“For most of history, man has had to fight nature to survive; in this century he is beginning to realize that, in order to survive, he must protect it.” – Jacques-Yves Cousteau
Coral reefs are the most extraordinary natural beauty of the world’s oceans.
To own a marine aquarium is not only a very relaxing and rewarding hobby, but also a journey to understand life cycles, to learn environmental responsibility and be involved in the preservation of marine species.
Unfortunately the beauty of corals not only matches their fragility, but also demands financial investment and a true commitment to caring of the life forms you brought to your home. Now, experience is only acquired with time. You need to learn how to guarantee the well being of the inhabitants of your aquarium.
Lighting is only one of the basic equipments you will need to keep an aquarium. In a list of many others such as skimmers, filters, pumps, etc… Orphek can only give advice on the correct lighting for your tank. That is our expertise.
Do not forget also that the health, growth and color rendering of corals depend not only on the proper lighting! Many other parameters should be monitored and controlled.
To help you maintain the best conditions of your tank you should also check the following (including but not limited to):
> Location of the tank.
> Correct placement of the corals in the tank.
> Quality of the equipment purchased.
> Quality of the corals and fish purchased (health check before purchase).
> Proper quarantine procedure before adding new creatures.
> Compatibility of animals with size of the tank, equipment available, other inhabitants already populating the aquarium.
> Proper filtration and purification of the water, including constant checking for water quality problems, chemical, impurities, discoloration and odors in your tank water.
> Proper installation of compatible skimmer; constant maintenance and cleaning to ensure proper operation.
> Water temperature monitor.
> Proper installation of compatible pumps; constant maintenance and cleaning to ensure proper operation.
> Selecting the proper substrate.
> Many parameters need testing kits to be measured and monitored
> Common test kits include, but are not limited to: Nitrite, Nitrate, Alkalinity, pH, Ammonia, Calcium, and Phosphate.
> Not only you will need to purchase the correct kit, but also you will have to learn how to control these variables.
> Adding and mixing the correct amount of salt into the water.
> Providing fish and corals the proper food quality and quantity).
As you already notice reef keeping requires planning, time, patience and care! A lot of care!
We strongly suggest you look for listing of corals and its standards parameters before purchasing. Learning and planning ahead is the key to success!
If you are facing any kind of challenge while reef keeping, Orphek suggest you to join a reef club or community to get support of more experienced hobbyists.
Before you jump into conclusions do a checklist and check ALL THE PARAMETERS INVOLVED in order to find the source and correct the problem you are facing. Please kindly be reminded that Orphek only warrant and is responsible for its product and not for the aquarium of clients or corals.
All that said we would like to make it clear that Orphek will not be held responsible and it is not liable for the loss or damage of any aquarium, or of corals or any life forms in any aquarium because lighting is only one of many parameters of a healthy environment for your tank. Also, as much as we believe that every person buying our products want/wish to take all the safety measures to install and use our products properly, and does try to follow our advises, it is not possible to check this. Since Orphek does not provide services of installation and maintenance of aquariums, any damages resulting from the installation or use/misuse of Orphek products is the sole responsibility of the purchaser.
We wish you all the best and keep reefing!