With the clownfish darting around
vibrant green plants and red coral,
the 180-gallon saltwater aquarium
in my son’s pediatrician’s office
always grabs my attention. For a
moment, I get to see how life under
the sea operates—and I’m amazed!
Maintaining a saltwater aquarium
is challenging. Many aquatic
species require extremely specific
pH, salinity, temperature, and
lighting. If something is slightly
off, they die. From the rocks to the
water temperature, each aspect
requires constant care.
If this sounds hard, imagine the
complexity of maintaining the
worldwide ocean ecosystem. God’s
self-maintaining aquarium—over
300 million trillion gallons—supports
hundreds of thousands of
species and countless specimens.
Such divine expertise in designing
a stable habitat for sea creatures
boggles the mind!
Illustration by BIG MOUTH
- Water Pump—Water
pumps, called powerheads,
create a current that circulates
and oxygenates the tank water.
Moving water keeps waste from
settling on the bottom. It also
encourages exercise for the fish
and deters algae from overgrowing.
In the ocean, currents do the job.
The Bible says that God controls
these life-giving “paths of the seas”
(Psalm 8:8). At the earth’s poles,
salt sinks into the water below the
ice. That dense, highly salty water
then sinks to the ocean floor. As
the saltwater sinks, new water
replaces it, creating a current that
moves around the globe. It enables
the growth of algae and seaweed
and regulates water temperature.
- Filters—A dirty aquarium stresses the fish, increasing their
susceptibility to disease. So filters are essential for removing
waste and toxic chemical buildup. In the ocean, the water is filtered
naturally by many means. Ocean water upwells and brings cooler,
clean water from below to the top. Sea life also helps keep the
water clean. For example, a single oyster filters about 50 gallons of
contaminated water a day.
- Heater—Even minor temperature changes can
kill fish, so aquarium owners must keep a constant
eye on the temperature, adjusting light and heat as
needed. The oceans have their own systems of adding and
circulating heat: hydrothermal vents at the ocean floor,
global and seasonal variations in the sun’s intensity, and
currents that circle the globe.
- Coral and Plants—Rocks and plants aren’t
just there to spruce up the place, whether in the
aquarium or the ocean. They give fish a place to hide
and food to nibble. They also help stabilize the water
chemistry. For example, the stony formations made from
coral release calcium, which maintains the ocean’s stable pH
level. The coral, though dead, is called “live rock” because
colonies of microorganisms flourish there, cleaning the
water and pumping out oxygen. Marine plants and algae
are, in fact, the planet’s primary oxygen factories, supplying
70–80% of earth’s oxygen needs.
- Tank—From hexagons to cylinders, tanks come in
many shapes. Oxygen and carbon dioxide exchange
at the water’s surface, so the larger the aquarium, the
better. Of course, God’s “aquarium” is the largest of all,
covering 71% of the earth’s surface. The ocean’s dynamic
surface—wind, waves, and currents—dramatically increases
this all-important gas exchange.
Escape Plan. If an aquarium
isn’t properly maintained,
the fish need an escape
plan. But their options
are limited. Uncleanliness
places so much stress on
firefish gobies that they’ll
jump out of the tank—with
tragic results. In the ocean,
God made sure fish can just
relocate if they’re unhappy
with their living conditions.
Cleanup Crew. Have an algae problem
in your saltwater aquarium? Hermit
crabs are at your service. Since they’ll
eat just about anything while scouring
sand and rocks for food, hermit crabs
unknowingly clean toxins in aquariums
just like they do in the ocean.
Social Butterflies. Pixar wasn’t making it up. Like fictional
Nemo, clownfish live with other sea creatures such as
puffers and live corals. But not all fish are so chummy. Unlike
the ocean, an aquarium offers limited space for creatures to
establish territories, so aquarium owners need to carefully
select the tenants.
Salinity Regulation. Saltwater fish need a stable amount
of dissolved salt—not too much or too little. A hydrometer
helps measure salinity, so the owner knows when to dilute
the saltwater. So in the ocean God put in place several
natural systems to regulate the salinity level: erosion from
the continents adds salt, while the seafloor chemistry and
organisms disperse and remove it.
Article was taken from Answers magazine, September–October, 2019, 36–37.