But at least I’m smart enough to join this forum and I’ve been lurking, reading, digesting and learning. But I still have a long way to go! I’ve had freshwater tropical tanks before, but this would be my first salt. I’m thinking I’ll start nice and slow with a FOWLR (maybe a couple of clowns to start after the tank has cycled) and gradually move to my goal - a reef tank. I found a local person selling their 100G tank, stand, sump, skimmer, heater, pumps, lights plus their living rock and sand. $400. They bought a bigger tank. I read the amazingly helpful Supreme Guide to Setting up a Saltwater Reef Aquarium. It really made me feel like I can DO this. The initial cycle actually sounds fascinating! If I get this tank setup, I’d install a RO system in my laundry, and add a ATO and timers to the tank, but I think it’s pretty much ready to go.
- Do I need to cleanse the rock/sand, or will cycling it be good enough? How do I know there aren’t bad bugs, worms, parasites in this substrate?
- I’m also wondering about the sump/Refugium setup. If I have live rock rubble and sand, protein skimmer and chaeto- do I need other filtration, e.g., carbon? I think no?
- When cycling a new tank, when do I add chaeto to the refugium? Thinking after the tank has cycled?
- Are initial biological additives necessary (I read mixed reviews about their efficacy)? If so, which should I use?
- Is it hard to change from FOWLR to reef, if I have appropriate lights for coral and wave pumps/water movement? Is it as simple as gradually adding an appropriate ‘beginner’ coral? Am I being naive? How do you QT coral? Yikes! See, I don’t know what I don’t know!
