It can be difficult and confusing for tank owners to decide which type of filtration system they need. One of the decisions that you will need to make will be whether or not you will need a sump. Advantages of using a sump are that you can keep equipment out of view, increase water volume, and have more options for equipment. Drawbacks are that sumps can add noise to your setup, add to the risk of leaking, and they are somewhat difficult to set up.

If you do choose to use a sump on your system you must then decide which in sump equipment you are going to include. Options include living rock and algae, pumps, filters, protein skimmers, and heaters. If you choose not to use a sump on your saltwater aquarium filtration system, then you need to look at your tank location and decide if it will be best to use an external location. You can place items such as aquarium chillers, canister filters, UV filters and skimmers in an external area near the tank.

Many of the custom aquarium suppliesthat your tank needs are either designed to be remotely located or can be adapted if you decide to go external. Be sure to keep in mind that some of this equipment may need to be located at an area level with the tank, so an under cabinet would not work for some of the remote equipment. Items that can easily be remotely located include canister filters, protein skimmers, and wet/dry systems.

If you decide the external route isn't for you then you have two options remaining: hang on tank or in tank equipment. If you choose to use hang on tank equipment you can simply hang each of the systems on the back of your tank. Be sure to have at least 8 inches of space behind your tank to allow room for your saltwater aquarium filtration system. Almost every saltwater component is available in a hang on tank style.

If you don't have the room for hang on tank then you may be limited to in tank components only. In tank systems have limited options, but it can be done. You will need to consider which systems your tank will need, which may include skimmers, submersible pumps, under gravel filters, heaters, air pumps, and live rock or sand filtration systems.