New setup help

[Atomikk]

Hi,

I am very new to the SW hobby. I have kept freshwater, and cichlid tanks. Now I am more interested in SW and am curious about a couple of things. I am doing all my necessary prep work before I jump in and start purchasing things.

I am converting my 35gal freshwater into saltwater but I want to do it slowly since I dont want to drop 800-900$ right off the top. I was thinking of starting out with just buying either live sand or aragonite and RO or Filtered water. Then, every two weeks, I was going to add a component... like P.skimmer, then W/D filter (Eheim), then live rock and then lights. Could I get away doing this or do I have to buy everything at once? So like the cycle process will be about 2 months.

Also, I dont want to get into complications with a sump/refugium. Can I just use a W/D filter with a skimmer instead (with bi weekly water changes.. or even monthly)?

Thanks

 

[Anonymous]

>...I am doing all my necessary prep work before I jump in and start purchasing things.

:thumb up:

Sounds like a good plan, but I will go away with the wet/dry filter. Make sure you have good *cured* live rock, such as from another local reefer. That way, you don't have to cure it, a messy process.

Oh, BTW, welcome to RDO!

 

[iphy]

Just as an alternate opinion, I very much enjoyed curing my own liverock. Watching all the unpredictable stuff grow out of it was all the more entertaining and rewarding because I could remember scrubbing all the dead sponges and other crud off it when I brought it home. However, I don't think I would do this without already having a skimmer.

I do agree that wet-dry filter is not remotely required. A lot of reefers actively advise against them, even. If you're going to get a bunch of liverock, then a good skimmer is really all the filtration you need in my experience.

 

[Anonymous]

I would buy the best skimmer, heater, hydrometer and test kits you can first thing, even if you have to wait to add the rock for a few weeks. In a 35 the skimmer may be enough circulation that you don't need more powerheads. I second the thoughts about skipping the wet/dry filter altogether. The skimmer will make a big difference if you are using uncured rock.

Then buy your live rock and use "dead" sand. Don't spend the money on live sand-it will become live over time from the live rock. Also another way to save some cash is to look around for local reef clubs and hobbyists. Sometimes you can buy base rock cheap that way, or at very least get a cup of sand from an existing tank to get things moving.

Then buy your lighting, once you figure out exactly what your needs are and lastly R/O system. R/O may seem like a waste when you can buy water but I'll tell you from experience that hauling water from the store home in all kinds of weather gets very old very fast. Also, you may tend to put off water changes because of the hassle and that isn't good for your tank.

Good Luck!