marine or freshwater

[mymindseye81]

basically this post sums it up. everything generally is expensive. but where equiptment is concerned you only have to buy everything once (exept salt of course), and most of it you have.

the actual fish keeping isnt any more difficult than FW. corals arent as difficult as most people think either. most will just require a certain amount of light, to produce enough food, and possibly habd feedings and dosing some trace elements. but id recommend waiting at least 6 months before you buy any corals though, just to let everything settle down. as they are quite sensetive. do your research first. it'll pay off in the long run. when keeping marines, when it hits the fan, it really hits the fan.

some things id also read up on if you havent already, are types of filtration for marine aquaria, specific gravity or SG, and drip acclimatisation.

the filtration i have now is a 3 chamber sump that trickles through sponge media into a chamber with bio balls. the sump has a built in protien skimmer but i think im missing parts. there is also a CPR over flow box in the back. im pretty sure i will want to replace all of my pumps, they are getting worn out.

 

[sostoudt]

if i want live coral what are the best tank mates for this set up?

they label tankmates for corals as reef-safe when you buy them .
be warned reef-safe doesnt protect you from oddballs if your unlucky, but it is generally a good system that works...

invert-safe isnt the same are reef safe. its your choice what tankmates you want but if you want harder corals dont go crazy with fish as nitrates should be below for 10 ppm(this is doable in salt as you actually have anerobic spots unlike freshwater).

also be warned most saltwater fish dont get along with conspecifics

 

[bromie88]

the filtration i have now is a 3 chamber sump that trickles through sponge media into a chamber with bio balls. the sump has a built in protien skimmer but i think im missing parts. there is also a CPR over flow box in the back. im pretty sure i will want to replace all of my pumps, they are getting worn out.

id ditch the bio balls. they dont really work in SW setups. id fill the section with them in with Live rock instead. a much more effective bio media for marine setups. id also make a section a refugium with a Deep Sand Bed (DSB).

if you're not sure what refugiums are, theyre basically areas of sanctuary for all the micro organisms living in your tank. they can be as simple as a corner of the tank sectioned off to bigger animals, or more extravagant like another tank hidden above the show tank, filled with macro algae ect.

you would want to check them out. theyre really good at removing waste products. if you get macro algae (Chaetomorph or Caulpera) that feeds off nitrites, and run a light over it for 24 hrs a day, or when the tank lights are off, it will also help to controll pH swings. and oviously remove some waste too.

so there you go. some more stuff to read up on

replacing your pumps would also be a good idea. some cheaper ones are not suitable for use in salt water... but you should give them a clean up to see if they run a little better first, just incase. you may have to get more anyway. for a reef (what you eventually want) you need to aim for a turnover of about 25x tank volume per hour...

 

[nubz]

stock with a percula clownfish ( or false percula ) a royal gramma , three bangai cardinals , if you can afford it get a midas blennie , a yellow tail damselfish a yellow belly damselfish and a dwarf angel!