Basic Aquarium Setups
Terminology:
DT= Display Tank
FOWLER= Fish Only With Live Rock
Live Rock= Very porous calcium based rock made up fused coral skeletons, coralline algae harvested from the ocean.
DSB= Deep Sand Bed (typically 4“-6” deep)
Plenum= An air space (typically 1”) below a deep sand bed
RDSB= Remote Deep Sand Bed (typically 4”-6” deep or more, not in the display tank)
SSB= Shallow Sand Bed (typically 2”-4” deep)
Vertebrate= An animal with a spine (typically fish)
Invertebrate= Organisms without a spine (corals, starfish, shrimp, snails & crabs)
Wet Dry Filter= a plastic tank placed directly below the display tank filled with “bio balls” or other plastic media to provide surface area for filtering bacteria.
Zooplankton=
The following is list of the basic types of approaches to setting up a saltwater tank. They are described with their typical setup however each type can be setup with many different variables and combinations. All of the setups are viable for keeping saltwater animals however some types are better suited for keeping certain types of animals/corals than others. There are many examples of beautiful aquariums on the internet of each type. The most important factor in determining what type of setup would be right for you is to decide what type of animals you want to keep by researching the various animals available to the hobby and their care requirements.
Fish Only
This is the most basic type of saltwater setup and possibly the most forgiving to beginning aquarist. Usually consisting of dead coral skeletons for decoration and sand or domilite gravel as a substrate. The filtration consists of a “wet dry” filter or canister filters. Sometimes a protein skimmer and UV filter are used for additional filtration.
Although any saltwater fish can be kept in this type of setup it is usually reserved for non “reef safe” fish, those that feed on invertebrates. Reef fish will survive but probably not thrive in this type of setup.
Lighting typically consists of a single or double tube fluorescent light fixture.
Fish Only with Live Rock
This is a variation of the basic Fish Only display where the bio balls or media in the wet dry filter are removed to create a basic sump. The coral skeletons are replaced with live rock to provide the necessary surface area for the filtering bacteria. The live rock also provides hiding places for zooplankton which helps to supplement daily feedings. This type of system usually incorporates a protein skimmer and possibly a UV filter. Although a UV filter will kill free floating zooplankton somewhat limiting the benefits of the live rock.
Lighting typically consists of a single or double tube fluorescent light fixture.
Berlin System
This type of system, named after aquarists from Germany who developed it, consists of a display tank with live rock and a protein skimmer for filtration and no sand or gravel on the tank bottom and strong lighting. In recent years the system has become more commonly known as a bare bottom system but the premise is the same. Although many types of corals can be kept successfully in this type of system it is primarily meant to mimic the environment of the reef crest. SPS corals and certain species fish can thrive in a display based on the Berlin System because of the high flow rates of water that are possible without any sand or substrate to blow around.
Usually no UV filter is used to maximize the amount of available zooplankton.
Lighting will be dependant on what types of corals you plan on keeping.
Modified Berlin System
This setup is basically the same as the Berlin System with some minor variations most notably the addition of sand to the bottom of the tank. Either a deep sand bed (DSB) or a shallow sand bed (SSB) whichever the aquarist prefers. There is great debate on the internet about which type of sand bed or bare bottom is most beneficial but I’ll leave that for you to research and formulate your own opinions. I will say this however, I’ve personally kept both bare bottom tanks and tanks with a DSB over the past 20 years. In my eyes they each were equally successful as far coral health but I prefer the aesthetics of sand bed.
Filtration is provided by a protein skimmer, the live rock and sand if you choose to have it. Lighting will be dependant on what types of corals you plan on keeping.
Jaubert System
The Jaubert system named after it's "inventor" Professor Jean Jaubert, Director of the Monaco Aquarium in France. Dr. Jaubert developed and patented the idea of using natural ocean sediments over a void space (typically 1" deep) which he called a plenum. His theory was/is that the plenum space provides an area for anaerobic (nitfifying) bacteria can live, grow and process nitrates. The Jaubert system depends solely on the the sand bed for the filtration and strong HID lighting and strong water motion. It is the most basic (equipment wise) system used but it requires a great of knowledge and experience to run an aquarium with type of system.
Modified Jaubert System
The Jaubert system was quickly modified by North American aquarists soon after it was published. The plenum was quickly eliminated and the depth of the ocean sediments (sand) was increased creating the now very common "deep sand bed" or DSB. The theory behind the elimination of the plenum was that the bacteria needs surface area to grow and live on, more sand equals more surface area and therefore the plenum is not needed. There are lots of threads debating which is more successful DSB or plenums or even SSB. I'll leave up to you to search out these threads because after 20+ years I simply can't take reading it anymore.
Biotype Display
A biotype display can be created with any of the system types listed above and typically displays corals and fish from a particular region only. When setting up a biotype the hobbyist will typically choose a particular region like the Red Sea, Caribean, Hawaii etc... and choose corals and fish that come that particular region only. This type of system can quite challenging. The challenge isn't so much in providing the proper water parameters for the animals health but researching the animals and corals to such an extent that you can identify which fish comes from which region. As an example an Exquisite Wrasse is endemic to reefs in Africa, Fiji, Vanuatu and the Maldives and each one looks distinctly different from the other as can be seen from this photo collage from the Live Aquaria website.
And now a few words on aquarium setups from my own experiences:
Start with at least a 75 gallon, small tanks are more difficult to maintain than larger tanks.
Bare bottom tanks work well until corals start to grow on the bottom. Then it becomes difficult to vacuum the detritus off the bottom and nuisance algae can start grow among the corals.
If you add sand as a substrate don't use sand from the Jersey shore. It's silicate sand and not calcium or argonite sand which can create problems with unwanted algae growth, especially diatoms.
I've used Southdown or play sand in the past which had a tendency to clump together and get hard. In later years I found that a combination of different sizes of sand gave me the best results both visually and without clumping. I used Southdown play sand, Caribsea and Agramax Live along with bits of shells and small pieces of live rock rubble.
If you're going to use a sand substrate I would reccommend the addition of some invertebrates to clean and move the sand. The sand will trap detritus especially where the live rock touches the sand. I used 2 Carribean tigertail cucumbers for my sand bed and never had any algae or cyano growth on my sand once I added them. I do not reccommend the use horseshoe crabs, sand sifting starfish or sand sifting gobies. I was never able to keep them alive and I don't think it's possible to keep enough fauna in the sand to maintain them for any length of time in my experience.
Terminology:
DT= Display Tank
FOWLER= Fish Only With Live Rock
Live Rock= Very porous calcium based rock made up fused coral skeletons, coralline algae harvested from the ocean.
DSB= Deep Sand Bed (typically 4“-6” deep)
Plenum= An air space (typically 1”) below a deep sand bed
RDSB= Remote Deep Sand Bed (typically 4”-6” deep or more, not in the display tank)
SSB= Shallow Sand Bed (typically 2”-4” deep)
Vertebrate= An animal with a spine (typically fish)
Invertebrate= Organisms without a spine (corals, starfish, shrimp, snails & crabs)
Wet Dry Filter= a plastic tank placed directly below the display tank filled with “bio balls” or other plastic media to provide surface area for filtering bacteria.
Zooplankton=
The following is list of the basic types of approaches to setting up a saltwater tank. They are described with their typical setup however each type can be setup with many different variables and combinations. All of the setups are viable for keeping saltwater animals however some types are better suited for keeping certain types of animals/corals than others. There are many examples of beautiful aquariums on the internet of each type. The most important factor in determining what type of setup would be right for you is to decide what type of animals you want to keep by researching the various animals available to the hobby and their care requirements.
Fish Only
This is the most basic type of saltwater setup and possibly the most forgiving to beginning aquarist. Usually consisting of dead coral skeletons for decoration and sand or domilite gravel as a substrate. The filtration consists of a “wet dry” filter or canister filters. Sometimes a protein skimmer and UV filter are used for additional filtration.
Although any saltwater fish can be kept in this type of setup it is usually reserved for non “reef safe” fish, those that feed on invertebrates. Reef fish will survive but probably not thrive in this type of setup.
Lighting typically consists of a single or double tube fluorescent light fixture.
Fish Only with Live Rock
This is a variation of the basic Fish Only display where the bio balls or media in the wet dry filter are removed to create a basic sump. The coral skeletons are replaced with live rock to provide the necessary surface area for the filtering bacteria. The live rock also provides hiding places for zooplankton which helps to supplement daily feedings. This type of system usually incorporates a protein skimmer and possibly a UV filter. Although a UV filter will kill free floating zooplankton somewhat limiting the benefits of the live rock.
Lighting typically consists of a single or double tube fluorescent light fixture.
Berlin System
This type of system, named after aquarists from Germany who developed it, consists of a display tank with live rock and a protein skimmer for filtration and no sand or gravel on the tank bottom and strong lighting. In recent years the system has become more commonly known as a bare bottom system but the premise is the same. Although many types of corals can be kept successfully in this type of system it is primarily meant to mimic the environment of the reef crest. SPS corals and certain species fish can thrive in a display based on the Berlin System because of the high flow rates of water that are possible without any sand or substrate to blow around.
Usually no UV filter is used to maximize the amount of available zooplankton.
Lighting will be dependant on what types of corals you plan on keeping.
Modified Berlin System
This setup is basically the same as the Berlin System with some minor variations most notably the addition of sand to the bottom of the tank. Either a deep sand bed (DSB) or a shallow sand bed (SSB) whichever the aquarist prefers. There is great debate on the internet about which type of sand bed or bare bottom is most beneficial but I’ll leave that for you to research and formulate your own opinions. I will say this however, I’ve personally kept both bare bottom tanks and tanks with a DSB over the past 20 years. In my eyes they each were equally successful as far coral health but I prefer the aesthetics of sand bed.
Filtration is provided by a protein skimmer, the live rock and sand if you choose to have it. Lighting will be dependant on what types of corals you plan on keeping.
Jaubert System
The Jaubert system named after it's "inventor" Professor Jean Jaubert, Director of the Monaco Aquarium in France. Dr. Jaubert developed and patented the idea of using natural ocean sediments over a void space (typically 1" deep) which he called a plenum. His theory was/is that the plenum space provides an area for anaerobic (nitfifying) bacteria can live, grow and process nitrates. The Jaubert system depends solely on the the sand bed for the filtration and strong HID lighting and strong water motion. It is the most basic (equipment wise) system used but it requires a great of knowledge and experience to run an aquarium with type of system.
Modified Jaubert System
The Jaubert system was quickly modified by North American aquarists soon after it was published. The plenum was quickly eliminated and the depth of the ocean sediments (sand) was increased creating the now very common "deep sand bed" or DSB. The theory behind the elimination of the plenum was that the bacteria needs surface area to grow and live on, more sand equals more surface area and therefore the plenum is not needed. There are lots of threads debating which is more successful DSB or plenums or even SSB. I'll leave up to you to search out these threads because after 20+ years I simply can't take reading it anymore.
Biotype Display
A biotype display can be created with any of the system types listed above and typically displays corals and fish from a particular region only. When setting up a biotype the hobbyist will typically choose a particular region like the Red Sea, Caribean, Hawaii etc... and choose corals and fish that come that particular region only. This type of system can quite challenging. The challenge isn't so much in providing the proper water parameters for the animals health but researching the animals and corals to such an extent that you can identify which fish comes from which region. As an example an Exquisite Wrasse is endemic to reefs in Africa, Fiji, Vanuatu and the Maldives and each one looks distinctly different from the other as can be seen from this photo collage from the Live Aquaria website.
And now a few words on aquarium setups from my own experiences:
Start with at least a 75 gallon, small tanks are more difficult to maintain than larger tanks.
Bare bottom tanks work well until corals start to grow on the bottom. Then it becomes difficult to vacuum the detritus off the bottom and nuisance algae can start grow among the corals.
If you add sand as a substrate don't use sand from the Jersey shore. It's silicate sand and not calcium or argonite sand which can create problems with unwanted algae growth, especially diatoms.
I've used Southdown or play sand in the past which had a tendency to clump together and get hard. In later years I found that a combination of different sizes of sand gave me the best results both visually and without clumping. I used Southdown play sand, Caribsea and Agramax Live along with bits of shells and small pieces of live rock rubble.
If you're going to use a sand substrate I would reccommend the addition of some invertebrates to clean and move the sand. The sand will trap detritus especially where the live rock touches the sand. I used 2 Carribean tigertail cucumbers for my sand bed and never had any algae or cyano growth on my sand once I added them. I do not reccommend the use horseshoe crabs, sand sifting starfish or sand sifting gobies. I was never able to keep them alive and I don't think it's possible to keep enough fauna in the sand to maintain them for any length of time in my experience.