My First Salt Water Tank 29 Gallon!!!

Patrick76

Reefing newb
Hi this is my first go at a salt water tank. Right now i have a 29 gallon freshwater tank that i converted over last week on the 12th. I have a 130 watt current usa light on the tank. I also have a canister filter that i used with my fresh water. I just purchased 10 pounds of some good live rock last week. Just waiting on tank to cycle out. I need to get a skimmer this week i think it is a must? I will post some pics later this week when i get my camara back.
 
It saves you money because unlike other filters, you dont have to buy media on a regular basis, you dont have to do as much water changes as you would if you didnt have a skimmer thus saving you salt & ro water costs. Probably a ton more reasons why a skimmer saves you money but its late and i cant think right now.
 
I agree with the skimmer. Mine works very well and all i have to do is clean the collector cup every couple of days. No media to buy, just alittle time to clean.
 
a skimmer is also very important in the initial cycle with liverock. you really really benefit from one because there is always die off from the live rock and heavy skimming will take away that organic waste and reduce cycle time and reduce your inevitable algae breakout after the cycle because there will be less for it to feed on when everything is all said and done.
 
Welcome to the world of salt water. Just becareful, aquariums are like crack. But you know this since you have already had one!!! Good luck and lets see some pics!
 
Just for back ground on the whys and donts, see our article section. you will find some great reading on setting up your system and the various pieces of equipment needed. short of it if you do not want to read, you need a skimmer. get one rated for twice the size of your aquarium as a minimum. good luck, pics when you can, keep us posted.
 
Skimmers are much better and more effective than canister filters. If you have a good skimmer and 1 to 2 lbs of live rock per gallon of your tank size, then you do not need any additional sort of filtration. Your tank will be just fine with just the canister filter for now, but if you have problems with nitrates, canister filters are usually a cause. If you want to keep more expensive fish or want to start keeping corals, that's when you should look to getting a skimmer.
 
All i have for water motion is my canister filter could that cause alage problems? I am going to post some pics in a little bit of the alage that i have.
 
You will need some powerheads to keep your water circulating unless you have some already.

Also, i ran my tank without a skimmer for a while but now that i have one i'm amazed at the stuff it picks up out of the water. If youre willing to do a lot of water changes you can get by without a skimmer but your life will be a lot easier with a skimmer.
 
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