Marine vs Saltwater vs Reef

[Melody]

Saltwater is still a widely used term, but I believe that I read somewhere that the proper term is 'Marine'. Is this the case?

And about the 'Reef' word, is this used for reef-only tanks or for any tank that has a reef? Does that mean anyone with corals or is there a more specific definition?

I'm promoting & don't want to use improper terminology, hence the questions.

Thanks!

[Osprey]

Saltwater and marine are pretty much interchangable... but marine is more scientific. For some reason, 'saltwater' seems to give some people the impression that adding a bit of table salt to the system is all that's needed to make a marine tank.:rolleyes:
As for sub-types...
Usually people refer to FO, which is a Fish-Only system; FOWLR (Fish-Only-With-Live-Rock), which has fish and some invertebrates, but no corals; and Reef tanks, which require much more light, better nutrient export, and excellent circulation. Any tank with corals is considered a 'reef'. Reef is further subdivided; usually it's easier to keep only one type of coral, so many people will refer to their type of tank by the type of coral, whether it be softies, LPS (Large Polyp Stony corals), or SPS (Small Polyp Stony corals). A reef with different varieties of coral is referred to as a 'mixed reef', and is the most difficult of the bunch to maintain, as a general rule.

[Melody]

I have MUCHO to learn! LOL A very informative answer, thanks very much. :notworthy: The last thing I want to do is contribute to the copious amounts of misinformation out there.