex. You are a fantastic presenter. Its an honor to know of you and partake of these videos. I send blessings to the entire reef Dork family. I'm happy the copper band is doing well. I have the same problem in freshwater with apistos. It's a beautiful fish,but the water needs are very delicate
Another great video! 👌
Seems to be a lot of people using natural sea water now, testing it myself for the first time on a 20 gallon nano before going bigger! 🤞
How did you get on using natural sea water? Where did you source the water? Im thinking of doing that for most of the water changes when I get a reef tank.
@@JohnMurphyB it's going well!
Bit of the ugly stage just now but with the exception of 1 single water change when I didn't get chance to collect due to weather/work/tide times I've been using 100% NSW.
I have a few videos on my channel showing how I collected it using a basic method and tested the basics with salifert test kits but I'm overdue trying out an ICP test to see really what the quality is like, I will hopefully do that soon!
@@PracticalReefer I am worried that the local sea water could feed algae alright.
I was thinking that you would need to time visits to the beach for mid tide when the currents are faster?
Id imagine the levels of nitrates could be quite high after rain due to the farming run off, I can see plenty of green algae at my local beach anyway!
Thanks, I'll check out your other videos on it.
@@JohnMurphyB yeah check out my 2 videos, 1 on collecting and another I tested a few basic parameters including the Nitrates and Phosphates too.
You're thinking the right way! 👍 you want to collect just before high tide when all that fresh sea water surges in (if like me you sadly don't have a boat...) and your right avoid areas near farm land and collecting after heavy or sustained rain due to run off which could contain unwanted chemicals/pesticides/fertiliser and effect salinity too, good luck! 🤞
Wasn't gonna subscribe til I saw the channel name. That's amazing
Your son is a Mini Doug! Awesome!
I love this video!
Love the vid
great video
best video for the newbies.. thank you sir! i have a question regarding the ATO reservoir is it saltwater or just freshwater?
Just freshwater
4:55 I don't know, your little kole tang really liked that foxface poop 🤣
5:35 That made my Day !
For the unpolluted seawater, should I keep it in some containers for six months to kill all the harmful bacteria? Some say there may be some diseases like ich in the water. Also, for wild caught fish, how can I get rid of all of its parasites and be sure of it? I brought home a clarkii that somehow washed up by the side of a shallow pool which is unusual because I saw no anemones. At first, it swam oddly but now it is fine but I am scared to put it with the others because it may have parasites. Any ideas? Thankyou!
Does the water in the ATO container go stale? Does it need cleaning/refreshing regularly?
No, I almost never clean mine
What do I fill the top-off’s container with? Not tap water, right?
Edit: just realized you put the top-off you used in the description, super cool of you! Thanks!!
amazing
Sounds so much like the cycling guy 🚴♂️ he explains so well too
After doing 6 years of freshwater i will be trying reef within the next 2 months. I cant lie it looks scary but im excited
I'm buying my first tank next month, 300 litre tank with a 120ltr sump, been doing alot of research before I get into it and so far from what I've seen on youtube I need;
heater
automatic top off
wavemaker
lights
protein skimmer
Is this correct ?
Sump is a little big..usually 10-20% of the Tank. Its ok as long as you dont choose a to big Skimmer.
A to big Skimmer will eaten up your traces.
👍
thank you 🙃💁🏻♀️🇨🇦
Great video! You have some amazing tank shots! Good advice as well keep it simple. Now if only I could follow that advice lol How long have you been in the hobby?
About 7 years
Very informative! This is a great video for new reefers. The only thing I disagree with is that you have to use RODI water. Depending on where you live you could get away with using dechlorinated tap water. This is what I’m doing atm and my mixed reef is thriving!
Well you dont have to BUT you save your self alot of trouble by just using rodi. And its realy not hard to do. And you never know...sometimes somthing happens to your freshwater like a pollutant that you just will miss
@@Mlh1978 Very true! It all depends on where you live. Tap water varies widely
I've seen what tapwater does to my kettle, its going nowhere near my aquarium
Thanks. I think I'll stick to freshwater though hahah but this was informative.
Question.....Can I use volcanic rock as the structure base in a saltwater tank, or do I have to use live rock or reef rock?
I've never seen it - volcanic rock probably contains metals which is a no no for reef tanks
Hi Alex, thanks for this. It’s giving me some badly needed confidence.
What is that test kit brand you’re using? It looks easier to read than the one I’m trying.
Thanks mate 👍🏻👍🏻
Nyos for the nitrate and Hanna for the phosphate 👍
@@ReefDork thanks buddy .. I’m colour blind red and green and really struggle with test kits but I can see different shades perfectly so having a comparison colour looks like the perfect solution to my problem!
Thanks again .. I’m always learning something from your vids 👍🏻👍🏻
@@ReefDork Just got my Nyos nitrate kit .. it’s a game changer for me!
Thanks mate
1. Not too much fish.
2. Find hardy fish that friendly, not aggresive.
3. Protein skimmer.
4. Live rock.
5. Good filtration with lots of bioball.
These videos are amazing and so well explained. Does anyone know the name of the fish at 7:36?
It's a wrought-iron butterfly 🙂
Great Video. Thumbs and subscribed. I am about to head to my local Aquatic shop and doing some background first. I work from home and want a tank to calm me in my office. I have done Tropical in the past and have always dreamt of Marine. Question. We like to go away for a winter sun holiday (Diving) So will be away 10-14 days probably twice perhaps 3 x a year. We also do many short 3-4 day breaks. We have someone that can come in and feed fish but no more than that. Am I dreaming that i can keep a healthy tank
Long weekend is fine, 14 days is more of a pain but it can be done.
Think I might have included light for the corals, and mentioned that certain element levels need to be maintained, but otherwise solid video.
About to buy this exact tank, any updates on it?
Hi Alex are you still using ati pro? And what your experience been? Thanks
Yep, been using it ages. Love the stuff 👌
Thanks for the quick reply 👍I'm using it myself and ill think I'll stick with it too, how many ml daily are you dosing?
Can you use the dechlorinators or the detoxifiers that they sell at the fish stores instead of that filter when it comes to the stuff in the tap water?
No, there are loads of other things in tap water you need to filter out. The total dissolved solids in tap water is usually around 300 parts per million. You want 0 ppm for a marine tank! An ro/di filter is the only way to achieve that.
@@ReefDork ok thanks, your channel has been really helpful and I've been thinking about a reef tank but I was always afraid to try
It can feel extremely complicated from the outside but it's only as hard as you want to make it and it can be relatively easy...
Very nice video 👍
Maybe this sounds lazy but is there a way without doing water changes?
Water changes increase your chances of success so significantly that I'd never recommend avoiding them.
Does this cost much on the electric though?
czcams.com/video/T5O0oVeWGb0/video.html
That was a great video. I’m getting into marine very soon. Bit daunting but I will get their ❤️🐠
good luck!
Just remember a water change does alot of good. Doesnt solve the issue but will save your coral and fish.
@@seangriffiths9163 I’m gonna start with marine fish only with live rock. Get my head around the fundamentals. Then get into the corals ❤️🐠
What container do you use for your ATO freshwater? And does this water need to be filtered, or is tap okay?
Any container that's food safe is fine. Can't be tap water, it must be rodi water.
@@ReefDork Got it, thank you. For your container, did you cut a hole for the ATO tube on top?
What auto top off do you use? I’d like to find that exactly little set up you have
Reefloat ATU
Hi I’m a newbie to this and wondering what size tank is best for marine fish like this??
Smaller tanks require less maintenance day to day but bigger tanks are easier to keep stable. 3 foot would be a great starter size in my opinion if you have the space. Most of the cool fish need bigger tanks which is why I'm less of a fan of nano tanks generally...
Is it possible to keep a Midas blenny with 2 ocellaris clownfish in a 30 gallon tank?
Yep
What’s the minimum budget to get started on saltwater aquarium? I have experience of freshwater fish keeping but never tried saltwater because it always seemed a bit intimidating?
For something half decent, around £1k. But you can go much cheaper, particularly if you go smaller and 2nd hand.
Can't wait to start my hobby I'm getting an 105 letter tank with everything with it and I'm going to be using life sand as the substrate and I won't be putting no saltwater fish in it till all my test have concluded with flying colours
Key requirements should included research and what I sometimes have problems with.. patience.
skimmer collection once a month !! haha thats stretching it a bit
#TeamSkimDry 😁
Dr Tim’s ammonium chloride bottle does the trick for a fish less cycle !!
I never would have thought of smelling the fish poop until he said something about it -_-
Disagree with #1. Have never bought pre-mixed water from a petstore. Have always used tap water, mx it with a reef salt and use a good water conditioner. Never had a single issue with my corals, and I keep SPS in my tank.
What type of corals?
The quality of your water locally will determine if this is possible.
🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯
Did you use a Rodi water filter
Do you use chlorinated city water?
Knew he couldn’t say the word algae with out a shot of that terrible aqua roch rock 🤣 great vid
😅 Need to get new footage! 😁
10:24 what type of fish is the little blue one with the stripes? I cant seem to google the right thing to figure it out.
Cleaner wrasse
what do you think of C02 scrubbers for raising ph .
Don't like them personally - no control, too much faff and expensive
@@ReefDork thanx for reply i was thinking of getting one but your experience sounds like its not worth the fuss ect
Presumably the freshwater in the top off needs to be RODI water too?
Yep 👍
So you can't put your new fish in immediately you have to wait a month doing the process you mentioned?
If you cycle it that way, yes. But you can just buy the bacteria in a bottle these days instead. That way you can add fish straight away 🙂
Haha fun vid Alex
@reef dork , on average how much water evaporation do you get ?
On my 4x2x2 about 4 litres per day on average. On my 2 foot, 150 litre it's about 1.2 litres per day.
Hey Reef Dork, i do a 30% water change every 3 weeks. Is that okay or will my tank crumble?
Little and often is probably better, but I doubt it'll make any notiecable difference
@@ReefDork okay, thank you!
Dummy question: At the beginning, I can use premix salt water. Due to evaporation fresh water is needed, so I am not able to use tap water for obvious reasons and I do not have a water filter. Is there any other possibility? For instance distilled water...
I'd only ever use rodi water - water is just so important it's not worth compromising...
@@ReefDork So if I use RODI water + special sea salt, do I need to add some additives like minerals, vitamins or so?
@@tomastakac7027 no additives necessary 🙂
Amazing video thank you so much!!!!
Which corals are non poisonous and safe for a starter person?
All of them. Technically some zoas and palythoas contain toxins but it's not something to worry about in my opinion - the risk is negligible.
Is rodi water just regular reverse osmosis?
Reverse osmosis, de ionised. The di part is really important
I never understand why people in the hobby say that you can not use tap water i simply add chlorine and metal remover into the water with my salt and my corals and fish thrive. (although im in Australia so my water my be different)
What kind of fish is that at 7:57 flexin its fins??
Naoko wrasse
@@ReefDork ty!!
Yeah its all in the experience
In my Opinion PH and lighting are also some necessary things to learn to have success.
I currently have eight freshwater tanks... seven are just regular tropical tanks and one houses my axolotls (my largest). Now I'm getting deja vu because about two years ago I saw all these axolotl videos and ended up getting (eventually) three axies. I wonder how long it is before I cave and start a reef tank. Good thing I just had to buy a new a/c so I have less than zero disposable income right now, right? LOL
10 is a nice round number... 😁
Is it ok if I cycle the tank for just a week?
If you cycle it by adding a frozen prawn, it won't cycle that fast - more like 6 weeks. But whatever you do, keep testing ammonia and nitrite until they read 0
@@ReefDork I didn’t add anything when cycling the tank
Hi Alex, one question about your smart plugs! If you have your lights plugged in to them and your WiFi goes down do your lights still go on and off as scheduled? If so which brand do you use as I need some!! Thanks again for being so helpful. James
Don't know actually - they're Teckin on Amazon though so have a look on there 👍
@@ReefDork Thanks I’ll check them out .. got to be better than the mechanical version
@@ReefDork Absolutely banging! Just set mine up for my lights. Thanks again Alex!!