If you are an extremist with extra money to spend, these items can be very beneficial to your aquarium setup. With proper maintenance and good water quality, some of the most outstanding aquariums could survive without these equipment.

Reverse Osmosis Deionized System (RO/DI Unit)

Making Pure water is important

In the marine or saltwater hobby, it is essential that the water quality is excellent. What this means is that the water that fills your aquarium must be free of misc elements. Municipal water systems which is the water most of us get from our city, contains Fluoride, Chlorine, Chloramines, Nitrates, Phosphates, metals and other elements which are not safe for your inhabitants. These elements will cause much trouble in your aquarium such as excessive algae outbreaks and even stressing out your fish which may result in death.

For those who decide to continue using tap water as the source, you can opt to purchase water conditioners which can rid the elements found in your tap water. However, it may not be an efficient solution as the cost will continue to add up and it’s not guaranteed that the water conditioner may remove every element in your water, especially when you don’t know what’s in it.

The RO/DI unit is the best choice when it comes to obtaining excellent water quality for your aquarium. Make sure you do some research as there are many kinds of RO/DI unit. The upfront cost can range anywhere from $100 to $500, depending on how many gallons you’d like to produce per day. One thing to know is that it takes a very long time to produce RO/DI water. The output is generally 3 to 1. What this means is that for every 3 gallons of water that is processed, only 1 gallon is filtered to be RO/DI water. So that means you are throwing away 2/3 of the water! Either way, it’s worth the investment if you plan to be in the hobby for a very long time.

Other Saltwater Aquarium Equipment

Chillers may be a necessity for those who live in hotter climates and have trouble cooling their water. But for most of us, I see chillers as optional as there are many techniques to cool your tank such as floating ice bags, and canopy fans. Chillers are used to efficiently cool your aquarium. It is essential to maintain a constant water temperature as some inhabitants may be more vulnerable to fluctuating temperatures. A sudden change in temperature can put undue stress on aquatic life making them prone to infection and diseases. Having a chiller can help especially during hot summer days. Salt water aquariums that have corals may require cooler water temperature and may be less forgiving when it comes to warmer water. To protect your investments, it may be a good choice to purchase a chiller.

UV Sterilizer helps with reducing algae, parasites and bacterial diseases from occurring. The UV light targets the nuisances in your tank without harming other inhabitants. The UV light prevents reproductions of the micro-organism by shortening the organism’s life cycle and stopping reproduction. UV Sterilizers can be setup in various ways such as a stand-alone unit, hung on the back of your aquarium, attach to a canister or hidden inside your stand.

Kalkwasser is a calcium hydroxide solution simply used in the saltwater/marine hobby to maintain high levels of pH for reef aquariums. Kalkwasser solutions are relatively inexpensive, however, due to the high concentration levels; the solution must be introduced into the aquarium slowly to prevent any rapid increase in pH levels. This would require a dosing system which allows for the solution to slowly enter the water. Dosing systems come in various styles such as electronic units to gravity fed setups.

Calcium Reactors are used to automate calcium supplementation in larger reef setups. These devices are very precise and supply reef aquarium with the appropriate levels of calcium. Generally, reefs that require high levels of calcium are with corals which demand it. The typical setup consists of a calcium reactor, CO2 delivery system, pH controller, calcium media and circulation pump.

Aquarium Controller are used to automate multiple aquarium equipment using a timer. An example on how this would be useful would be setting a schedule for a feeder or lighting for the aquarium. There is a fan setup also. Its driven by the water temperature. The fan would operate whenever the water reaches above 75 degress. This would make things easier to maintain and would less likely to miss any important schedules.

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