There is a lot that goes into setting up an aquarium. Saltwater fish tanks are especially demanding when you first get them started in regard to water chemistry and equipment costs. Once everything gets going, keeping a successful saltwater fish tank is not too much harder than freshwater. However, things can go wrong quickly and the effects can be costly. Filtration systems are an important aspect of successfully keeping a saltwater aquarium and this article will focus on answering whether you can use a hang on back filter for saltwater fish tanks.
To put it simply, of course, you can use a hang on back filter for your saltwater fish tank. This goes both for fish-only and reef tanks. At the time of this writing, I am running a successful reef tank using a hang on back filter. However, the answer isn’t black and white. It’s more important to ask, when is the best time to use a hang on back filter compared to another type of filtration.
When Should You Use a Hang On Back Filter?
In my opinion, the best time to use this type of filtration is when working with small fish tanks. Hang on back filters are great, but at a certain point, they bottleneck to how much filtering they can provide. For example, I have an AquaClear 70 (affiliate link) running on a 10 gallon reef tank. I felt this size filter best suits the aquarium because it provides plenty of water flow for the fish tank and the filter itself is large, which has more space for filter media and/or bio-media to help keep my aquarium running successfully. Take a look at the 7 Best Hang On Back Power Filters to see different types of hang on back filters available.
To maximize the effects of the filtration system, I use the media tray to keep a combination of sponges, filter floss, ceramic media, and chaetomorpha (with a light above). The sponges and filter floss will trap solid waste, the ceramic media provide surface area for beneficial bacteria to grow, and the chaeto with light soak up nitrates and phosphate out of the water. This hopefully will maximize the filtering capacity of my hang on back filter. Check out How To Setup a Refugium in a Saltwater Aquarium to learn about refugium systems.
The space in the filter is limited, and that’s why it eventually bottlenecks and will not provide enough media and space to successfully filter your water if you’re setting up a larger aquarium. At a certain aquarium size you’ll need to add more hang on back filters or you’re better off using a sump system for a filter.
What is the Best Hang On Back Filter?
Which filter is best, is completely up to you. I enjoy using the AquaClear series filters because the media tray is large and it allows me to gut it and add whatever media suits my needs. There can be better types of power filters that work well for you. If you’re looking for a specific dimension for AquaClear filters, take a look at Fluval AquaClear HOB – Specs, Dimensions, Etc. to give yourself an idea of the options out there.
Final Notes
The filter that works best for you will be determined by the bio-load of your fish tank, the space you have available, and the size of the aquarium itself. What works incredibly well for me, may not be your style or it may not suit what you want out of a filter system. Regardless, it is perfectly safe to use a hang on back filter for a saltwater fish tank. It’s a fairly inexpensive tool, that may be all you need to run a successful nano fish tank.