guys, please clarify a few things for me

[freeNINETY9]

1] if im setting up a brand new saltwater tank, do i really need to add salt slowly to raise salinity or can i just mix it all at once in the tank and let it dissolve in there? if theres nothing in there, this shouldnt be a problem right? i was going to use oceanic salt..any problems there?

2] can i use a canister filter? i saw a couple posts that said no canisters. i was going to use a rena filstar xp3 and a marineland hotb filter rated for a 75gallon tank on my 47gallon tank. i assumed i couldnt use the same media as in a freshwater tank but i dont get why a canister would be a problem.

3] do i really need to cure my live rock if its just going in an empty tank? even if i buy stuff thats already cured and drop it in my tank, wouldnt that die off help cycle it faster? and if theres no fish to suffer from amonia spikes and such cant i just skip curing it and drop it in?

4] do i really need to buy live rock/sand? around here most lfs charge about $8.00/lb for fuji rock and like $3.00/lb for caribbean. is there a difference. wont regular rocks and sand become 'live' after a while anyways? what if i bout a couple pounds of each and stocked the rest of the tank with 'dead' rock?

5] do i really need a protein skimmer? my boss has a lightly stocked 75gallon with a hawkfish, dwarf angel, picasso trigger, a goby, and a couple damsels and has never run a skimmer and has also never had problems. she also has an ugf which a lot of people say not to use. if my tank is lightly stocked do i need a skimmer? and if so, is there anything wrong with a seaclone model?

sorry for the long post but id like to do this right and i feel like im almost over thinking on a few things. any help is appreciated. thanks.

 

[H20Boy]

1] if im setting up a brand new saltwater tank, do i really need to add salt slowly to raise salinity or can i just mix it all at once in the tank and let it dissolve in there? if theres nothing in there, this shouldnt be a problem right? i was going to use oceanic salt..any problems there?

2] can i use a canister filter? i saw a couple posts that said no canisters. i was going to use a rena filstar xp3 and a marineland hotb filter rated for a 75gallon tank on my 47gallon tank. i assumed i couldnt use the same media as in a freshwater tank but i dont get why a canister would be a problem.

3] do i really need to cure my live rock if its just going in an empty tank? even if i buy stuff thats already cured and drop it in my tank, wouldnt that die off help cycle it faster? and if theres no fish to suffer from amonia spikes and such cant i just skip curing it and drop it in?

4] do i really need to buy live rock/sand? around here most lfs charge about $8.00/lb for fuji rock and like $3.00/lb for caribbean. is there a difference. wont regular rocks and sand become 'live' after a while anyways? what if i bout a couple pounds of each and stocked the rest of the tank with 'dead' rock?

5] do i really need a protein skimmer? my boss has a lightly stocked 75gallon with a hawkfish, dwarf angel, picasso trigger, a goby, and a couple damsels and has never run a skimmer and has also never had problems. she also has an ugf which a lot of people say not to use. if my tank is lightly stocked do i need a skimmer? and if so, is there anything wrong with a seaclone model?

sorry for the long post but id like to do this right and i feel like im almost over thinking on a few things. any help is appreciated. thanks.

1] Read the directions on the bag--hint no
2] Mechanical fitters are very reliable however you loose a lot of good bacteria when you clean them and IMO more costly to operate in the long run.
3]Of course you can cure your rock in an "empty" tank/adding live rock to your "curing rock" could over load the live rock and kill all of your rock (depends on ratio)
4] You can use lace rock or base rock (I think that is what you meant with 3.00 Caribbean)
Keep in mind that they weigh about as much as the water they displace use a boulder and it will be on the floor--Definitely on the right track! If you use dead/base rock and a few lbs. of cured Figi @ LFS and use actual live sand-this will shorten the cycle.
5] Yes! A $50.00 shimmer best buffer a newbi could have (saved me from myself more then once)

 

[Dominuslive]

With enough live rock, you can get by with no filter, could just use powerheads with a prefilter on them. The HOB filters usually have cartridges that contain carbon. Carbon is both a benefit, and a bane on the aquarium. It removes chemical from the water, but after it's efective life, which could be 3-4 days or a couple weeks, it begins to dump those concentrated chemicals back in. It has also been known to cause HTH in some fish because it removes important minerals in the water. If you wanted to get by as cheap as possible buy 1/4th of rock live, 2 20 lbs bags of live sand, and buy an expensive protien skimmer. like the Remora, or urchin both made by CPR. There you go, the basic Berlin aquarium. And btw there is a product out now that costs about the same as a rena XP3 that contains the filter, protien skimmer, and biomedia that fits in tank. Supposed to do a great job. That might be a good choice for you Yes it takes up realestate in the aquarium, but no more then an overflow does.