Marine tank setup - What you need to setup a salt water reef tank

I know this is slightly off topic for a pond site but it is my latest project and is very similar to looking after fish / water in your garden pond. I have always wanted to setup a marine tank as the results can be fantastic but have always been put off by how complicated it seems. Infact when you first start out it can be quite daunting working out what you actually need and what the best setup is for your particular requirements. Here is a list and a brief description of fundamental components of marine tank / salt water reef or what ever you want to call it. See even its name has many different varieties?

The main tank
Well this is the first decision you need make, think about where you want to put it and what shape you would like it to be. A general rule is the bigger the tank the easier it will be to maintain once it’s up and running, but on the negative side the more expensive it will be for the tank and all the attachments. So you have got to find a happy medium. Anyway instead of me repeating information that is already out there check out http://www.thetipsbank.com/marine.htm which goes into a lot more detail on this subject. Just be careful though as if you are new to this you run the risk of finding out too much information that all fights against each other and you never actually make a decision. At the end of the day people run successful nano reefs so anything is possible. I bought my tank based on what I wanted in my room making sure it was at least 150-200 litres or over. Alternatively find a cheap second hand tank and it doesn’t matter if you change you mind later on and want a bigger one.

Sump tank
This is a separate tank that sits under your main tank, usually within the cupboard. You don’t actually need this but it helps increase the total water volume in your tank and allows you to hide all the equipment (protein skimmer, heater etc) and leaves you more room in your main tank for fish, corals, live rock etc

Protein skimmer
A protein skimmer basically filters the water and is generally used in most marine tanks.

Live rock and sand
live rock and sand is a very important part of a marine tank helping filter the water

Power head
As the live rock and sand is part of the filter process it is essential that the water is circulated around it effectively. This is the job of the power head which is basically a pump that sits in your tank and blasts your water around the tank ensuring the water is moved around your system the required amount of time.