Aquariums - Is there a difference in tank configuration between freshwater and saltwater?

Krawler
2023-06-11T11:45:19Z

I'm an amateur fish keeper who is looking at buying a new 4ft tank setup.

While on the hunt for a nice looking cabinet and tank combination, I've noticed that most freshwater setups are designed for a canister/ hang on back / in tank filter, whereas saltwater is almost always designed as a sump configuration despite the same physical tank size and capacity.

Is there a reason freshwater tank setups are less likely to be sold in a sump configuration? Does salt benefit more from an overflow style of filtration then freshwater does? Should freshwater be pulling water for filtration from lower in the tank because there's likely slower water movement and therefore debris will settle on the substrate?

As a quick example, AquaOne have a "freshwater" range, and a "marine" range. They are available in comparable physical sizes, but the freshwater tanks are not drilled for sumps whereas the marine are. No matter how fancy / big you go in the freshwater configuration, you never have the option of a sump.

Freshwater list: https://aquaone.com.au/2015-04-16-04-47-04/2015-04-16-06-00-17/coldwater-tropical

Marine list: https://www.aquaone.com.au/2015-04-16-04-47-04/2015-04-16-06-00-17/marine-aquariums

Comments URL: https://tildes.net/~hobbies/160e/aquariums_is_there_a_difference_in_tank_configuration_between_freshwater_and_saltwater

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