Reef Filtration Systems: The overall picture
© Winston Vaughan Schoenfeld
When most aquarists think of reef aquariums, they imagine a complex filtration setup with many components. This is somewhat compounded by the expense of reef aquariums, since most believe the filtration system to be the main source of the cost. This is not true. Reef aquariums use many of the same filtration setups which are found on saltwater. The main increase in cost of reef aquariums comes from the cost of the live rock which goes in them. By and far, the most efficient filtration setup is a sump box in parallel with a protein skimmer. The protein skimmer was discussed in one of my previous editorials in the saltwater filtration section. Basically it removes many of the organic waste from the aquarium water.
So, the question remains - what is a sump box. To put it simply, the sump box is very similar to wet/dry filter. It provides biological, chemical, and mechanical filtration. Often people will use a wet/dry filter as a sump box. Most other aquarists tend to make their own. They are fairly easy to make, and allow for a bit of personalization to your system. The best place to get good information about making a sump box is from a new reef aqauarium book which just came out, by Robert Metelsky, called "Simplified Reef Keeping." I recommend it to all reef aquarists who are interested in reading an easy to understand book, designed to help both the new and experienced reef aqaurist create a healthy reef environment. Those who are interested can take a look at this web page.
Rather than give a detailed explanation about each type of filtration device used for reef aquariums, I will simply give a basic idea of what is needed for a healthy system. First, water must flow intensely. This means that the filtration device must either have a high flow rate, or additional water pumps must be installed in the aquarium to keep a constant water flow throughout the reef structure. Secondly, the filtration must provide a sufficient source of mechanical filtration to remove organic debris. This is most commonly done using a protein skimmer as mentioned above. Thirdly, the filtration must provide a site for bacterial colonization. This means that there must be good biological filtration. I have heard of reef aquariums which use only a protein skimmer, and have done fine. I advise against this. It is not healthy for any aquariums which will house inverts. The unique chracteristic of reef aquariums is that the have anaerobic bacteria in the live rock which complete the nitrogen cycle. Fresh and Saltwater aquariums don't have this. Many feel that this means that a reef aquarium doesn't need as good of filtration as saltwater aquariums. This is actually not true. Filtration systems of reef aquariums are extremely important in maintain a healthy reef aquarium.
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