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The reef tank setup consists of the basic tank, along with strong lighting and filtration equipment.
Lighting: Most species of corals and clams that are kept in a reef tank are photosynthetic, in that they acquire a large portion (up to 95% is typical) of their nutrition from light. In the wild, sunlight is plentiful and of the correct spectrum for optimum health and growth. In captivity, only the largest public aquariums can afford the setups that allow natural light to fill the tank in sufficient quantity to keep the animals alive. Most of the hobby relies on Metal Halide or various fluorescent lighting. A typical 180 gallon reef tank would consist of two 250 watt Metal halide lamps, or four 110 watt VHO fluorescent lamps. This would be considered average lighting, and many people would put 800 watts of metal halide or more over the same sized tank.
Compact fluorescent lamps are also used, but they often don't have the power to light deeper tanks, and the choices of color temperature are not as large as with VHO (very high output) lamps.Filtration: Filtration is needed to remove accumulated waste from the tank, and supplement materials that the animals use to grow, such as calcium and iodine. Basic filtration is most often achieved with a particle filter of some kind, and a protein skimmerA protein skimmer also known as a foam fractionator is a device used mostly in saltwater aquariums to help filter undesirable contents out of the water. What exactly it pulls out is still open to debate, though a large majority of it is proteins, but it c. The particle filter must be cleaned regularly to prevent the accumulated debris from breaking down and further fouling the system. The protein skimmer is very useful in removing certain organics from the water, and as a side benefit helps to aerate the water.