I was always led to beleive that tou should not use this as it can harbour nasties?
The rest of your answers are duly noted and will be adheared to i like the sound of shrimps and a red brittle star.
Thank you so much for your advice it is much appreciated you have clarified a lot of points for me and i now feel as if i know what i'm doing....nearly
okay, before i go and start taking pics of skimmer quick question, can pond pumps be used to return the water, this sounds logical to me as they are designed to pump at good heads and straight upwards without too much friction loss?