Marine is a word use to describe salt water habitats. Marine fish need different environments than tropical fish to live in, so you will need different equipment if you want to keep a marine fish tank than you would to keep a tropical fish tank.

The main difference between salt water and fresh water tanks is obviously the salt. Do not confuse this with table salt, as it is marine salt that you need.

Warm salt water can evaporate rapidly, a large size tank can lose over 25 litres a week, and as marine fish are not used to large fluctuations in salinity an automatic top-up device can be used to regulate the environment.

Such a device involves a float switch that is located in the main tank and connected to a pump in the top-up water. When the level drops the switch alerts the pump to top up the main tank.

To tell you how much salt is in the water in the tank you need an essential bit of kit called a hydrometer. These are not expensive and they are easy to use, and they should be used to check water for water changes as well as checking the water in the main tank now and again. Some even come with a built-in thermometer.

Another essential bit of equipment you need is a protein skimmer, as these help to keep the tank water clean. A protein skimmer should be used with a biological fliter or as part of a natural filtration system.

Another piece of equipment you will need for a marine tank is a chiller, or a cooler. These are a sort of refrigeration system that gets connected to the tank and cools down the water as it passes through, before returning to the main tank. Due to the large amount of electrical equipment used nowadays in fish tanks a lot of heat is being produced, and marine tanks do not like that much heat.

You might find you need extra equipment for a marine aquarium but these are the most basic necessary things. Do lots of research about the kind of fish you want to get and also get some advice from an expert before you buy, and remember that a marine tank can be quite expensive so find out about all the potential costs first.

Technorati Tags: Marine Fish Tanks