There is really one rule for purchasing saltwater aquariums supplies and that is that every purchase should be for material that has been designated for use with salt water. If you do not apply this rule on a rigorous basis, the least that is going to happen is that ferrous materials are going to rust and break down costing you money to replace them. The worst that may happen is that in addition to the rusting and breaking down of ferrous materials, your water becomes contaminated and your aquatic fish and even your plants may become sickly or even die. It is always a good rule of thumb to work with non ferrous materials and materials that indicate they can be used for saltwater aquariums.
Some people may at times try to convert their freshwater aquariums to saltwater aquariums. Your glass or acrylic aquarium should be fine as long as there are no metal parts. Pumps, filters, decorator items may be composed of ferrous material and will begin to rust almost from the minute they are introduced to the salt water. You will want to check carefully all of these items before you begin the transformation, so you will know before hand what additional saltwater aquariums supplies you may need to purchase.
As
with fresh water aquariums, you will need to purchase
good quality saltwater aquariums supplies so that they
last and provide you with good service over the lifetime
of your saltwater aquarium. Poor quality saltwater aquariums
supplies or cheap saltwater aquariums supplies will
cost you more in the long run as you have to replace
them more often.
The support table that you place the saltwater aquarium on is very important as well. Some people suggest that your saltwater aquarium should be at least 40 gallons, which translates to approximately 336 pounds of weight from the water alone. This is significant and most tables will not support this kind of weight. A sturdy flat table capable of supporting such a heavy weight is mandatory.
In addition to a sturdy flat table, the table must be perfectly flat. A bumpy table or a table that is not flat can place a lot of extra stress on the aquarium and if significant, cause enough stress on the glass that the glass could break under the stress of the weight of the water. Forty gallons of water cascading all over your floor could be catastrophic for your home, not to mention the aquatic fish and plants that you have in the aquarium!
Some people will place a small sheet of Styrofoam under the saltwater aquarium to even out the surface and distribute the stress more evenly. While this will work, the best solution is really to make sure that the table is evenly flat and level. Once you have set up your saltwater aquarium, you can purchase additional saltwater aquariums supplies to enhance your aquarium and enhance the beauty and aesthetics of your saltwater aquarium.
