Saltwater Aquarium 101 - Week #2

The type of tank that you create will determine what kind of equipment you will need. As you do the research, you will find that there are about as many opinions on "the perfect system" as there are people with saltwater aquariums.

In the end, you will be depending on your own judgement, so read as much you can, then decide.

• Fish Only (FO) tanks are just what it sounds like: A tank with fish and/or invertebrates in it. The tank can also contain dead corals and other decorations.

• Fish Only With Live Rock(FOWLR) tanks are just what they sounds like: A tank with fish and/or invertebrates in it, plus Live Rock (rocks from the ocean with "stuff" growing on them).

• Reef Systems are a slice of the ocean. Reef tanks contain live corals, Live Rock, invertebrates and fish.

Many people prefer to start with an FO or FOWLR system, then gradually upgrade to a full Reef aquarium. This allows you to set up and cycle your tank with Live Rock and a critter or two before introducing corals and other more challenging livestock.

With all of the filtration methods (wet/dry, canister, skimmer, mechanical, Berlin, Jalbert, Under Gravel) available, deciding on a filtration system can seem like a daunting task. However, once you understand what each type of filter does, it isn't all that difficult. Almost all saltwater aquariums have more than one filtration method in use at the same time.

One piece of equipment which you will hear a lot about is the "Protein Skimmer". "Knowing How Skimmers Work" will help you understand the mechanics of skimming and assist you greatly in choosing a skimmer.

Choosing a Filtration System for a Saltwater Aquarium contains information on each of the filtration methods. Reading each of the descriptions and explanations will help you decide which would work best for your tank.

What Is A "Biological Filter"? Gives you a quick overview on the most important (essential) filter in your entire system.

Choosing a Saltwater Aquarium Filtration System In 5 Easy Steps makes selecting equipment items much simpler, once you have picked out your tank style. By quickly eliminating equipment types which will not work for your set up, the list of equipment types which will work for your system is much shorter.