In the beginning God created the oceans of the world. Man saw the beauty and diversity of life and jumped in. Being the intelligent species we are it only took a couple lungs full of water to figure out there had to be a better way to view this world. So began the never ending quest to bring a small portion of this underwater world into our homes. Since the beginning of the aquarium/ornamental fish and coral hobby many different methods have been tried and discarded, tried again and changed. The information found here is simply my experience, successes, and failures, and only my personal opinion. I will be talking about the Marine (saltwater) systems with the emphasis on the novice aquarist setting up their first marine system. From the time I set up my first saltwater tanks in 1973 many changes have been made to this hobby making it both more successful and less difficult. This hobby is a lot more demanding on your time than most, but with the right planning, very rewarding. I always get the question…..how do I set up a saltwater aquarium? The first question I ask is what are your interests? Will the emphasis be on fish only, invertebrates, predator fish, mixed (community), Reef, etc. This decision will be very important in selecting the proper tank size, equipment, and livestock for your new system. The two most important things you must have before you proceed are patience and time. In my experience anything you do quickly to a marine system leads to disaster. I’m sure other members of our club can give you some examples. If you do it right the first time, no matter what method you use, you have won the battle without firing a shot. Step 1 Go to your local full service pet store or better still a store specializing in freshwater and marine aquariums. Talk with them and ask question about their methods of setting up a saltwater aquarium. Look around, not just at the pretty livestock, but the equipment. Not just what they sell, but what they are using. Tank sizes, glass verses acrylic, pumps, powerheads, filters, etc. If this is still for you than you are ready to buy it all. DON’T…….Buy a book. Get in your car and drive home. READ…….get on the internet and learn all you can. In my experience, and believe me I’ve tried some things, if you don’t do it right the first time you can end up frustrated, broke, and ready to put your new system in a garage sale. I didn’t tell you all this to scare anyone off or make this hobby seem more difficult than it is, but it does require some thought and preparation to prevent you from having a bad experience. Step 2 through completion will be posted in this ongoing thread. Check back and follow the process from equipment selection to completed stable marine system. Feel free to post any comments or questions you have and I’m sure if I don’t know the answer someone else in the club can give their opinion. My purpose here is to make your first experience as pleasant and successful as possible. Remember, many members of RRMAS are willing and able to assist you at any time. To be continued………….. Norman Davis
