beginner for salt.. HELPPP

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
i understand that the better brands are bound to cost the more money. but the prices are a little steep for me. the hang on skimmers are what im looking for and also the size is a problem aswell. so the smaller the better but that will restrict the amount of skimming done.
 
i understand that the better brands are bound to cost the more money. but the prices are a little steep for me. the hang on skimmers are what im looking for and also the size is a problem aswell. so the smaller the better but that will restrict the amount of skimming done.

I understand. That is why I didn't say get number 1. All the options I listed are hang on units. I would go with number 2 being they are both pretty much the same price. If you really want it to be small and thus not as good for your system, you can role with small one, option 3, it is better than nothing.

And again I want to say I don't have experience directly with either number 2 or 3. So how well they will work is a question mark.
 
i bought a TMC v2 400. its got a little crack on it but nuffin a handy man like me cant fix.

i spoke to a guy whos selling 12kg of ocean rock for cheap n he said people use it in there reef tanks mixed with live rock..is this possible. ​i know that he name says the origin of the rock but is it not used for a reason. or is it just down to aesthetics??
 
I've used base rock in my saltwater tanks, works just fine. Never noticed any kind of PH swings or anything of the sort. I still say you acquire it from a LFS just to be safe. It could be concrete base and not properly soaked. If you so choose to go with the "ocean rock" be careful with the cost of fish you first introduce.

For the other question, live rock is not only for aesthetics it works almost as a filter. It harvests thousands of organisms that live and breed in your tank. These little guys help keep the tank clean and get the tank off to a great start. Also live rock is so porous and is an amazing BB collector. With going cheap on the rock, allow more time for the tank to cycle and give it less of a load in the beginning.

Honestly Live sand is where I wouldn't cheap out, check the date on the bag and retrieve sand from some other healthy systems.

Everything will eventually become live, but getting diversity only comes from things that are already alive and being introduced into your system

Hope that helps.
 
i think ill mix the ocean rock and live rock together. becuase im looking to cover the whole back side of the tank its going to be quite costly n im looking for a cheaper solution LOL.. but thats to the heads up about the sand aswell buddie
 
i think ill mix the ocean rock and live rock together. becuase im looking to cover the whole back side of the tank its going to be quite costly n im looking for a cheaper solution LOL.. but thats to the heads up about the sand aswell buddie

You can add more rock later on to get the look you want, but you need some when getting started. Like above, it is a very important part of your filtration.

I would not under any circumstance however buy "live sand". It is not alive and will not provide you any benefit over "dead sand". "Live sand" will be significantly more expensive. Save the money and buy more live rock.
 
You can add more rock later on to get the look you want, but you need some when getting started. Like above, it is a very important part of your filtration.

I would not under any circumstance however buy "live sand". It is not alive and will not provide you any benefit over "dead sand". "Live sand" will be significantly more expensive. Save the money and buy more live rock.

x2. A little bit of live rock and a bunch of dry rock will go a long way for saving you money while still getting great results.
 
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