If there's one thing I wish I knew when I started running a saltwater aquarium, it would be how to use automatic equipment to keep my tank stable. The biggest risk to a saltwater aquarium is rapid changes in the tank. The three things that change most rapidly in a saltwater system are temperature, salinity, and nutrient levels. Sudden changes in your water parameters can seriously impact the health of your fish and other livestock, and using machines to automatically fix them is the easiest way to ensure a healthy, beautiful aquarium.

The most crucial piece of equipment is an aquarium chiller. The chiller automatically kicks on when your tank gets too hot, bringing your water back to the right temperature. Heaters are just a stable heat source - they keep heating as much as their power allows, but this changes when the temperature in the room does. Aquarium chillers use powerful sensors and refrigeration technology to automatically chill the water whenever the temperature goes up. This way you can use all the heat and light power that you want, without having to worry.

Another important tool is an auto top-off system. A sensor turns the machine on when the water level drops and refills it. A rapid change in salinity is the most dangerous things that can happen in a reef aquarium, and auto top-offs remove that risk. It pours fresh water into the tank to keep salinity stable.

The third important piece of equipment is a protein skimmer. NO3 and NO4 builds up naturally in your aquarium as a waste product from feeding your pets. These can spiral out of control and start algae and bacterial blooms that can quickly kill a tank. Protein skimmers keep nutrients level by constantly working to remove waste from the aquarium.

These pieces of equipment aren't always cheap, but it's important to remember that they're an investment. Then again, think what replacing all your fish and coral would cost over time. I wouldn't start a new aquarium today without all three of these machines in place.