What are the necessities when owning a Saltwater Tank with Clownfish?

[AnimalEnthusiast]

I've done a lot of research on Saltwater tanks, but each website I go on has different perspectives and answers.

Some things I really need to know are:

Where do I purchase Live Sand?

Do I need a Protein Skimmer for a Fluval Edge 57L?

What kind of powerhead should I purchase?

What food should I feed my Clown Fish and snails?

Is the original filter and lighting ok to use when growing hardy coral?

What can I use instead of an RODI unit? Are their purifiers in a bottle that are half the price?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Becky]

Welcome to the forum! :)

Your post went into the moderation queue for some reason - sorry about that! I have approved it now.

 

[JohnVH]

Some answers to your questions



This hobby can have a many different approaches so you will come across many different opinions on how to do things. Some things work for people and some don’t. You have to find what works best for your situation.

You can purchase live sand from some LFS stores or check your local forum or reef community, there are usually some reefers selling live sand.

Protein skimmers are a must for most reefers but your tank is small, the addition of a small HOB (hang on back) skimmer can only be beneficial

It’s a small tank so don’t get one that is to powerful, you’ll create a storm in your tank. A small Koralia nano 240 should be fine.

A varied diet would be best , a variety such as Spirulina, Nori, quality pellet and flake food as well as a variety of frozen Brine and Mysis shrimp. Your Fluval Edge is a bit small for clown fish.

I would not expect much from the light for corals. If you were to add coral maybe some GSP’s (Green Star Polyps) or some hardy Mushrooms.

RODI water is best. Water purifiers will only neutralize chlorine in the water they do not remove any TDS (total dissolved solids) from the water which is what feeds algae outbreaks in the form of phosphates.

Also not mentioned in your post, live rock I’m sure in your research you have come across live rock as a necessity for your tank so I’ll mention it anyway.