Marine Fish
Want a slice of the ocean in your home?
The answer lies in those colourful & vibrant marine (sea-water) fish which can transform your living room into a beautiful area.
What you Need
First of all, you’ll need is a tank filled with salt water, an aeration pump and a method to keep temperatures down.
Like Tropical Fish, Marine Fishes also need a supply of oxygen and an aeration pump would be an effective automated solution.
Marine Creatures also require a certain saline level and a low temperature to thrive. Getting Marine salt would not pose a problem as you can readily find them on shelves at your nearest aquarium store.
However, temperature control poses the bigger problem, especially in Singapore where the weather can be quite hot.
Solutions are having air-conditioning or obtaining an aquarium chiller (also referred to as an aquarium cooler, aquarium water chiller, saltwater chiller, fish tank chiller & tank chiller). It is important to keep the water temperature changes to a minimum as large fluctuations can be detrimental to your marine life.
Over the long-run, having an aquarium chiller might be more economical than turning up the air-conditioning constantly just for the Marine Fishes.
There are also different kinds of marine creatures suited to different temperatures, like tropical and temperate marine. It would be good to do your own research or consulting the Pet Store's advice.
The Fun Part
Balancing the eco-system in your newly built (if you went DIY) or obtained would be the fun part.
You get to beautify your fish tank with an assortment of fishes, corals and other creatures. To get started, add some live rocks on the bottom , put the marine fish (which you can buy from marine fish shops) in. And viola! There's your slice of the ocean right in your home.
Attractions
Marine fishes are quite interesting as they also have behavioural pattens. The clown fish (with its sea anemone which it likes to rub itself against), Tang (likes to hide between living rocks), Angelfish(not to be mistaken with the fresh water angel fish) and Damsels (agressive bright blue small fishes ... yes despite the size).
You can also put in some sea-horse and starfish to add to the variety.
Clown Fish and Sea Anemone.
© Steve Kramer
Tang hiding between rocks
Beware of putting in the predators like the Parrot fish as it will eat up the smaller fishes.
Maintenance
For Marine Pets, you have to ensure that the water has adequate salinity and its at the correct temperature. You can get a thermometer with salinity measuring functions (they just bob about at different heights according to saline levels in the water).
Once you've done up your masterpiece, you can relax, enjoy your mini marine scenery and showcase it to envious visitors.
Pet Article by Sg Pets
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