Newb

[Marinne13]

so should I ditch this canister filter...I have made a lot of purchasing mistakes throughout this process and really don't want to lose more money

also do I need a reverse osmosis system to do water changes? someone once told me this was easier than people thought, not really looking that way as it seems everything I buy is the wrong thing

 

[ErinCahir]

It can be discouraging when you have been led astray by what you thought was a trusted source for information (ie: your LFS).

Do lots of your own research, and listen to what we as a forum have to say as we are not making money off your mistakes. We have only your tank's best interest's in mind.

That being said, yes. Ditch the canister filter (see if you can return it). And yes. You should be using RO/DI for water changes. The machines aren't as complicated as they seem. If you don't want to buy your own most LFS sell both the RO/DI and saltwater by the gallon for fairly cheap.

 

[Marinne13]

so live rock and my new octopus skimmer is good enough for my 30G? I am going to get 35 pounds of live rock

I also have two powerheads that move over 1200GPH

 

[ErinCahir]

Sounds like you're on the right track!