Maintaining Your Saltwater Aquarium

Although many freshwater fish-keepers may disagree, saltwater tanks require a little extra attention to maintain water quality. Here is a quick guide to what you need to do regularly to keep your tank in shape.

There's a lot to keep in mind so it's a good idea to start by keeping a calendar or notebook to track what you've done, especially for procedures that need to be performed only occasionally. It's also important to note water quality, what you add to your tank and how much (including brand name and manufacturer), as well as anything out of the ordinary. This way, you have a record that may help you predict a potential problem or allow you to backtrack to figure out what may have happened if something goes wrong.

Daily

Every Other Day

Weekly

Every Two Weeks

Monthly

Every Three Months

Every Six Months

Some may consider these guidelines to be excessive, but only you can determine, with time, what is best for you and your fish. Roughly following this maintenance schedule at first should give you a general idea of what to do and when to do it to keep your own tank healthy.