Advice Needed Please

[liphook27]

I have been keeping freshwater for many years now, and have done it the right way (according to my local hydrophonic/aquatic specialist)

I use a heavily planted tank, with c02 injected and levels are controlled by using kh and gh etc....so am used to good water chemistry

i have always wanted a go at Marine but have been put off by the cost due to my being on a low budget, however i bought this tank on ebay( was for freshwater) and it was used for marine by the seller, its listed as complete setup but doesn't have a protein skimmer.....im new to this so dont know if i need one or if it will run ok with whats supplied......also i have read about the need for a sump but dont know what this is and if i need one.

can anyone advice me please.

here is the link for the tank

http/cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...:B:EOIBSA:UK:11

 

[ox5477]

goo that your used to maintaining water chemicstry, because that is by the far the most important key to saltwater, keeping things the same, day in and day out. pH, temp and salinity are the big hitters. If these stays fairly constant, then your tank should suceed in most respects. when looking at a FO (fish only) set-up, these are really the main things you need to worry about as long as you keep up on weekly to bi-weekly H2O changes. When you add in live rock and corals, then you need to start worrying about keeping the dissolved minerals such as calcium and magnesium as well as the ratio of calcium carbonate to calcium bicarbonate (called alkalinity).

Ok, after confusing you maybe a little on that last sentence, let me talk about equipment. A skimmer is good for removing solids out of the water. With a medium to heavily stocked fish only set-up, I would recommend a skimmer as it will help keep wastes down and keep the water clean. For a lightly stocked reef set-up, there has been some people that run without skimmers. That said, do I think it necessary? well it certainly isn't hurting anything to run a skimmer so if you have the means, I would get one.

A sump is basically a seperate container of water that increases the overall system water volume as water chemistry can be much more stable in larger volumes. Also, a sump gives a place to stash all of the equipment, such as heaters, UV sterilizers, and skimmers that some consider to be an eye sore hanging off your main display.

Hope this helped

Ox

 

[liphook27]

goo that your used to maintaining water chemicstry, because that is by the far the most important key to saltwater, keeping things the same, day in and day out. pH, temp and salinity are the big hitters. If these stays fairly constant, then your tank should suceed in most respects. when looking at a FO (fish only) set-up, these are really the main things you need to worry about as long as you keep up on weekly to bi-weekly H2O changes. When you add in live rock and corals, then you need to start worrying about keeping the dissolved minerals such as calcium and magnesium as well as the ratio of calcium carbonate to calcium bicarbonate (called alkalinity).

Ok, after confusing you maybe a little on that last sentence, let me talk about equipment. A skimmer is good for removing solids out of the water. With a medium to heavily stocked fish only set-up, I would recommend a skimmer as it will help keep wastes down and keep the water clean. For a lightly stocked reef set-up, there has been some people that run without skimmers. That said, do I think it necessary? well it certainly isn't hurting anything to run a skimmer so if you have the means, I would get one.

A sump is basically a seperate container of water that increases the overall system water volume as water chemistry can be much more stable in larger volumes. Also, a sump gives a place to stash all of the equipment, such as heaters, UV sterilizers, and skimmers that some consider to be an eye sore hanging off your main display.

Hope this helped

Ox

i have been looking at skimmers at my local supplier, he recommended a 600l skimmer, but seems a bit overkill for a 180l tank....its priced at £99 but wondered if there is a cheaper place on the net that supplies them.

i would like to build up coral in the tank slowly, so how many small fish could i fit in this tank? as i believe you are limited to numbers......i like the clowns to start off.

 

[ox5477]

Go Here. Lots of Different brands of skimmers. Look into the smaller volume ones, many come in a HOB (Hang on the Back) Style. Fairly decent prices as well.

Ox

 

[liphook27]

Go Here. Lots of Different brands of skimmers. Look into the smaller volume ones, many come in a HOB (Hang on the Back) Style. Fairly decent prices as well.

Ox

Thanks for the reply

A hang on the back one sounds ideal.

Looked at the ones on the link but its like rocket science to me......any 1 in particular you can recommend that will do the job and is reasonable in price?