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A Reef Ready Aquarium certainly has advantages over regular tanks.

If you haven’t bought your aquarium yet, consider the following information.



The difference between a regular aquarium and a reef ready aquarium is the fact that it has a built in internal overflow box, usually made of plastic, which encloses holes drilled through the bottom or side of the tank. These holes are for a drain and a return line.

This is how it works.

The water flows over the overflow box and into the overflow chamber. Inside this chamber there will be 2 holes drilled through the glass.

One is for the drain line, usually going to your sump. The other is for a return line, returning the water from the sump.

The drain line should have a standpipe in it. These are great for keeping the water flow noise to a minumum. A return pump is used to send the water up the return line back to your tank.

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What are the benefits? First of all, by having a sump, you increase your water volume which makes your reef more stable. Internal overflows are much safer than external overflows. There is much less chance of having a flood. It makes a cleaner looking tank without pipes running over the rim of your aquarium. When asking reef aquarists what is the number one thing they would do if they could start all over again, the answer is “drill my tank”.

Many of the top aquarium producers such as AGA and Oceanic also make this type of tank. They cost a bit more than a regular tank, but are much better suited for your reef.

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