Australian Aquarium

Dkorn · Nov 16, 2020

Greetings guys! I'm happy to be a part of TFP, I see you know about pools and equipment, I'm a professional Australian diver and a bit obsessed with fish, corals and all this entourage, I want to install large aquariums at home for my children, what do I need to buy to complete it up? Also, I want to have marine worms, they are predators, it may be an interesting experience as well. I was learning about the fireworms, they are beneficial to a marine aquarium, but some of the sources say that they are viewed as a pest to the typical saltwater reef tank - that is also now a question for me

HermanTX · Nov 16, 2020

Hi fellow diver. Welcome to TFP. Were you planning to have a saltwater aquarium or freshwater? I used to have just a freshwater aquarium and knew pH was critical for fish survival. Taylor Technologies makes a test kit to test for pH, Alkalinity, Calcium Hardness and Salt level. Depending on your set up and type of fish you can search which measurements are best. Salt in saltwater pools range from 3000 to 4000ppm whereas salt in ocean is 30,000ppm. I know in USA there are companies that specialize in saltwater aquarium maintenance. Curiously to know what size aquarium you are thinking. My dentist has a saltwater aquarium in the office which is 300 gallons with all types of reef fish. Hope others can chime in on their experiences with aquariums.

mgtfp · Nov 16, 2020

Hi fellow Aussie. When you say "large" aquariums, how large are you talking? Are thinking large enough to swim and dive with the fish, and that's why you ended up at a pool forum? Would be an interesting project to get the water safe for swimming but not toxic to fish...

Dkorn · Nov 20, 2020

guys thanks for the discussion, I was planning to have two saltwater aquariums (I have two kids, they want to own each one separately) and some reef fish in there, not so large to swim there lol, earlier my kids had a very little one so in comparison these ones should be much bigger, I plan each one from 50 up to 100 gallons, will see, I want to maintain it myself so now trying to find out how to do it correctly and what do I need

Justhereforthebugs · Nov 20, 2020

I don't know how many people here have aquariums, but I've been on a number of aquarium forums where people are as particular about water care and water chemistry as people on TFP. That's probably the best starting place.

We just set up a small freshwater tank and got a few kits to check the water. I didn't set up the tank, but know the person who did looked at aquarium forums for advice.

jseyfert3 · Nov 20, 2020

Hey @Dkorn, I think you have the wrong forum, unless you also own a pool or hot tub, because if so, this is the correct forum for that sort of thing. It's not an aquarium forum though, as pools are not aquariums, the water care and equipment are completely different. There is some overlap in water chemistry, but that's about where the similarities end. I'd suggest you find a forum dedicated to saltwater tanks and try there.

I once owned a planted freshwater tank, it was amazing when I kept up with the required maintenance. People could not believe how the plants grew like mad in crystal clear water. At some point it would be great to get a big planted tank for our living room, but I need to find a method that requires less work than my previous tank or it'll never work out. Good luck with your saltwater tanks, I've never attempted them but my sister did and they were amazing while running, but super expensive, time consuming, and fussy. She eventually gave up on them though unfortunately after a couple years in a row when she went on a week long vacation everything died, both times, even though she had someone come over to take care of them while she was gone.

mgtfp · Nov 20, 2020

As @jseyfert3 already pointed out, chemistry needs for an aquarium are similar, but still different to a pool. Pool test kits (the Aussie equivalent to the above mentioned Taylor kit would be Clear Choice Labs), will probably work, but there are some differences. Pool test kits have to deal with test interferences by chlorine (e.g. when testing pH or Total Alkalinity). On the other hand, aquariums might need higher testing resolution. A specialised test kit for aquariums might be more suitable, e.g. from Red Sea.

A dedicated aquarium forum will give you probably a lot better advice. But I'm sure there are a few aquarium owners round here, so maybe someone will chime in. I guess, The Coffee Bar is the best forum at TFP for such a discussion...