The equipment you'll need depends on the size of your aquarium, the animals you want to keep and whether you're planning a fish-only or reef system.

Most marine aquariums need suitable lighting, water movement, heating and filtration. Reef aquariums containing corals often benefit from additional equipment such as protein skimmers, auto top-off systems and dosing pumps.

You don't necessarily need the most expensive equipment to build a successful reef. Choosing the right products for your particular aquarium is far more important.

An auto top-off system replaces freshwater lost through evaporation, helping to keep your aquarium's water level and salinity stable.

When water evaporates, the salt stays behind. Without regular top-ups, salinity can gradually increase, potentially stressing fish, corals and invertebrates.

An ATO uses a sensor to detect falling water levels and automatically adds freshwater from a separate reservoir. It's one of the most useful upgrades for almost any marine aquarium, particularly reef tanks where stability matters.

Although both move water, they perform different jobs.

A return pump moves water from your sump or filtration compartment back into the main aquarium. It keeps water circulating through your filtration system.

Wavemakers create movement inside the aquarium itself, helping distribute nutrients and oxygen while preventing debris from settling.

Most reef aquariums benefit from both, as a return pump alone rarely provides the varied water movement that corals need.

A protein skimmer helps remove dissolved and suspended organic waste from aquarium water before much of it breaks down into nutrients.

It's particularly useful in aquariums with lots of fish, heavy feeding or demanding corals.

Not every marine aquarium needs a skimmer. Some smaller reef systems successfully rely on water changes and other filtration methods. However, a correctly sized protein skimmer can make maintaining water quality considerably easier.

Corals rely on suitable lighting to support the photosynthetic organisms living within their tissues. Choosing the right reef aquarium light is therefore about much more than making your tank look attractive.

Different corals have different lighting requirements. Soft corals and many LPS corals generally tolerate lower light levels, while SPS corals often require stronger, more consistent lighting.

Modern LED reef lights allow you to control intensity, spectrum and lighting schedules. The best choice depends on your aquarium's dimensions, coral selection and aquascape.

A dosing pump automatically adds measured amounts of liquid supplements to your aquarium.

As corals grow, they consume elements such as calcium and alkalinity. Rather than adding supplements manually every day, a dosing pump can deliver small, consistent amounts throughout the day.

Dosing pumps become particularly useful as your reef matures and demand increases. However, regular water testing remains essential to make sure you're adding the correct amounts.

A UV steriliser passes aquarium water around an ultraviolet lamp, helping reduce certain free-floating microorganisms and algae.

UV sterilisers can be useful for managing green water and reducing the number of some waterborne pathogens passing through the unit.

However, they don't replace quarantine, good husbandry or appropriate disease treatment. Their effectiveness depends on the UV unit, flow rate and maintenance.

An aquarium controller allows you to monitor and automate different parts of your aquarium from one system.

Depending on the controller and connected accessories, you may be able to monitor temperature, pH, water levels and other parameters, while controlling equipment such as heaters, pumps, lights and dosing systems.

More advanced systems can send alerts when something goes wrong, giving you an opportunity to act before a small problem becomes a major one.

The amount of water movement your reef needs depends on the corals you keep and the shape of your aquarium.

Soft corals and many LPS corals generally prefer gentler, indirect movement, while SPS-dominated aquariums typically benefit from stronger, varied flow.

The goal isn't simply to move as much water as possible. Good flow should reach different areas of your aquarium without constantly blasting corals or allowing waste to collect in dead spots.