Fish owners seldom mourn as much as dog or cat owners when their fascinating and colourful, but incredibly sensitive friends die. They simply restock the lively creatures, and repeat the process after the current batch of little Nemos knock out.

The case really need not be so. Beautiful marine tanks of coral and fish can last up to a decade or two – like those found in Alice Gan’s showroom.

The matronly managing director of Aquatechnic Pte Ltd, a leading aquarium design company, will have you believe that those tanks – so clear in water visibility and with fish and corals so colourful, healthy, and full of rigour – are low maintenance compared to freshwater tanks.

It is no piece of cake of a newbie. To put the bits and pieces together for a marine tank like those seen in Terminal Two of Singapore Changi Airport or in Mount Elisabeth Hospital’s main lobby, Gan has the help of a team of 14 experts, including marine biologists and system specialists. Large aquariums – some in homes – require a dive into them for set up and maintenance.

Among the most important pieces of equipment in setting up a tank is a good filtration system, lighting (“Use metal halides, Florescent lights are not for marine keeping!”), coolers to maintain a steady temperature of 25 to 27 degrees Celsius, and powerful pumps to create artificial currents in the tank.

Aquatechnic’s filter system, according to Gan, is the primary factor that won them ISO 9001 certification. “We call it the ‘overflow trickle biological system’. Within it are three compartments – the biological system, the mechanical compartment, and the chemical compartment,” says Gan. “This will do all the work in maintaining water chemistry and helps to control the nitrate and uric acids”.

For newly set up tanks, Gan advises to have 10 percent of the tank water replaced every week as the newly placed corals and fish may bring certain parasites from the ocean. Mature tanks however, need only the same amount replaced monthly.

Aesthetically, high and narrow tanks may have won raves for interior designers but Gan points out the impracticality. “The average arm length, say, is 51 inches. How are we going to do aqua-scaping in a narrow 70-inch high tank? Wearing a snorkel to go in will only cause pollution by our hair. We could use tools, but the results are a lot different from doing it by hand,” she says.

Problems arise too, when people set up aquariums on wooden cabinets. Over time, as salt water is spilled over either during maintenance or by jumping fishes, the cabinet will give way. Gan recommends aluminium or stainless steel. Cabinets are only for finishing.

Fishes and corals enjoy a vast amount of personal space in the ocean, but hobbyists tend to overcrowd tanks. “Their eagerness to have more fish will see them buying excitedly in fish farms, not knowing that they will not be with them long,” says Gan.

One of the most common causes of death in aquariums besides bad filtration systems and unbalanced water chemistry, she discloses, is the way fish are caught. Half the time, fished are caught by cyanide fishing and are already swimming towards heaven the moment they are out of the ocean. Rarely will they last more than two weeks before developing white spots and turning up their bellies.

“Be very careful when buying fish. Observe once, twice and triple!” advises Gan. A telltale sign is the colour of water – a yellowish tint indicates added chemicals to sustain fish life.

Enthusiastic owners may like to pick their own species of corals and fishes, but it might be advisable to read up before choosing, or leave it to the experts. “A tank should have a balanced community. Some fishes like angelfish and butterfly fish will peck the corals. In terms of corals, we put in hardy ones like mushroom, octopus, gorgonian, leather and so on,” she says.

Depending on the set up, a marine tank can cost over S$300,000 but Gan, quite consciously, will not put a promise on them.

“Remember everything in the tanks are alive, so there cannot be a guarantee,” she says. “If you want the fish and corals to live well, caring and sharing is important. Caring means to provide a good, healthy environment and sharing means providing good quality food.”