Thanks for tuning in. This is the second episode in the Marine Depot aquarium build video series and we are going to talk all about filtration.

With an all in one aquarium like the SR-80 the filtration system is built right into the back of the tank. This type of filtration has some great benefits including a clean installation and easy maintenance. However, AIO filtration does limit what kind of equipment can be used on the aquarium.

We are going to show you some excellent ways you can beef up the filtration on your all in one aquarium and go in depth about the different type of equipment we chose to use on our aquarium.

For the sake of filming, I have removed the entire black plastic cover from the back of the aquarium. The SR-80 comes standard with some basic filtration components. The two 4\" filter socks and a couple of return pumps.

The filter socks and holders were a great idea as they will accept any regular 4\" filter sock. The two return pumps are rated at 476 GPH each, so that will give us a little over 900 GPH of flow. When choosing a return pump for your reef aquarium you want to shoot for 7 -- 10 times total tank turnover per hour. Therefore, an 80 gallon reef tank should have 560 -- 800 GPH of flow through the filtration.

We are going to use the pumps that came with the aquarium. However, if you wanted to upgrade the pumps or maintenance them, they are pretty simple to remove. Just detach the plastic elbows from the aquarium and you can easily remove the entire pump and plumbing for maintenance.

If you wish to utilize a filter media basket, you can easily remove one of the filter socks and slide in your filter media basket.

The heater we chose to use is the Cobalt Aquatics Neo-Therm and we chose this heater for a few reasons, it has a shatter proof casing, LED temperature display, a thin profile and an easy to set \"One Touch\" control system. Not to mention it gets a 5 star rating from our customers!

When installing a heater it is important to always let the heater rest in the aquarium water for 30-45 minutes before applying power. This will give the heater plenty of time to equalize temperature with the water. If you were to apply power right away, you can run the risk of cracking the heater and create both a fire and electrical hazard in your tank.

For our chemical filtration, we decided to use a fluidized media reactor. Media reactors are great because they will increase contact time with your filter media resulting in more efficient filtration. The reactor that we chose is the Innovative Marine MiniMax reactor and it comes with a nice bracket that easily mounts to the second filter chamber.

If you want to utilize a hang-on reactor you will want to plumb the pump in the second filter chamber and place the return water line in the third chamber where the return pumps are located. This will avoid recirculating the same water through the reactor.

The protein skimmer we chose to use on our aquarium was the Tunze 9004 skimmer. We had a few lengthy discussions about which protein skimmer to use and we chose the Tunze because it will discreetly mount in the back filter chambers.

Using a hang-on skimmer is also an option with these AIO aquariums. I mounted an AquaMaxx HOB-1 on the aquarium just so you can see how it looks. You will notice I have the intake placed in the 2nd chamber and the outlet positioned in the third chamber. This will avoid recirculating the same water through your skimmer just like we talked about earlier with the hang-on reactor.

Before ending the segment I wanted to touch base on a few safety tips. First, is the use of a drip loop. You always want to utilize a drip loop when plugging in your equipment. This will prevent water from dripping into your wall socket or surge protector.

Second, is the use of a GFCI or ground fault circuit interrupter. GFCI are great because they will sense any change in electrical current in the event of a problem and stop power from going to your equipment.

As always, we do thank you for tuning in. If you have questions about any of the products we discussed here today or about the filtration on your home aquarium, please feel free to give us a call at 1-800-566-3474 or send an email to customercare@marinedepot.com.

Read reviews, view photos and buy the equipment featured in this video on our website:

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