Marine fish keeping is different from its counterpart, freshwater, in several important aspects. There’s more scientific bias in marine fish keeping, a large contributor to the vast scientific knowledge shared with the hobby.

Marine Fishkeeping History

The first personal saltwater fishkeeping began on a wider scale in the 1950’s, starting with the basic rectangular glass aquariums (usually 20 gallon), still popular today. Bleached coral along with a substrate of coarse crushed coral was the norm. Algae’s, including beneficial such as coralline, were viewed negatively and generally removed. The clean, sterile tank was viewed as the healthiest.

During the beginning days of marine aquaria, saltwater was initially collected at local beaches. Natural saltwater contains many unwanted organisms along with the occasional unwanted pollutant. Aquarium literature of the time suggests that the most commonly kept marine fishes at the time were Percula Clownfish, the Sergeant Major Damselfish, small brackish water puffer and scat, Jeweled Blennies, Sailfin Mollies, and Blue Damsels. Aquariums were equipped with large air compressors and were heavily aerated and filtered (primarily with underground filter, a norm for some time).

Later in the hobby, air driven counter-current protein skimmers were invented and revolutionized in Germany along with the Eheim pump company. Perhaps the largest revolution in fish keeping was a more reliable submersible electric heater, invented by Eugen Jäger. Jäger today is still a major company in aquarium heating.

Various initial aquarists attempted finding the chemical properties of sea water, and mix in necessary trace elements to create synthetic salt mixes. Perhaps the first synthetic sea salt company was Instant Ocean, and undoubtedly the largest. This revolutionized marine fishkeeping in landlocked areas, instead of restricting it to areas near sources of seawater.

Various advancements in filtration included the trickle and hang-on filters, both allowing more of a natural equilibrium to the aquarium environment. The advancement of fluorescent lighting technologies into higher outputs along with Metal Halide lighting established the reef tank, making it a possible to keep corals and invertebrate without natural sunlight.

More efficient chemical testing and more advanced knowledge allowed aquarists to have an idea about aquariums chemical conditions and properties. The biological establishment and understanding of trying to maintain an environment close to that of the ocean brought more successful and widespread marine fishkeeping. In the 1980’s, aquarium publications were widespread, and general chemical and biological knowledge was more widespread.

Modern Fishkeeping

The new age of fishkeeping focuses on various components functioning in order to create a biologically stable environment. There are various orthodoxies of fishkeeping today. Perhaps the most popular and widespread is the use of a protein skimmer in a closed circuit aquarium, along with the use of a separate, not visible tank, called a sump; a container that holds the tanks equipment and adds water volume to increase biological stability. The most common tank sizes range from 55 gallons to 100 gallon, though much larger and smaller tanks are common; such as nano reefs. A common fishkeeping practice is to allow aquariums to biologically establish beneficial bacteria, eliminating harmful Ammonia and Nitrite, and reducing the Nitrate content in the water. These amounts are measured in PPM (parts per million). A set amount a tank can hold has been theorized and popularly followed as to the amount of organisms a specific tank can hold.

Most fishkeeping is tropical, and most fish gathered are caught in Africa, South-East Asia, and the Red Sea. A temperature of 75 degrees Fahrenheit to 82 degrees Fahrenheit is most common, reflecting the environment of the organisms. Cold water marine fishkeeping is generally only regional, and most cold water fish are caught locally. This is because the physical appearance of cold water fish is not as attractive or colorful as its tropical counterpart.

Marine animals today are nearly exclusively caught in the ocean, such has brought controversy. Common practices of collecting fish involve cyanide and explosives, which destroy and poison reefs; however much of the cyanide use is small and generally portrayed out of proportion. The collection of marine animals has also sparked some Southern Asian and Africa countries as being a profitable industry.

Various businesses have brought a commercial front to fishkeeping, maybe the largest is Marineland inc. Along with movies such as Finding Nemo, fishkeeping is becoming much more widespread than ever before. Perhaps the biggest turndown in fishkeeping is the initial costs. A 100 gallon reef tank full of coral and equipment often costs upwards of $5000 US. This is a large factor as to why freshwater fishkeeping is still so widespread in comparison to its marine counterpart, besides difficulty.

External Links

Reef Central (http://www.reefcentral.com)