I am thinking about starting another salt tank but what as much advice on equipment and prep as possible before i jump in again. The first one i had i rushed and it failed. I've learned a lot about tanks since then, mainly fresh though. I have a 26g bf That I would most likely use. I know its on the smaller size but not much I can do about that right now. I did not have coral before, but would like some this time. Here are some of my questions for now...

What is the best filter for a reef?

What is a really good skimmer that wont cost me an arm and a leg?

Are sterilizers a must have?

Is RO water a must have for a reef tank?

What about a fuge, are the must have and what are the positives of having one?

How many fish/corals could be kept in a 26g?

What are things that you must have for corals?

What is the average price for upkeep of a reef tank?

Any information or advice would be greatly appreciated...thanks!

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26g BF

• Fully Planted
• Pressurized CO2
• 112w of light
• Dry ferts

2 1g planted Beta tanks

1 10g planted Pea Puffer tank with neons


~GeminiPrincess

Hi and sorry to hear about your first tank.

You say you rushed it, my first tank collapsed also, I bet you went and bought fish that need someone with more experience to look after like I did when I started.

Filter, use Live Rock and a Protein Skimmer, if you have enough Live Rock you can get away without using a cannister filter, you can still use a cannister if you like.

Sterilizers are not a must have, if you get 1 then thats great but it is not needed.

Most use RO water, some say tap water is fine, I wouldn't let tap water anywhere near my tank, go here Why you shouldn't use tap water......... - UltimateReef.com the guy there gives several good reasons to avoid tap water, you can buy RO water or buy an RO Unit, I have an RO Unit and it is money well spent, I would advise anyone doing saltys to get 1.

Fuge again like the sterilizers is not a must have but if you can get 1 it's a really good thing, you can put your Skimmer and Macro Algae to name 2 things.

Saltwater fish need more room than Freshwater, avoid Puffers and Tangs in a tank that small and as for corals they more or less just sit so as long as they are not touching there is no real limit just don't be stupid and go overboard, coral will appreciate good water and proper light more.

As for upkeep with a 26 gallon you will be doing a 3 gallon water change per week, a bucket of Deltec salt costs me £21 and it makes 50 gallons of water so you won't be breaking the bank on salt, RO water cost depends on where you buy it, where I live it ranges from £3 to £3:50, you may need to buy Calcium and Magnesium and a few others for your tank again you would need to see what they cost at the LFS.

What is the best filter for a reef?Live rock and a good protein skimmer.

What is a really good skimmer that wont cost me an arm and a leg?Bubble magnus nac3.5. If you have a sump

Are sterilizers a must have?No

Is RO water a must have for a reef tank?Definitely, especially if you plan on keeping sps corals

What about a fuge, are the must have and what are the positives of having one? Not a must but can help with nitrate and phosphate export.

How many fish/corals could be kept in a 26g?Small reef fish and not too many 4-5. Coral depends on your lighting and skimmer

What are things that you must have for corals?Good water flow, about 15-30 times turnover rate of your tank. So for a 26 gallon you'll need powerheads in the range of 400-800gph. Good lighting, this will depend on corals you keep. Look into a 4 bulb T-5's or 150 watt Metal Halide, A VERY good protein skimmer, don't skip on this one save your money and get a nice one it will save you headaches down the road.

What is the average price for upkeep of a reef tank? Sky's the limit on this one! People dose different things, use different salts, MH cost more to run then T-5's etc.

HTH to get you started!

My advice for saltwater is very similiar to FW only with "plants" replaces with "macro algae".

Setup the tank with macro algaes right from the start. then do the rest.


my .02

__________________
fw leiden since 1979, fo salt since 1979, mixed reef 55g 2002-2009. Strong emphasis on the tank taking care of itself. Balanced with plant life, no water changes, tap water, no filters in FW. Only dosing calcium, alk, mag in marine reef tanks. http://www.aquariumforum.com/f15/my-...ods-26410.html
recent tanks (till 2009) 7 years- 10g FW leiden 7 yrs, 55g mixed reef 7, 2 yrs, 20g FW leiden, 10 g fw leiden , 29g mixed reef, current tank 55g leiden

Is RO water a must have for a reef tank?Definitely, especially if you plan on keeping sps corals

What about a fuge, are the must have and what are the positives of having one? Not a must but can help with nitrate and phosphate export.

What are things that you must have for corals?Good water flow, about 15-30 times turnover rate of your tank. So for a 26 gallon you'll need powerheads in the range of 400-800gph. Good lighting, this will depend on corals you keep. Look into a 4 bulb T-5's or 150 watt Metal Halide, A VERY good protein skimmer, don't skip on this one save your money and get a nice one it will save you headaches down the road.

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Is RO water a must have for a reef tank? ABSOLUTELY. RO/DI water is one of the 4 keys to success in a reef tank: RO/DI water, water changes, patience & consistency. If you have these 4, you're bound for success.

Granted, it takes some work to get these 4, but once you do....reef tanks become MUCH easier to handle.

What are things that you must have for corals? Besides the obvious live rock....lighting & flow like mentioned above. They need it to survive. How much is another story, but both are very, very key.

What about a fuge, are the must have and what are the positives of having one? I would say another key for a fuge is having more total tank volume to work with....especially with a smaller tank. However, it also helps create the ecosystem needed.

I have posted this beofre but on the tap water or RO water this article is very good at explaining the reason not to use Tap Water.

Why you shouldn't use tap water......... - UltimateReef.com

Can I alos add somethign that is covered in the article which a lot of folks fail to realise is every Salt Mix you buy is designed with RO water being used.