Skimmer? And Fish stocking on a 30

[ericbye]

alrite 2 questions, im switchin from fresh to salt with a 30g. It will be FOWLR, i was talkin to a guy at the lfs and he said that i wouldnt need a protein skimmer unless i got a bigger tank or went with corals, is this true? im on a pretty tight budget. And what kind of fish should go in here? i was thinking about some clowns, possibly a small tang, im not sure how fast they grow but if not that fast i could upgrade in a little while. Any other ideas? Thanks

[mg426]

You can run a FOWLR tank without a skimmer. They do make things easier though. I would keep a close eye on the Nitrates and do regular water changes. When you get the $$ get a skimmer.

[NDreefer1]

FOWLR should be alright, especially if you keep up on the water changes. If its an option, take a look at

http://themantledmonster.thereeftank.com/sdiy.html

A very effective skimmer made from PVC you can buy at lowes. Add a used Mag 5 (like $30) and you have a very powerful, very cheap skimmer. They definately make things easier...

-Bob

[bertoni]

[welcome]

I would use a skimmer since they are a great safety net and should simplify maintenance. A CoraLife SuperSkimmer is a reasonable choice, IMO. I'm running one and like it so far. If you're tight on funds, going without a skimmer is possible, but I'd suggest limiting the tank to perhaps a pair of ocellaris or percula clowns or similar-sized fish. No tang will fit in a 29g.

[ericbye]

cool, thanks, i am goin to save for the skimmer, but when i upgrade tanks ill do it all at once, also wonderin what my turnover should be with the powerhead, ive heard 10x minumum with fowlr

[Sk8r]

Just as a side note, on stocking---some of these marine tanks types grow to over a foot long, and even when they're little, they become spooked and crazy if living in what they perceive as too confined a space; others like anthias, though small, have habits of darting madly for 6 feet or so, and if they can't do that, then they start acting stressed. So the percs or a few not-easily-phased fish (the usual name is nano-fish, meaning fish that go well in mini-tanks) will be quite happy in your 29 and then move on quite happily into larger quarters.
You've got the bug bad---already planning for the next tank ;) Extremely good luck to you.

[ericbye]

haha yea.. the bug.. i started with piranhas a few months ago, now that i wanna do the salt water i want a bigger tank so i can get some better lookin fish and more of em, just waitin for a deal to come along. Ok this is my list of stuff, what else do i need? Im leavin the skimmer out for now
HOB Filter (is carbon ok for salt water no reef?)
Heater, not sure how many watts but it has no probelm keeping my current tank at 81 ish
Powerhead, 127 gph? i think im goin to use this one to mix salt water for water changes, and get a more powerful one for in the tank if thats nessecary?
Live Rock, the lfs charges 10$ a lb,so i might be able to get a deal there or look for a local
I have one full spectrum T12 light, it can light up the tank pretty good, wont be any coral so i think thats ok
Oh and its all in a 30 G tank

[tmplge]

Welcome to the hobby. 10$ is WAY to much for live rock! its not made of gold so dont buy it. You can buy it online for much less. something like 3.50 a lb for good stuff. You should check out oceanproaquatics dot com. they have live rock for 99 cents a pound plus shipping. Another place you should check out is your local reef cluib forum. Somewhere on the site there is a tab that will take you to your local forum and people there are always selling things. You can get a used skimmer for a great price. I would link you the forum but i dont know where your located. good luck, and remeber, take everything the LFS says with a grain of salt, maybe a bag of salt!

[ericbye]

I just picked up a killer deal, 50 gallon tank, 2 filters, pumps, overflow setup, stand, light setup, i think coral life lights, protein skimmer and reverse osmosis unit, she also told me a fish store with a guy to say that i know her, and live rock is around 5$ a pound.