Hello all!! Glad I found this site! Starting my FIRST saltwater tank period have questions

[FreshSaltyGuy]

Hello All,

My name is Mike, I'm here in California.....I chose the name FreshSaltyGuy because I've only ever ran Freshwater tanks successfully for the past 15 years. I started off with a 20 gallon, then 50 gallon is where I ended up which was plenty. I was able to breed lots of fish in my freshwater tanks such as Gouramis, Guppies, etc.. I'm currently still running both the 50 gallon and 20 gallon successfully with my 50 gallon actually moved outside under a covered patio that we have, and so far so good, Algae is under control, with lots of shrimp and nirite snails to keep the glass perfect...... everything is healthy for the past 8 months. I should also mentioned about 10 years ago I moved over to the Walstad method on all my freshwater tanks and have amazing success with all of them as mentioned above.

Soooooooo now that I'm bored with that and really looking for a much larger challenge (& cleaner water) and my 3 girls constantly bugging me to PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE daddy get a saltwater tank going, I figure I'd jump into a Saltwater hobby. I was able to get a AquaDream AD-620-RW 40 gallon tall tank brand new in box for $100 at auction so I figured if that's not a sign I don't know what is lol!! The tank doesn't come with the best equipment, but it does have a tiny 4 gallon sump with a 210 GPH submersible pum, Wet-Dry Filtration System with designated filter media divider. It also came with the cabinet. This tank sells for $1299, so I'm hoping it is decent. I know they say to start with 125 gallon if possible to help control water parameter better etc.. but I couldn't pass up the deal so here I am

With all that info out of the way, I do have LOTS and LOTS of questions, but I'll start with some basic stuff to make sure what I've read so far is true and accurate as I'll look to everyone here with experience to help me out please
My daughters want a pair of Sea Horses and knowing they aren't that easy to care for from what I've read especially for a beginner in this hobby, I'm working on talking them out of it for now to let them know how pretty we can make things look with SPS & LPS and some softies, with a huge cleanup crew, and a pair of clown fish or something like that to start. I know this MIGHT some crazy to some, but I will be running a Walstad type tank on my salt tank as well, meaning - No dosing, very very few water changes, etc... I've watched several videos and read lots of articles on this so it's obviously possible. I'm not doing it for the lazy hands off approach, but more for the natural aspect of it, and the basic challenge of keeping this tank beautiful with minimal work.

So here are some questions I have:

I know I want to go with Live Sand and Live Rock....is there one you all recommend and what to stay away from? I was looking at Carib Sea Argonite Reef Sand that has a size of 0.5mm-1mm as I did read about how it's better and more surface for anaerobic bacteria activity etc.. Also, if I later choose to do Sea Horses I read that is the best size??? So on that note I found for the live sand PetSmart has 20lb CaribSea Argalive Reef Sand on sale for $14.99 a bag right now ....is this a good quality sand and good grain size that I'm looking for? Also, do I need to use MagicMud for a base and then a 1" top coat of Live Sand if I'm looking to plant anything and as part of the walstad method?

For the live rock I've read Fiji Live rock is one of the best because it is very porous etc..etc. is there another rock that is just as good? I know it depends on my Aquascape, but how many pounds on average should I look for on a 40 gallon tank (really 36 gal because of the 4 gallon sump). ? Also, good site to buy live rock or should I just go to my LFS who I know has a ton but may be a bit more?

How soon after I place the Sand & Rock in there and the take cycles, can I start putting invertebrates (Clean up crew) is it as soon as the water clears or ?

Lighting - I know this is one of the more important aspects of the build especially once I get some corals in there. But on that note I don't want to break the bank, but don't want to go to cheap. Does anyone recommend a good bang for the buck light I can put on this tank? I saw this one on amazon and seems to have great reviews with videos from consumers and all -

Wave makers - This one will take a little more time for me to figure out. Right now I'm just planning on the sand, rock, and a few small fish once the tank is ready and the cleanup crew. Then next steps after a couple months will be corals, What wave maker should I be looking at for this 40g tall tank and how many of them? Any recommendations on placement?

Saltwater for the tank - What do most of you do mix your own or buy it at LFS? How difficult is it to mix it yourself and ensure the salt breaks down before using it and then testing it with a refractometer? How many days ahead can I prepare the saltwater and keep it without issue ?

Power outage - I'm already looking to get a battery backup is there a decent good bang for the buck you all recommend? What can I do since I'm running such a small sump to ensure if power & Battery go out that I don't get water everywhere? I've read about drilling a hole in the pipe, but is that the suction side or return side?

I apologize so much for all the questions, but this is years in the making and want to be sure I do this right to a certain extent and then learn and grow from this journey to hopefully help others. I'm also here if anyone is looking to go freshwater walstad method I have lots of experience with it so I can really help you out there.

Thank you so much for your time reading this and hopefully providing some answers. I'm looking to start filling the tank this weekend.

 

[HankstankXXL750]

On the sand, I like the Caribsea, I have different sizes in different tanks. I believe I have the arginine and like it in my reef. I have the finer sand in my Angel tank, and wish I had gone with the larger as it can move around a lot.

I’ve never used magic mud so I can’t advise on that. As far as macro Algea a it isn’t needed, but if you want to do mangroves I don’t know.

If you can get Fuji live rock it is great I had it years ago. I know there are sites that sell Florida live rock, I haven’t purchased, as I bought some really nice but dry dead rock when I restarted and it has turned out great. Live rock increases the chance of bringing in unwanted hitchhikers, but IMO is part of the fun also.

As far as clean up crew CUC you shouldn’t add them until the tank has been running a while and Algea has started. Otherwise you might starve then. When I started my 110g I added 4-5 turbo snails and a couple of emerald crabs right away. But definitely not a full clean up crew. You can get some Algea wafers for like pleco’s to keep them going until your tank starts to produce a food source. I did, and still have a lot left over

As far as mixing saltwater ahead, I know you can, but I usually don’t get ahead of the game so I’ll let others answer. I often mix my water, and use a/in 2-3 hours after the heater has brought it to tank temp. I have about 1000 gallons of tanks and sometimes mix 120 gallons at a time. I have mixed and not used for three days or longer in brute trash cans. Just have to check the salinity to account for evaporation. I use a Hanna conductivity probe vs refractometer. With I get an accurate measure as soon as the salt is no longer visible. I’m sure it is t totally dissolved, but I don’t have any fluctuation in my tanks salinity and add same SG each time.

For lights and wave makers, they run more, but I love absolutely love Aqua Illuminations
AI hydra lights. Have the 32’s on my 3x110 reef 160 3x160 predator with green star polyps GSP, and 210 angel tank with softies and paly’s I have 3 64’s on my 210 reef. I have exceptional success with softies, palys/zoas, LPS, and some sps (green and red chalice or monti can’t remember as I was sold as one, but told on here it was other. I also love their wave makers and think two Nero 3 would work for you tank. Maybe less, but I like at least one on each end and set them to a random flow pattern hoping to emulate the ocean better. More pricy than some, (especially those available on Amazon non name brand) but they have an awesome app, and for the lights a really great selection of settings examples to help get them set for your needs.

hole is drilled in return so that it loses suction when power is out. I use ice cap and hook to a power head that disrupts the surface. Supposed to run up to 36 hours.

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

I've never heard of anyone using the mud under the sand...from my understanding it's supposed to either be used in a sump or you dose a small scoopful to the water every week or two in the case of Aquaforest Life Source which is pretty much the same type of product. As far as live rock goes, you're making a great choice choosing to go with live! Try to find live rock that's actually from the ocean and not just rock that was dry a few weeks ago and then thrown in a cat of bottled bacteria at the fish store. To my knowledge Fiji live rock isn't collected or available anymore although I could be wrong about that. There is Australian live rock but it's pretty expensive at $25/pound. Your other primary options would be Tampa Bay Saltwater, Gulf Live Rock, and there are a couple other similar companies that maricultured the live rock in the Gulf and it's a lot less expensive than the Australian live rock (idk what your budget is though).

 

[HankstankXXL750]

On the sand, I like the Caribsea, I have different sizes in different tanks. I believe I have the arginine and like it in my reef. I have the finer sand in my Angel tank, and wish I had gone with the larger as it can move around a lot.

I’ve never used magic mud so I can’t advise on that. As far as macro Algea a it isn’t needed, but if you want to do mangroves I don’t know.

If you can get Fuji live rock it is great I had it years ago. I know there are sites that sell Florida live rock, I haven’t purchased, as I bought some really nice but dry dead rock when I restarted and it has turned out great. Live rock increases the chance of bringing in unwanted hitchhikers, but IMO is part of the fun also.

As far as clean up crew CUC you shouldn’t add them until the tank has been running a while and Algea has started. Otherwise you might starve then. When I started my 110g I added 4-5 turbo snails and a couple of emerald crabs right away. But definitely not a full clean up crew. You can get some Algea wafers for like pleco’s to keep them going until your tank starts to produce a food source. I did, and still have a lot left over

As far as mixing saltwater ahead, I know you can, but I usually don’t get ahead of the game so I’ll let others answer. I often mix my water, and use a/in 2-3 hours after the heater has brought it to tank temp. I have about 1000 gallons of tanks and sometimes mix 120 gallons at a time. I have mixed and not used for three days or longer in brute trash cans. Just have to check the salinity to account for evaporation. I use a Hanna conductivity probe vs refractometer. With I get an accurate measure as soon as the salt is no longer visible. I’m sure it is t totally dissolved, but I don’t have any fluctuation in my tanks salinity and add same SG each time.

For lights and wave makers, they run more, but I love absolutely love Aqua Illuminations
AI hydra lights. Have the 32’s on my 3x110 reef 160 3x160 predator with green star polyps GSP, and 210 angel tank with softies and paly’s I have 3 64’s on my 210 reef. I have exceptional success with softies, palys/zoas, LPS, and some sps (green and red chalice or monti can’t remember as I was sold as one, but told on here it was other. I also love their wave makers and think two Nero 3 would work for you tank. Maybe less, but I like at least one on each end and set them to a random flow pattern hoping to emulate the ocean better. More pricy than some, (especially those available on Amazon non name brand) but they have an awesome app, and for the lights a really great selection of settings examples to help get them set for your needs.

hole is drilled in return so that it loses suction when power is out. I use ice cap and hook to a power head that disrupts the surface. Supposed to run up to 36 hours.

Oh and depending on what your shooting for I think it is about 1# per gallon of rock.

 

[FreshSaltyGuy]

On the sand, I like the Caribsea, I have different sizes in different tanks. I believe I have the arginine and like it in my reef. I have the finer sand in my Angel tank, and wish I had gone with the larger as it can move around a lot.

I’ve never used magic mud so I can’t advise on that. As far as macro Algea a it isn’t needed, but if you want to do mangroves I don’t know.

If you can get Fuji live rock it is great I had it years ago. I know there are sites that sell Florida live rock, I haven’t purchased, as I bought some really nice but dry dead rock when I restarted and it has turned out great. Live rock increases the chance of bringing in unwanted hitchhikers, but IMO is part of the fun also.

As far as clean up crew CUC you shouldn’t add them until the tank has been running a while and Algea has started. Otherwise you might starve then. When I started my 110g I added 4-5 turbo snails and a couple of emerald crabs right away. But definitely not a full clean up crew. You can get some Algea wafers for like pleco’s to keep them going until your tank starts to produce a food source. I did, and still have a lot left over

As far as mixing saltwater ahead, I know you can, but I usually don’t get ahead of the game so I’ll let others answer. I often mix my water, and use a/in 2-3 hours after the heater has brought it to tank temp. I have about 1000 gallons of tanks and sometimes mix 120 gallons at a time. I have mixed and not used for three days or longer in brute trash cans. Just have to check the salinity to account for evaporation. I use a Hanna conductivity probe vs refractometer. With I get an accurate measure as soon as the salt is no longer visible. I’m sure it is t totally dissolved, but I don’t have any fluctuation in my tanks salinity and add same SG each time.

For lights and wave makers, they run more, but I love absolutely love Aqua Illuminations
AI hydra lights. Have the 32’s on my 3x110 reef 160 3x160 predator with green star polyps GSP, and 210 angel tank with softies and paly’s I have 3 64’s on my 210 reef. I have exceptional success with softies, palys/zoas, LPS, and some sps (green and red chalice or monti can’t remember as I was sold as one, but told on here it was other. I also love their wave makers and think two Nero 3 would work for you tank. Maybe less, but I like at least one on each end and set them to a random flow pattern hoping to emulate the ocean better. More pricy than some, (especially those available on Amazon non name brand) but they have an awesome app, and for the lights a really great selection of settings examples to help get them set for your needs.

hole is drilled in return so that it loses suction when power is out. I use ice cap and hook to a power head that disrupts the surface. Supposed to run up to 36 hours.

So for the AI Hydra lights which light would I need for my 40gal tall tank? Prime 15HD Reef just 1? or how many? Also, just have the live sand and live rock and then just let that cycle for a few weeks and once water clears and I get some algae I can start adding my CUC and if needed feel wafers like you mentioned or wait you think? Then once that is done how soon could I add clown fish you think? Thanks for all the info you provided so far this really does help!

 

[FreshSaltyGuy]

Oh and depending on what your shooting for I think it is about 1# per gallon of rock.

So does this also stand true then even if it's a 40gal Tall tank since I won't have much roof to go side to side. I'm just thinking 35-40 lbs. of rock is a ton and seems like a lot for the tank size lol.

 

[FreshSaltyGuy]

I've never heard of anyone using the mud under the sand...from my understanding it's supposed to either be used in a sump or you dose a small scoopful to the water every week or two in the case of Aquaforest Life Source which is pretty much the same type of product. As far as live rock goes, you're making a great choice choosing to go with live! Try to find live rock that's actually from the ocean and not just rock that was dry a few weeks ago and then thrown in a cat of bottled bacteria at the fish store. To my knowledge Fiji live rock isn't collected or available anymore although I could be wrong about that. There is Australian live rock but it's pretty expensive at $25/pound. Your other primary options would be Tampa Bay Saltwater, Gulf Live Rock, and there are a couple other similar companies that maricultured the live rock in the Gulf and it's a lot less expensive than the Australian live rock (idk what your budget is though).

Do you think I can layer a section of the main tank with miracle mud or something similar if I wanted to plant something like Halimeda, Turtle Grass, or Dragon's Tongue Algae? or will this all be planted directly on the rock? Thanks!

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

Do you think I can layer a section of the main tank with miracle mud or something similar if I wanted to plant something like Halimeda, Turtle Grass, or Dragon's Tongue Algae? or will this all be planted directly on the rock? Thanks!

I don't have macroalgae in my tanks but to my knowledge they're either planted on the rocks or in the sand

 

[FreshSaltyGuy]

One of the big questions I have is topping off my tank either using a bucket when doing water changes for the first few months if needed until it stabilizes or an auto top off. Since salt doesn't evaporate, doesn't this mean as I add more saltwater, the concentration of salt goes up and the so the water gets saltier? Am I thinking that correctly? Thanks

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

One of the big questions I have is topping off my tank either using a bucket when doing water changes for the first few months if needed until it stabilizes or an auto top off. Since salt doesn't evaporate, doesn't this mean as I add more saltwater, the concentration of salt goes up and the so the water gets saltier? Am I thinking that correctly? Thanks

Definitely get an ATO and yes, the ATO reservoir should be full of RODI freshwater to keep salinity stable

 

[Mikey-D]

One of the big questions I have is topping off my tank either using a bucket when doing water changes for the first few months if needed until it stabilizes or an auto top off. Since salt doesn't evaporate, doesn't this mean as I add more saltwater, the concentration of salt goes up and the so the water gets saltier? Am I thinking that correctly? Thanks

When you loose water volume from evaporation that increases the amount of salinity in your tank. When you remove water from your tank during a water change, you are taking the water out and replacing with new mixed salt with is also replenishing the nutrients in your tank. Top off using with an auto system or you yourself adding fresh water(Preferable RO/DI) is replacing the water lost from evaporation and keeping your salinity levels stable.

 

[RocketEngineer]

Regarding rocks: pro/con with your goals. In my first few systems I’ve used Gulf of Mexico live rock, dried pacific rock, mined calcite, and man made. For the system I’m building now, I wanted to build my aquascape to get rid of the “bolder” look. This necessitated using dry rock. I’ve also drilled and assembled towers in the past. Live rock does have more biodiversity but the last batch I ordered had so many gorilla crabs that they killed most of my fish and ate the CUC to the point my tank just became a mess. Dry rocks don’t have that risk.

In a reef tank, the mud should go in the sump, not in the sand. The hard lesson I learned too late was keeping the sand clean by vacuuming. The sand bed traps a huge volume of crud that’s best removed during water changes. Not the whole bed at once, but say 25% of the bed gets cleaned each time.

Water is the key to keeping a reef. We technically are water keepers vs fish/coral keepers and that mindset helps keep things in perspective. To that end RODI is key for many and store bought water just doesn’t cut it in most cases.

Hope that helps.

 

[MnFish1]

With all that info out of the way, I do have LOTS and LOTS of questions, but I'll start with some basic stuff to make sure what I've read so far is true and accurate as I'll look to everyone here with experience to help me out please
My daughters want a pair of Sea Horses and knowing they aren't that easy to care for from what I've read especially for a beginner in this hobby, I'm working on talking them out of it for now to let them know how pretty we can make things look with SPS & LPS and some softies, with a huge cleanup crew, and a pair of clown fish or something like that to start. I know this MIGHT some crazy to some, but I will be running a Walstad type tank on my salt tank as well, meaning - No dosing, very very few water changes, etc... I've watched several videos and read lots of articles on this so it's obviously possible. I'm not doing it for the lazy hands off approach, but more for the natural aspect of it, and the basic challenge of keeping this tank beautiful with minimal work.

I think you're making a mistake here - for a first tank. I'm not going to google the 'Walstad' method - but I would suggest keeping it simple, And there is nothing more simple than periodic water changes - and water testing - and adjusting as needed. You should not need dosing unless you are planning on keeping corals. I would not recommend keeping corals for someone starting out.

So here are some questions I have:

I know I want to go with Live Sand and Live Rock....is there one you all recommend and what to stay away from? I was looking at Carib Sea Argonite Reef Sand that has a size of 0.5mm-1mm as I did read about how it's better and more surface for anaerobic bacteria activity etc.. Also, if I later choose to do Sea Horses I read that is the best size??? So on that note I found for the live sand PetSmart has 20lb CaribSea Argalive Reef Sand on sale for $14.99 a bag right now ....is this a good quality sand and good grain size that I'm looking for? Also, do I need to use MagicMud for a base and then a 1" top coat of Live Sand if I'm looking to plant anything and as part of the walstad method?

I do not see a benefit of 'live sand' as compared to plain reef sand (i.e. I'm not recommending silica sand, but rather calcerous sand The Caribsea sand is fine. There are many tanks that use no sand at all - I personally use a small (1/8-1/4) inch sand bed - just because I like the look of it. I would not (at your stage) recommend trying to have anaerobic areas in your sand bed for processing nitrates. I would not use magic mud in a tank that small

For the live rock I've read Fiji Live rock is one of the best because it is very porous etc..etc. is there another rock that is just as good? I know it depends on my Aquascape, but how many pounds on average should I look for on a 40 gallon tank (really 36 gal because of the 4 gallon sump). ? Also, good site to buy live rock or should I just go to my LFS who I know has a ton but may be a bit more?

Depending on your eventual goals - I would get some base rock from your LFS (which should be cheaper) - and if you want to order "live ocean rock" put that on the top. The common wisdom is 1 pound per gallon.

How soon after I place the Sand & Rock in there and the take cycles, can I start putting invertebrates (Clean up crew) is it as soon as the water clears or ?

Immediately after the cycle

Lighting - I know this is one of the more important aspects of the build especially once I get some corals in there. But on that note I don't want to break the bank, but don't want to go to cheap. Does anyone recommend a good bang for the buck light I can put on this tank? I saw this one on amazon and seems to have great reviews with videos from consumers and all -

I like Radion's you can pick the one that fits the dimensions/goals for your tank. Often the older models can be bought used for a reasonable price.

Wave makers - This one will take a little more time for me to figure out. Right now I'm just planning on the sand, rock, and a few small fish once the tank is ready and the cleanup crew. Then next steps after a couple months will be corals, What wave maker should I be looking at for this 40g tall tank and how many of them? Any recommendations on placement?

This is totally personal preference. I like Maxspect Gyres - but I assume that your tank is not the best dimension-wise for this

Saltwater for the tank - What do most of you do mix your own or buy it at LFS? How difficult is it to mix it yourself and ensure the salt breaks down before using it and then testing it with a refractometer? How many days ahead can I prepare the saltwater and keep it without issue ?

I use RODI water made at home - with 0 TDS - and mix the salt per the directions. Some people store salt for quite a while - the problem comes when you use some brands too quickly after mixing.

Power outage - I'm already looking to get a battery backup is there a decent good bang for the buck you all recommend? What can I do since I'm running such a small sump to ensure if power & Battery go out that I don't get water everywhere? I've read about drilling a hole in the pipe, but is that the suction side or return side?

That depends on how many watts you're planning to run at a time. I do not know why you would need to drill a hole normally - if you have your 'output' tube just at or slightly above the level in your tank - there will be no back siphoning. That said - Your sump is extremely small for a tank of 40 gallons

I apologize so much for all the questions, but this is years in the making and want to be sure I do this right to a certain extent and then learn and grow from this journey to hopefully help others. I'm also here if anyone is looking to go freshwater walstad method I have lots of experience with it so I can really help you out there.

Thank you so much for your time reading this and hopefully providing some answers. I'm looking to start filling the tank this weekend.

No need to apologize - and I want to eagerly encourage you to ask as many questions as you want. Having said that - and I'm not trying to sound negative. There are a lot of questions you haven't asked about - and a lot of the questions you have asked involve quite advanced techniques, etc - that IMHO are not suitable for a 'first tank'.

For example - you did not ask about Quarantine or methods of that. There is the issue of fish compatibility. There is the issue of where fish are sourced. Which testing kits to use - and how often. And many others.

If you're planning to have corals - you're going to need to dose (unless only soft corals) - Ca and Alkalinity nearly for sure.

Seahorses - for example are extremely difficult to keep in a community type aquarium. I would strongly recommend you read carefully one of the threads here on the site - or a book that goes over all of the steps for setting up a tank - and then following them. I will google the Walstad method - and re-comment afterwards - but I suggest again - keep it simple - it will keep you and your children happy. As you get experience, you can move on to some of the more advanced things.

PS - 2 things - does your tank have a skimmer? As to drilling a hole in the tube - it is the return tube that normally has a hole - but before even considering that I would check with the manufacturer.

Best of luck - welcome to the site - and again - I'm trying to encourage you rather than discourage you!!!

 

[Jekyl]

Welcome to R2R!

One thing I don't think I saw mentioned was the conditions for keeping ponies. They require lower Temps and multiple feedings per day. For the most part they cannot be kept with a lot of the corals out there. So if keeping ponies, lighting might not be as important as you think it is.

 

[MnFish1]

EDIT - PS - I googled the walstad method - it is designed for Freshwater planted tanks - not reef tanks - unless I'm not finding it.

 

[MnFish1]

PS 2 - I did fine multiple discussions regarding the Walstad method - @Lasse has an excellent step by step method for setting up a reef tank on this site. He also discussed the Walstad method in another thread on this site. As said before its usually more of a freshwater type setup - but some have tried it with saltwater - maybe @Lasse will comment?

Seagrass Nano: Lasse vs. Walstad??

I was going to write this up in @Lasse 's article thread, but it's too much of a disgression. Anyway, after my tank crash, I'm thinking of the next tank. Part of me wants to do two interconnected tanks, a smaller (maybe 20G/75L) seagrass lagoon tank and a larger (maybe 40 breeder/150L)...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[FreshSaltyGuy]

When you loose water volume from evaporation that increases the amount of salinity in your tank. When you remove water from your tank during a water change, you are taking the water out and replacing with new mixed salt with is also replenishing the nutrients in your tank. Top off using with an auto system or you yourself adding fresh water(Preferable RO/DI) is replacing the water lost from evaporation and keeping your salinity levels stable.

Question on the RO/DI .....I have whole house filter that filters all my main water and takes out a ton of toxins, has charcoal filter, sediment filter etc.. Then I have a APEC 6-stage RO system with UV in the kitchen that I can use to fill a bucket for autofill, question is do I need the DI side? I don't think I have DI on my APEC? Also, my Apec has a Mineral cartridge that adds calcium minerals for improved alkalinity is this ok to have and can I use it?

 

[Jekyl]

Question on the RO/DI .....I have whole house filter that filters all my main water and takes out a ton of toxins, has charcoal filter, sediment filter etc.. Then I have a APEC 6-stage RO system with UV in the kitchen that I can use to fill a bucket for autofill, question is do I need the DI side? I don't think I have DI on my APEC? Also, my Apec has a Mineral cartridge that adds calcium minerals for improved alkalinity is this ok to have and can I use it?

Yes you will need a DI side. Generally the ones used for drinking aren't the same as needed for tanks. The water used for tanks isn't good for drinking.

 

[bnord]

Couple of answers to a couple of questions,
AI lights are for me that right balance of reliability, utility and cost. The thet grow most corals well
I have a mangrove tank and use miracle mud in the glass vases that the mangrove are planted in, and scrape to top off and replace every now and then - not sure what it does for the biome, but it grows a nice little mangrove

best of luck, sure it is going to come out well for you

 

[Mikey-D]

Yes you will need a DI side. Generally the ones used for drinking aren't the same as needed for tanks. The water used for tanks isn't good for drinking.

+1

If you have the time, you can ask for a water quality test of your home tap water and see what's coming in. Depending on where you live, there are multiple answers. Some RO systems don't even offer the DI . The RO will remove particulates and chemicals. The DI will remove the rest and bring the TDS to zero. Some systems offer multiple DI in series because the water quality is just that bad.

The system I am building will have its own RO/DI system for the tank only. I will dose and mix my own salt because I will know what's in my tank and be able to test and keep it all stable. This will be my first official tank and I'm jumping in feet first, doing corals, fish the whole shebang, including dosing and auto top off system that will support the tank and my own phytoplankton culture community