I think Charles Dickens sums it up the best in a famous opening passage from one of his books “It is the best of times and it is the worst of times”, of course we know he wasn’t referring to marine tanks… or was he?

Keeping Marine: It's not that difficult!

There is no secret to keeping marines, with the advances in equipment available in today’s market, there really is no excuse for failure, Ok you might get the odd misadventure, but other than that, it is really quite easy. The biggest problem is the actual keeper of the tank. Our actions are usually the cause of the so called WIPEOUTS, which every one seems to encounter. Over the next few paragraphs, We will offer our opinions and experience for you to consider.

Our Suppliers / Collectors of livestock

99% of the stock we offer for sale in live marine fish and coral we acquire are from 4 main sources,

Cairns Marine Aquarium Fish (CMAF) | Keppel Bay Corals |

Seafish AquariumLife | Aquarium Imports  

The one thing they all have in common is that thay are all Australian collectors(except Aquarium imports)  . Their husbandry and shipping techniques are second to none. We have a minimal loss rate of fish and coral in shipping. We get tired of the loss rates from other suppliers, we start to wonder what went wrong, when the most probable cause was the fish we received in the first place. So from the onset, it is better to pay more for the fish, because we know we are getting quality stock. Sure we can buy certain fish cheaper, but they are usually imported fish that come from questionable catching methods.

Setting up a marine aquarium

Find a shop you are happy with and go with them. Buying all your equipment from the one place helps with the fact that they get to lnow your tank.If you buy on price, it will usually cost you in the long run. It is not like you are buying a plasma TV, all you have yo do is go home and plug it in.

A marine tank is a living piece of Art, with more support needed to help you on your way.

The first step in setting up your marine tank, is to first work out what you want, i.e. fish or corals or fish & corals. Once you have decided that, the next thing to do is work out what size tanks are best going to suit your choices. Too often, people see a fish and want to buy it then another and then another….and so on, but 9 times out of 10, the people buying the fish know nothing about them! Research is the key. Know the species requirements and what suitable tank mates they can live with.

Do the research prior to purchase

At a shop level, we at Bunarong will try and give you as much information about your fish before you buy it, but at the end of the day it is your decision. Fish are not machines, and are very individual, I have had the same fish mix, in different set ups, with totally different results some live well in harmony, but the same fish mix in another tank we set up, will be totally the opposite . So what I am trying to say here is do some reading learn about the fish you are buying, then we can offer an opinion on the fish you want to purchase. Once you have learned about a fish, go into the shops, and ask questions about that fish. Listen to see if the staff in the shop is giving the same description of that fish.

Buying Tip: A simple test for your marine salesman

Pick a species of fish, for instance, the Moorish Idols, but after reading, you find the book says it is a harder fish to get acclimated, settled, and should be left to the advanced hobbyists ,armed with that information go to the aquarium shops and see what you get told about the Moorish Idol. You will soon learn who is there just to sell, and who is there for you to help with your new hobby.

Page updated: 2 July, 2008