Aquarium is a worthy hobby for a person who prefers a leisurely pastime and peace of mind. And, of course, this business has its own secrets that you need to know.
Novice hobbyists often prefer the most unpretentious fish that easily take root in an ordinary small freshwater aquarium. But "advanced" people prefer marine fish and animals, which requires a special approach in the preparation of sea water.
Sea water at home
Making seawater at home is not difficult at all. First, you need to choose an aquarium that is the right size for the intended fish and marine animals. Next, you need to find plastic buckets or other containers for stirring salt. And, of course, you need the salt itself.
So, you can start preparing. To begin with, the aquarium needs to be filled with three-quarters of ordinary fresh water. Water can be taken from tap water or passed through special filters - they saturate it with nitrogen and oxygen, which will significantly accelerate the growth of various algae. With a small volume of the aquarium, carbon filters will help, with a large one, a reverse osmosis installation is needed.
After proper treatment and filling with water, you can start the salting process. In this case, observe the standard approximate proportion of 37 grams of sea salt per 1 liter of water. Salt can be obtained from various aquarium manufacturers. There are a lot of such brands and they can be advised in the nearest pet store.
Mixing can be done manually, using a pump or an aquarium compressor. Use a hydrometer to control the salinity and keep it at approximately 1.024 grams per liter. This is the approximate salinity of ocean water. At the end of stirring, you need to check the pH-factor, which should not fall below 8.0.
Other water parameters
The process of preparing sea water does not end with simple salting. It is important to control the content of ammonium and nitrite. They should not be higher than 0.05 mg / l. Ammonium ions can be found in water at a concentration of 0 to 2 mg / l. It should be noted that nitrites are also toxic and should not be present in a concentration of more than 20 mg / l.
In addition, bacteria live in the aquarium that convert nitrite to nitrate. But by regularly changing the water and cleaning the soil, this can be avoided.
Now you need to bring the water temperature to + 25 ° C and plant the fish. You should be gradual here. First, one species of fish, then another with a frequency of a week, and so on until complete attachment with constant chemical control of the water, which will finally get better in about 3-5 months, forming a good ecological system.
