Ive been doing a looooooot of researching

[Mudslinger14]

Im not sure if I need a heater. Well not at the moment. I dont have one for my 125 freshwater and the temperature stays around 80 degrees. Definitely in the winter though.

I was thinking about mushroom corals. The lighting is florescent and I was thinking about getting this nano package which says it doesn't need much light...

Im going to petco sometime this week to get all of what you said. Maybe not the live rock until Ive set it all up since this person I was supposed to be buying the rock off of sold it in like 5 minutes

 

[geronimo69]

Im not sure if I need a heater. Well not at the moment. I dont have one for my 125 freshwater and the temperature stays around 80 degrees. Definitely in the winter though.

I was thinking about mushroom corals. The lighting is florescent and I was thinking about getting this nano package which says it doesn't need much light...

Im going to petco sometime this week to get all of what you said. Maybe not the live rock until Ive set it all up since this person I was supposed to be buying the rock off of sold it in like 5 minutes

Send me a PM when you're ready to get it started and I'll help you along with some advice.

 

[FLESHY]

You don't need a skimmer unless you want corals. They are MUCH more sensitive than fish to pollutants in the water.

Second, scrap the HOB filter, unless you're just running it with floss or a sponge. Your live rock will give you all the surface area you need for bacteria to colonize. That being said, I find water circulation MUCH more important. Get yourself a small powerhead as mentioned above. It will help move detrius from inside the crevices of the rock that critters can't get to. ( by critters, I mean starfish/bristleworms/crabs, etc ).

Third, what do you have for lights? You don't need much for lighting, if you're not growing corals. You'll simply get nuissance algae with an intense light on a FOWLR system.

35 lbs of rock
tank
powerhead for circulation
aragonite sand for subsrate.
heater (obviously)
Salt mix
RODI or Distilled water - IMPORTANT

Should be all you need to get a good tank started.

I would also suggest you visit nanoreef.com... there is plenty of information for smaller saltwater tanks there.

I disagree on several points. Skimmers are not needed on all coral tanks. I run one on my reef, but some people will point out that you are removing coral food. If it was a softie tank, I would almost be tempted to advise against a skimmer. The only reason I like them is that in my experience without them, you always end up with a surface film which is nasty, and a pain to manually remove.

Nothing wrong with HOB's on small SW tanks as long as they are done the right way. They should be very oversized however, hard to do with a 36g tank. +1 for powerheads.

Lights, check out www.aquatraders.com regardless if you are going to grow corals or not.

Dont ever tell someone they NEED rodi until water quality numbers show that they do. If their well has no nitrates or phospates, they are fine. I have been using well water for 9 years now on my reef, and its looking pretty good in my humble opinion.

 

[Mudslinger14]

I dont even need to treat my water. It comes out with no nitrates, no chlorine, nothing.

+ its soft water

I've gone on that sight before, Fleshy, and theres nothing ever in stock thats within my budget

 

[Mudslinger14]

And thank you geronimo! I definitely will

 

[FLESHY]

I dont even need to treat my water. It comes out with no nitrates, no chlorine, nothing.

+ its soft water

I've gone on that sight before, Fleshy, and theres nothing ever in stock thats within my budget

Well...its all rediculously cheap. You just have to check everyday to see when your object comes into stock.

 

[Mudslinger14]

Alright. Ill try.

Thanks!

 

[geronimo69]

I disagree on several points. Skimmers are not needed on all coral tanks. I run one on my reef, but some people will point out that you are removing coral food. If it was a softie tank, I would almost be tempted to advise against a skimmer. The only reason I like them is that in my experience without them, you always end up with a surface film which is nasty, and a pain to manually remove.

Nothing wrong with HOB's on small SW tanks as long as they are done the right way. They should be very oversized however, hard to do with a 36g tank. +1 for powerheads.

Lights, check out www.aquatraders.com regardless if you are going to grow corals or not.

Dont ever tell someone they NEED rodi until water quality numbers show that they do. If their well has no nitrates or phospates, they are fine. I have been using well water for 9 years now on my reef, and its looking pretty good in my humble opinion.

I agree you don't NEED a skimmer for corals, I didn't have one on my 20 gal for a long time. But, I've noticed MUCH better growth and colour since I've been running it. The surface film is easily taken care of by water movement. Powerhead pointed towards the surface...voila! Just my opinion.

The HOB's can be run on a marine tank, I agree, but they require constant cleaning as they can become a nitrate trap quite easily. PIA. Again, my opinion only.

OK, you don't NEED rodi or distilled water, but why not? It's always better to have the cleanest slate when it comes to water. Your salt mix will have everything you need in terms of nutrients, etc.

As for lights, trust me, you don't need them if you're not growing anything. Run a florescent t12 or something if you want light. No need for MH or T5Ho...

 

[Mudslinger14]

Ok. I dont mind cleaning the filter often...How often are we talking about though?

Ill probably get a skimmer once I get some more money after the initial purchase of my rocks, so I can try corals.