Firstly we are all beginners. even after 40 years of studying marine fish as a biologist, I learn some thing new every day. There are no experts although there are many who claim to be. Keeping a marine aquarium is taking a piece of the reef and placing it in your home.from that day on you learn as you go. making mistakes learning from them. Its big investment. your fish have travelled thousands of miles to get to your aquarium and they deserve the best. To keep the beautiful colours and stunning shapes needs the right food, the right conditions and the right system.

Many people claim that Marine fish are difficult to keep. This is not true,As importers of Marine Fish and corals,we buy from around the world. There are many myths about Marine fish. They shouldn't be sent out over night to customers.

We buy fish from Indonesia. They are put into plastic bags.and arrive at the airport six hours before the flight takes off. They fly to Heathrow,where they are taken off the plane and eventually find themselves in the border post. a shed next to the vets office. This journey takes in excess of 24 hours. Yes there are a few that don't make it. but generally they arrive alive and recover over night. To survive this journey is an indication of thier ability to cope with the stress of traveling.

Marine fish are hardy as long as the basic rules are applied. The system has to be able to remove pollution in the water. what is pollution? Feed the fish they go to the toilet. fish die.you cant strip the tank to get them out. Un eaten food causes pollution. dying corals/algae all add to the equations. 

The rules for keeping Marine fish are the larger the aquarium the easier it will be to keep the fish you put in it. No disrespect to the Nano tank but it is very limited in what you can keep in it. The minimum size we recommend to keep fish and corals with any success would be 180lts. with a sump this increases the volume by up to 40lts.

The filtration system can only cope with the pollution level in the aquarium. there is no extra. You add a fish when the ammonia level is zero. Add bacteria and the ammonia will rise as the added fish pollutes the water. The filter will then catch up by adding bacteria and the level will return to zero. Do not add more than one fish at a time. Marine fish keeping is about patience.

External filters have a maximum capacity. it might be four fish,in which case the 5 will die. there's no room for expansion. A deep bed sand filter has no limit.

I have kept a yellow tang for 15 years,. A Majestic angel 20 years. and other fish equally successfully for over 10 years.

There is no comparison with tropical fish. Rivers. lakes etc are not compatible with the parameters of the oceans,. there is very little fluctuation in salt,ph etc and the fish are unable to cope with it.It is far more practical to invest in a system designed specifically for marine fish than attempt to keep in a tropical aquarium.

Our conversion kits are as efficient as a full set up. and we convert your existing aquarium. Our system will ensure many years of successful fish keeping. It takes up to 12 months for the system to fully mature.it will then be ready to upgrade if you chose to keep hard corals requiring metal Halide lighting. An investment which is expensive and totally pointless while the aquarium matures and develops.

There are many conflicting arguments about how to keep marine fish. however generally speaking the local aquatic store do not have the facilities to offer a specialist Marine system. They can only provide you with a set up designed for tropical fish and hang on filters etc. All our systems are designed for Marine fish and every thing is located in the cabinet making a truly spectacular piece of furniture.If you want to be successful, an investment in a special designed and tested set up is an essential for marine fish keeping. 

How does it work.

Rivers and streams, lakes fluctuate substantial with variations in PH, temperature and pollution levels depending on the time of year. weather and especially heavy rain. Fish and inverts adjust to these variations.

The vastness of the ocean with the deepest parts being several miles deep, there is very little variation in PH. salinity and pollution levels. The sea being a vast filtration system. However there are variations in light.which not only becomes dimmer the deeper in the sea but colour variations of light that penetrate the sea.

The effects of global warming are seen in temperature in excess of 28 degrees which kill off corals. The sea is becoming warmer and corals and inverts do not have the ability to survive.

In buying corals therefore it is important just like plants to establish there location on the reef. Hard Corals tend to be in shallow water to get the full benefit of day light. Softer corals can be some metres deep on the reef wall.The importance of water flow is an essential factor in keeping corals. since they are unable to move they are totally Dependant on the flow of water to feed. As long as you can see the coral moving in the water flow they will be able to capture food.

Feeding corals. There are many products on the market available to the aquarist. The general rule is how much of the food is absorbed by the corals and how much pollute the water. With only a few corals use sparingly

The Facts

Do you have several hours every week to carry out a minimum of 10% water changes.Do you have the funds to replace dead fish because the system doesn't keep them alive.Do you know where and how the fish you buy were caught and if cyanide was used to catch them. can you afford the considerable electricity bill as a result of high wattage pumps and lighting.

These are questions that you should be asking. Many of the standard set ups are manufactured in south east asia.The quality of the cabinets is insufficient to prevent salt attacking the melamine.

I have an aquarium I purchased in 1987 still running and containing fish and corals.

The solution.

Keeping marines is never going to be cheap. The cost of shipping fish by air is ever increasing. The cabinet you fall in love with may be totally unsuitable for your intended use. You need to identify a budget and look for a specialist system to achieve your objective. our Marine set ups using RIO 180 start at 700 pounds including VAT.or a 24 x 24 x 24 at £750

How does our system work.

Taking the gold fish bowl as a basic example. After a day or so it becomes murky and smelly. if you feed the fish they go to the toilet. this pollutes the water and creates ammonia. this kills fish. they literally die in thier own excrement.The filter breaks down the ammonia to less toxic nitrite.still capable of killing fish. and finally to Nitrate which is less toxic. In a tropical rivers and streams,plants absorb nitrate as food and complete the cycle.

In a marine system same process. same pollution except water changes are required to eliminate Nitrate since there are no plants.If using tap water the pollution levels are higher than the water your changing. you therefore have to use pure RO water. Nitrate will still kill fish and corals.

In the sea there is a constant movement of water. the waves, the currents all for one purpose to generate oxygen.The gasses in the water can only escape at the surface and therefore there has to be movement over the entire aquarium area other wise cold spots are created.

The sump is an open lid aquarium located in the cabinet.The skimmer and pump are positioned in the first chamber since the water level remains constant.The second chamber contains live sand and calurpa(sea weed) this is lit 24/7 to force grow the plant and constantly absorbs nitrate and expel oxygen.

The final chamber contains the return pump and bio balls which remove the ammonia. There are no areas of dead water flow. the efficiency of the filter is 50% higher than externals and stocking levels increase by 60%. No water changes and with a float switch and RO unit the system becomes  automated. Why is that you ask? When every one else tells you water changes are esential why do we say no its not.

The system we have developed has an open top. this allows gases to escape at the surface. Glass lids prevent evaporation which is an essential factor of the eco system. The objective is to recreate a piece of the reef in your home. There are no external filters in the sea. Just natural filtration. The flow of water at the surface,running down the pipe work to the sump and into the sump chambers creates evaporation. just as it does in the sea. only pure water evaporates leaving the salt in the system. By fitting a float switch to the sump connected to an ro unit. this evaporation creates a natural and consistent means of changing the water. The balance of the aquarium remains constant.

What happens when you carry out a water change. Firstly you can be as accurate as can but you can not achieve an exact replica of temperature and salinity of the aquarium.this causes an imbalance to the system.

What about the water you tip down the drain. not only does it contain salt. but parasites. bacteria and polluted water and infects the sewage system.

The heaters are located in the sump so that all that is required are circulation pumps in the aquarium concealed in the rock work.

Live Rock.

The seas natural filtration is dependant on sea weed and the bacteria growing in rock and sand.Live rock there fore is an essential factor in the marine set up however each piece displaces water and therefore the quantity has to be balanced on a practical basis of visual appearance and reduction in the water volume.in a four foot tank about 30 kilos is sufficient.

A marine Aquarium offers hours of entertainment in watching the creatures of the sea. shrimps.crabs fish and corals.         In todays society most customers do not have the time or the inclination to spend time on constant water changes and adjustments. Invest in some thing that works rather than waste money on some thing that doest.

We recommend  Salt for a stable environment at a level of 1.025, ph 8-3 and temperature of 28c.

Water life 8-3 buffer

Water life iodine booster

Water life bacterlife bacteria.

contact us at oceanreefaquariums@hustmail.com