The task of purchasing your saltwater aquarium equipment can be overwhelming at times, and can make it easy to forget the basic items you should really consider buying first. In this post iIwant to review four basic items that might be overlooked when purchasing a saltwater aquarium, that if you forgot, you might want to take another trip back to the local fish store.

1) You absolutely want to make sure you purchase a fish net. This basic, but essential item for your aquarium is needed from almost day one. Depending on your aquarium tank size, it could be very hard to reach in all different areas of your aquarium. Additionally, keeping your hands out of your aquarium as much as possible is a good practice to avoid bringing harmful chemicals from lotions, soap, etc. Into the aquarium environment. I would suggest purchasing a couple different size nets to use when you need to pick up something in a hard-to-reach spot, and are prepared for anything you need to do inside your aquarium.

2) Purchasing a portable refractometer is a good idea to measure the salinity level of your aquarium water. Making sure the salinity level in your aquarium is in balance is imperative to maintaining a healthy aquarium for your livestock. I would suggest purchasing a portable refractometer to give you an accurate reading. You can find them online for as low as $80.

3) Make sure you look to purchase water jugs to store your aquarium fresh/saltwater. I would suggest 5-gallon jugs to help carry bulk amounts of your water to store for water changes. This item in your aquarium maintenance toolkit is often overlooked. Whether or not you make your own aquarium water through a reverse osmosis (RO) system, you will want a few 5-gallon jugs to store your future water in. Especially in creating your own saltwater, you must have time for the salt to dissolve in your freshwater. I highly suggest picking up a couple of these as soon as possible to store your water and create a consistent schedule.

4) Aquarium glass cleaner is going to be a product you will heavily rely on. When you buy an aquarium, you want be able to see your aquarium fish and corals right? Part of your routine maintenance is cleaning your aquarium glass from aquarium algae build-up that prevents you from seeing into your aquarium. There are several products you can buy at your local fish store to help you complete this task. My personal favorite is either a small metal blade you can cleanly scrape the algae off your glass, or a magnet that sweeps off the algae in its path. These are relatively cheap and keep your aquarium looking sharp for you, and your friends.

Source by Austin Kemp