Introduction

This is intended to be a brief guide to give you an idea of what is involved in keeping a marine tank; it is no substitute for a good modern reference book and as much homework as possible.
When keeping a marine tank the key to success is maintaining a stable and balanced environment. This comes from seeking good advice, the correct equipment, regular water testing and experience.

You may have already done some homework about marine systems and may be thinking that the subject is confusing as there can be several different ways to run a tank. This is true, there are many different and successful ways to do it, and you just have to pick one that makes sense to you.
The most popular method of filtering a marine tank is called 'The Berlin Style' system. This is the system that is run at Real Reefs and this is the system that will be described.

The Berlin tank relies on Live Rock, a Protein Skimmer, Very Strong Water Movement and Good Lighting.

Live Rock

Living rock is a name given to storm damaged rock collected just off coral reefs. The "rock" is not true rock as we know it but rather compressed dead coral skeleton and other calcareous deposits which build up in a remarkably short time. The rock gets the name "living" from the diverse organisms that inhabit the rock, ranging from corals, to beneficial bacteria, algae, sponges, crabs, shrimps, copepods, amphipods and worms.

The Rock is the actual filter media that we rely on to provide a stable environment to support a wide range of inhabitants. We need to provide the rock with good strong water movement to give the bacteria and other life forms all the oxygen and nutrition that they need to do an efficient job.
To get any benefit from living rock you should be looking at approximately 1kg of rock for every 2 gallons (9 litres) of water. This is only a rough guide and more of less may be needed depending on the aqua-scaping of the tank and the quality of the rock. The rock should be stacked in a lose manner that allows water movement around it. Obviously the structure needs to be secure and you will find that certain pieces of rock fit together better than others. You can also use under water epoxies such as "Aquascape" to hold it all together. Live rock can be added in to the tank as soon as you've added reverse osmosis water, synthetic sea salt and you've tested that all water parameters are reading in their respective ranges. (see below)

Water Movement

The best way of providing this is to use the new generation of Power Heads such as the Hydor Koralia and Vortech ranges. You should be looking at turning over the volume of the tank an absolute minimum of ten times an hour but better still twenty times plus an hour. This is best done with several power heads rather than just one. You should position the pumps so there are no dead spots in the tank and an equal flow over the rocks. The power heads can be run on something called a wave maker (already built in on the Vortech range of pumps), this is simply a device that turns power heads on and off in a sequence to provide a more natural water movement in the tank.

Tank Set Up
For newcomers the tank should be ideally at least 25 gallons/112 Ltr (it is possible to start with something much smaller, please ask in store). The reason for this is that the larger the volume of the tank the more stable the conditions will remain and that is what we are trying to create, a stable environment. So it stands to reason to try to buy as big a tank as you can afford and accommodate.
The tank should be positioned in a quiet area away from doors, draughts, sunlight and odours from the kitchen, making sure that it is level and on a suitable footing. Be aware that spray polish, carpets cleaners, perfumes etc can poison a tank as can any soaps and hand creams. Once in position the tank can be filled with water which has been filtered through a Reverse Osmosis unit.(More on this later)

Fill the tank roughly to the three quarters mark to allow for any water displacement from the living rock and now is the time to add in your Salt. Buy a well known brand and follow the instructions on the packet. As a rough guide 35grams of salt will treat 1 litre of water giving you a salinity of approx 1.024 - 1.025sg.

How do you measure salinity? With a Hydrometer or a Refractometer. There are several designs of hydrometers on the market, the most common being a plastic device with a swing arm needle that will rise up against a scale. These are fine but are not as accurate as a refractometer which tend to cost more but will last a lot longer.
After the salt has been added turn on your heater and power heads to mix the salt into the water.

Reverse Osmosis

This is a filter with several stages which filters out all the bad bits from tap water and gives you the end product of nearly pure water. The reason for this is that you want to keep nutrients to a minimum which can help to prevent algae and promote coral growth.
If you don't want to install an R.O. unit (Approx £75) then you can buy the water in store from Real Reefs.

Heater and Chillers

Temperature needs to be maintained at anything from 24c - 27c (75f -78f) again the key is stability. Don't allow more than a couple of degrees fluctuation in a day. Heaters are mounted in the tank and are the same units that are used in tropical fish tanks. If the tank gets too warm then a chiller can be used, these are a much bigger unit than a heater and sit outside the tank in a well ventilated area.

Water Testing, Water Changing and Evaporation

After the salt has mixed in you can try out you Test Kits which are the next items on your shopping list. They should cover all of the major water parameters including;
Ammonia 0.0,

Nitrite 0.0,

Nitrate below 10ppm,

pH 8.0 - 8.4,

                        KH 8-12dkh,

                        Magnesium 1350-1500ppm,

                        Calcium 400-450ppm

                        Phosphate as close to 0 as possible.

Tests should be carried out on a weekly basis and water changing should be done either as a 5% a week, or 10% a fortnight procedure. Any evaporation should be topped up with pure ro water as only fresh water will evaporate which will increase the salinity

Phosphate Remover and Carbon

To keep Phosphate low, a phosphate remover should be placed in a high flow area of the tank or a fluidised phosphate reactor (Phosphate is one of the main causes behind algae and retarded coral growth) It should be changed whenever you get any reading of phosphate on your test kit.

Carbon will remove organics and any pollutants from the system. It can be run in a couple of ways, either for a couple of days once a month or continually and changed on a monthly basis. It will help to keep the water looking crystal clear but can remove beneficial trace elements which if run continually should be replaced with a trace element supplement.

Protein Skimmer

Protein skimmers work by producing millions of microscopic bubbles, proteins will then cling onto the skin of each bubble where they get collected in a cup and the result is a dark brown, smelly, thick protein soup. The collection cup from the skimmer may have to be cleaned and emptied every few days. They work most effectively when well maintained and cleaned; a protein skimmer will help to maintain a healthy body of water. It must be run 24 hours a day as must your power heads and thermostatically controlled heater. There are many different brands and designs on the market but the two main categories are sump mounted or hang on skimmers.

Lighting

The only equipment which isn't on continually will be your Lights, which run for between 6 to 12 hours a day depending on what option you choose. There are four main types of bulbs on the market at the moment;T5, T8, metal halide and LED's.

T8's are fluorescent tubes and have been around for years but are quickly getting left behind. They can still give good results if the correct spectrum and quantity of bulbs are used.
Real Reef recommends using a combination of bright white 10,000k,s and blue/purple actinic's. To get good results with corals you may need 4+ tubes for 12 hours a day.They come either as lose units where they can be mounted in a hood or as over tank luminaires.

T5's are also fluorescent tubes and are the popular choice for most and are somewhere between T8's and metal halides. They are brighter than T8's (up to 33%) and most people find that they get very good results with T5's. Real Reefs recommends them in the starter packages. Reasonable results can be had with as little as 2 tubes but 4+ is better run for 8-12 hours a day. These are the lights that Real Reefs runs on the coral tanks. They come either as lose units where they can be mounted in a hood or as over tank luminaires.

Metal Halides are arguably the best lights on the market but have a couple of draw backs. Firstly they produce a lot of heat, which can be a real problem in the summer time and a lot of people find that they need to run chillers on the tank which can be costly. Secondly they need to be mounted at least 12" above the water which means that most aquarium hoods are discarded because they are no good. Most halides are pendant units so they must be mounted in specially constructed "A-Frame" hoods or wall or ceiling mounted. Lastly they are relatively expensive to buy and run. However, even with these points many people run halides and get excellent results with them, they also produce a very natural and pleasing ripple effect that can be of benefit to the corals.

Leds are the newest form of lighting on the market and are becoming extremely popular with their low running costs and low heat output. The initial start up costs can be fairly expensive but running costs are extremely low. On average they can be anything from half to a quarter of the power of Metal Halide and T5 lights. The other huge advantage is that they will last at least 10 years without having to change the bulbs, this can save upto £200 a year in some cases. They give a ripple effect similar to that of a halide but don't spread the light in as wide a direction so you generally need more LED tiles than equivilent Metal Halides.

Regardless of what lighting you choose its is recommended when starting your new tank not to start off with a full days light but rather to build up to the full duration ie: 4 hours a day for the first week, 6 hours a day the next week and then finally 8 hours a day after that. This will help to prevent an algae outbreak.

Sand
Once the living rock is in the tank a layer of coral sand is added to the base, at approx 1-2" depth. This is a beneficial substrate that in the long term will colonise with all sorts of life and act as part of the filtration. A deep sand bed can be run if you have sump tank and will help to reduce nitrates. Please ask in store for more details.

Clean up Crew and stocking Fish and Corals
After the tank has been running for a week with living rock and after testing that the water quality is spot on then it's time to add the initial clean up crew. This consists of Hermit Crabs and Turbo Snails, they do an excellent job of controlling algae and it is very important not to skimp on them. Remember that it's easier to prevent algae rather them get rid of it. You can have up to 1 Crab or Snail per gallon (4.55 litres) of water but most people start off with half that amount. It's worth starting with roughly a quarter of what the tank may have eventually and building up the numbers over the first few months.

After they have been in for a week and your water tests are good then it's time for your first fish. In a reef tank you can have one inch of fish for every 4 gallons of water, in a fish only system one inch for every 2 gallons, so choose wisely because there won’t be room for many. Start off with the most hardy and least aggressive fish and build on the stocking from there. Take your time leaving it for a couple of weeks between fish and most importantly ask for advice.
Something to bare in mind at this stage is a quarantine tank. It needn't be more than 2' just with a small internal filter and heater and somewhere for the fish to hide. It's worth quarantining all new fish for two-four weeks to make sure that they are fit and healthy before being added into your tank.

After approximately two-three months you can start to gradually add in corals again taking your time and choosing carefully. You will generally start with soft corals then move on to hard corals when the tank is more mature. There are no real stocking limits for corals other than space. Some corals can sting others so will need more room.
Corals generally need stable water parameters, good lighting and water flow. Give them this and they'll be happy.

Conclusion

Remember this is just a starting point come in and have a chat, read some good books and magazines, there is a lot to the marine hobby but as long as you do your homework it will be an enjoyable and rewarding hobby.
If there is one piece of advice that you listen to let it be this; BE PATIENT. Like all good things a marine tank takes time to grow and develop and with your help will flourish into a beautiful and ever changing picture. Own your own miniature piece of reef and sit back and enjoy.

Real Reefs Shopping List
Beginners book: "The New Marine Aquarium" by Mike Paletta £15.99
Tank (at least 25 Gallons) Prices vary.
Cabinet and Hood Prices vary
Power heads £30+ each
Heater £22-£25
Thermometer £1.50
Lighting £25-£500+
Protein Skimmer £50-£300
Wave maker £69-£200
Coral Sand £22 for 25kg
Aquarium Reef Salt £6-£62 depending on weight
Test kits (Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate, pH, KH, Magnesium, Phosphate, Calcium) £8-£16 each
Hydrometer £16 or Refractometer £39
Phosphate remover £9-£47 depending on size
Reverse Osmosis Unit £88