fish only tank

[findgnemo]

with a fish only tank(w/ decorations) and no live rock do i really need a protein skimmer or a uv sterilizer?

[scrmbld33]

i would recommend the skimmer, the uv is really up to you, i would also recommend live rock for your tank the benifits of it are great

[kraze3]

I would invest in the protien skimmer. When you see the gunk it pulls out youll know why. You would need some kind of filtration so your probably better off with it. I have never run a UV sterilizer so I would say it isnt 100 percent nescesary.

[kraze3]

I also agree with scrmbld33 100%. Not only is it beneficial But it will give your tank the much more natural look. Much more natual than the decorations.

[Fast Fred]

Get some live rock as suggested. General rule of thumb is 1 pound per gallon of water in your system.

Buy the best skimmer you can afford. Find one you like and ask questions here about it BEFORE laying down your hard earned cash.

[findgnemo]

hehe already doing it hehe i need help! badly....but i also have no space in my sump =/

[findgnemo]

here is how much space i have to work with....

http://www.web.njit.edu/~ap36/forum/sump1.jpg
http://www.web.njit.edu/~ap36/forum/sump1.jpg

[Fast Fred]

Pics didn't show up.

[findgnemo]

http://web.njit.edu/~ap36/forum/sump1.jpg http://web.njit.edu/~ap36/forum/sump2.jpg

[findgnemo]

how hard is a tank to keep clean with live rock? and what is this with curing stuff? is that with fiji live rock?

[Fast Fred]

Here's a suggestion for you...

Once you get the correct amount of LR in the system, you could start removing the bio-balls a few at a time over the course of a few weeks. That will leave you more room in the sump for a good skimmer.

I purchased all my live rock pre-cured. So you'll have to let someone else respond about the curing process.

Actually, most of my live rock was purchased dry, as base rock. I just seeded it with a few pre-cured live rocks. Base rock is much cheaper, and will become live rock after a few weeks.