Before we continue to the main content of this guide there are a few important things which need to be considered prior to starting off on this exciting project.

The first is whether you can devote at least a couple of hours a week to perform the required maintenance on the system.

If you can then that’s great.

If not then you have two options really. One is to get someone else to perform the maintenance on your behalf, the other is to find another hobby. That may sound a bit harsh but if you cannot find the time to provide the required maintenance and care for these live animals then realistically you should not take up this hobby.

You need to consider what you want from this aquarium and where you can possibly see it going in the future. Visit as many fish shops as you can in your area and have a look at their equipment, examine their marine aquariums etc.

There are two methods you can follow. One is choosing what you want to keep in your aquarium first, then purchasing the aquarium and required accessories based upon your selection. The other way is to select your aquarium and equipment first, then choose your inhabitants based upon your aquarium/equipment choice.

Keeping a marine reef aquarium is all about the life placed into your care, not about having all the bells and whistles (in other words, the priority is the life in the aquarium, and having the correct and necessary equipment to properly support it).

If you know what life you would like to keep in your aquarium then you can design the system around their requirements. This is my preferred option rather than selecting the livestock I can place into my aquarium based upon the system. It should be stated that there are quality aquariums available that include all the necessary equipment for the support of a full reef, i.e. hard corals etc, and will also support any marine variation "lower" down to a fish only aquarium. Of course, these 'plug and play' systems come at a price. Setting up a marine reef system is similar to setting up a marine fish system, however the creatures which are kept in a reef system are more delicate and have more requirements than marine fish. There is information in this guide which is the same or similar to setting up a marine fish system, however there are additional sections in this guide, also other sections in more depth.

Consider purchasing a couple of magazines and have a look at the articles. There is a lot of useful information to be gained from reading magazines. You will also find  mail order companies where you can consider purchasing equipment. Of course there are also various outlets on the internet.

One thing that I must stress is that you must be open-minded. There are so many people with so many opinions in relation to this hobby. Listen to everyone and then make up your own mind. There are several ways in which a marine aquarium can run successfully. Who cares what you use or who makes it? The important thing is that the equipment is necessary, works fully and reliably, and the life we are keeping is properly supported and thriving. What is the point of having high-tech equipment which some may be recommending if your livestock are struggling? This is not to say I am against advanced technology. I am not. Provided all necessities are met, there is a lot to be said for "keep it simple and succeed".

The same goes for this guide. Read everything in it, digest it, implement all of it, or some of it (but do not try to economise on essentials). I honestly do want you to have a successful home aquarium with healthy and long lived inhabitants.

Unfortunately there are some people (a small minority I am pleased to say) who have had success with a certain type of tank filtration, for example, therefore that must be the only way to do it and they will do anything they can to tell you that your setup is wrong etc.

Then you get the other type of aquarist who is more interested in the top named items of equipment for the aquarium than the livestock itself. They do anything in their power to ‘bah humbug’ every other tank that does not have the same equipment and state that it is destined to fail (again, a small minority). If this happens to you simply ask how the inhabitants of their tank are doing. It is quite conceivable that their inhabitants are genuinely doing well, and I hope they are.

Nevertheless, provided you have the necessary equipment as mentioned earlier (and itemised later in this guide) and maintenance is completed correctly, then all should be well in your tank. There is no reason why advanced equipment cannot be used, primarily towards stability of the saltwater, and secondly to make the responsibilities of the aquarist that bit easier. I am thinking of automation. This, however, is not a necessity.

As said I am very open-minded when it comes to all methods of marine keeping. I have my own personal preferences I would use in my own aquarium. I have seen many successful aquariums using many techniques and strategies.

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