Setting up Marine

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" height=110 BGCOLOR="#111111" TEXT="#F7F7FF"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#FFCC66" FACE="Arial" ><B>Fishworld</B></FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial" ><B>    </B></FONT><B> |     </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Fishworld"><U><B>Home</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="for_many_years_the_aquarist_hobby_has_been_abused_both_by_the_people_making_the_.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Our Aim"><U><B>Our Aim</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id61.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="About us"><U><B>About us</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id19.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Discus"><U><B>Discus</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="live_foods_should_be_fed_to_fish_at_least_twice_a_week.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Live Foods"><U><B>Live Foods</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id21.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Tropical Stock"><U><B>Tropical Stock</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A 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HREF="mailto:thefishworld@hotmail.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:thefishworld@hotmail.com"><U><B>Contact us</B></U></A><B>   </B></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" height=370 BGCOLOR="#111111" TEXT="#F7F7FF"> <bR> <div> Checklist of the most important things you will need to successfully set-up your aquarium are as follows:-</div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id138.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="TANKS"><U><B><U><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f0bbbbbb00.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">AQUARIUM OF ADEQUATE SIZE</U></B></U></A></div> <div> <B><U><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f0bbbbbb00.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">STAND</U></B></div> <div> <A HREF="id139.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="HOODS"><U><B><U><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f0bbbbbb00.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">HOOD</U></B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id140.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="LIGHTING"><U><B><U><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f0bbbbbb00.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">LIGHTING</U></B></U></A><B> </B>{The type of lighting will depend on what kind of system you intend to keep, i.e reef or fish only}</div> <div> <B><U><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f0bbbbbb00.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">GRAVEL OR SAND</U></B></div> <div> <A HREF="id141.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="SEA SALT"><U><B><U><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f0bbbbbb00.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">SEA SALT</U></B></U></A> {There are many different types to choose from}</div> <div> <A HREF="id142.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="FILTER"><U><B><U><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f0bbbbbb00.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">FILTER </U></B></U></A> {Let our staff go through all the different options available so that you can decide which one will suit both yours and your fishes needs best}</div> <div> <B><U><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f0bbbbbb00.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">HEATER</U></B>  </div> <div> <B><U><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f0bbbbbb00.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">THERMOMETER</U></B></div> <div> <A HREF="id143.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="HYDROMETER"><U><B><U><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f0bbbbbb00.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">HYDROMETER</U></B></U></A><B> </B>{This is a glass or sometimes plastic peice of equiptment that measures the salinity of the water}</div> <div> <B><U><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f0bbbbbb00.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">DE-CHLORINATOR </U></B> {This is to neutralize most of the chemicals present in your tap water which are deadly to both your fish and the good bacteria which will be eventually present in your filter} However, please note, we reccomend using <A HREF="id144.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="WATER PURIFIERS"><U>purified</U></A> water which eliminates the need for de-chlorinators.</div> <div> <B><U><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f0bbbbbb00.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">BACTERIA CULTURE </U></B> {This will speed up the maturing process of your filter, it is this bacteria living in your filter which will form the life support system your fish will need to survive}</div> <div> <B><U><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f0bbbbbb00.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">POLYSTYRENE</U></B> {Without this your tank <I><B><U>WILL</U></B></I> crack, a thin layer between your tank and stand will cushion any imperfections and balance out the weight of the water}</div> <div> <B><U><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f0bbbbbb00.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">BACKGROUND PICTURE</U></B></div> <div> <B><U><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f0bbbbbb00.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">ROCKS & DECORATIONS etc.</U></B></div> <div> <A HREF="id43.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Test Kits"><U><B><U><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f0bbbbbb00.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">TEST KITS</U></B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id144.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="WATER PURIFIERS"><U><B><U><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f0bbbbbb00.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">WATER PURIFIER</U></B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <B><U>1)</U></B> All you have to do now is put everything together, to do this decide where you want to position your aquarium, do not choose a place where your tank will be receiving direct sunlight as this will cause a build-up of green algae. Also do not place too close to any heaters or radiators, as this will cause fluctuations in temperature, which will cause your fish a lot of stress.</div> <bR> <div> <B><U>2)</U></B> Next rinse out your new tank to remove any dust, only ever use plain cold water for your tank and the cleaning of any items used in or for your tank, household cleaning products eg.washing-up liquid, soap etc. are extremely toxic to fish and even a very small trace of any such product will find its way into the very sensitive membrane inside your fishes gills and cause their death.</div> <bR> <div> <B><U>3)</U></B> If you have bought a background picture it is easier to put it on the back of your tank now so that you don't have to struggle with it later when you have got everything in position.</div> <bR> <div> <B><U>4)</U></B> Now place your filter in your tank, at the time of purchase our staff will have told you how to do this according to which type of filter you chose, however if you are not sure please phone us and we will be happy to give you as much assistance as possible over the phone.</div> <bR> <div> <B><U>5) </U></B>Now place the heater in your aquarium, you can sucker it into position once tank is full.         </div> <div>  [ do not plug in until tank is filled with water ]</div> <bR> <div> <B><U>6)</U></B> You now need to rinse your gravel or sand until the water runs clear, with gravel this can take a while as it is very dusty, when clean place in your tank and level out, now is also a good time to arrange any rocks and ornaments you may have bought. </div> <bR> <div> <B><U>7)</U></B><B> </B>You now need to mix the salt with your water, initially you can do this in the tank but <B><U>never</U></B> later on when there will be livestock in the tank. Alternatively you can use a big bucket  (ones you can buy from any home-brew shop are ideal) Fill with water and measure how much salt is needed, the packet will give you an indication of this. Use your <I><U>hydrometer</U></I>  once the salt has dissolved to measure if you need to add more. You will do this untill your tank is full. Remember the first time you do this is probably the hardest work as in future you will only be replacing a small amount after each water change.</div> <bR> <div> <B><U>8)</U></B> You are now ready to fill with water, put a plate or saucer upside down on the top of your gravel or sand and pour the water over this, this will help to keep everything in place, if using tap water only use water from your cold tap as water from the hot tap contains copper which is also harmful to fish and inverts. When full you can add the de-chlorinator, only use the stated dose, as with any treatment you may have to use in your aquarium never add a few drops for good luck or you will poison your fish.</div> <bR> <div> <B><U>9)</U></B> Once you have put your lighting in your hood you are ready to plug everything in, you can expect some haziness in your tank for a few hours sometimes longer, this is nothing to worry about, as it will soon settle. It will take a number of hours for the salt to totally dissolve.</div> <bR> <div> <B><U>10)</U></B> You will notice that there is a light lit on the inside of your heater this is to tell you that it is heating up the water, the temperature your fish require is around 78 degrees, so if the thermometer isn't reading this and the light on the heater is not lit you will have to turn the dial very slightly until the light comes back on, you may have to do this several times until the desired temperature is reached, expect it to take about 24 hours.</div> <bR> <div> <B><U>11) </U></B>When this is achieved you should check your salt again. If everything tests out correct, i.e P.h 8.3,</div> <div> salinity around 0.022, temp around 78*, nitrite zero, you can now think about seeing something swimming in your new set-up. Damsels are excellent fish for maturing a new marine tank but they can sometimes get very dominant and make things difficult later when you want to introduce more fish. You can get around this by either maturing your tank with no fish and only using bacteria boosters to mature your filter (although this way does take longer) or you can consider removing the damsels later on when they have done their job and bring them back to us for credit towards more fish. If you decide to return the damsels though you are better to only put a few rocks in the tank to start with so that you catch the damsels easier later on.</div> <bR> <div> <B><U>12)</U></B> The maturing process takes a good few weeks, so you have to be patient about not buying more specimens before this has taken place. You are not going to have a beautiful reef or fish only system overnight, some of the tanks you will have seen, the ones that probably inspired you in the first place to set-up a marine tank have most likely been up and running for a number of years. So take your time, there is no rush and the rewards of your patience will be evident when it is your tank inspiring others......</div> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>