Hi, I recently decided to start my first salt aquarium, I purchased an Aquapod 24 G tank. I went to a very reputable fish store and am pretty confident in the information they gave me. I purchased live rock and sand, I was told that the AquaPod system is great for what I was looking for, I am a lil concerned about the filtration, although it was mentioned that you can add carbon (optional)the unit to me seems almost too simple, I would love to hear from anyone who has opinions on AquaPod products. Also, I've been told that anemones are not recomended for begginers, that being said can you have coral with an anemone? I was thinking about starting with coral and maybe purchasing an anemone later on ???
New 2 Salt
- Thread starter jrella
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Hi, I recently decided to start my first salt aquarium, I purchased an Aquapod 24 G tank. I went to a very reputable fish store and am pretty confident in the information they gave me. I purchased live rock and sand, I was told that the AquaPod system is great for what I was looking for, I am a lil concerned about the filtration, although it was mentioned that you can add carbon (optional)the unit to me seems almost too simple, I would love to hear from anyone who has opinions on AquaPod products. Also, I've been told that anemones are not recomended for begginers, that being said can you have coral with an anemone? I was thinking about starting with coral and maybe purchasing an anemone later on ???
The filtration in a saltwater system doesn't need to be complicated. All you really need is water flow, live rock, and weekly water changes to keep a tank healthy. The mechanical filtration is pretty much optional. If you do have bioballs or bio-sponge, you should eventually replace it with some live rock rubble. Bio-media tends to increase nitrates over time, which is bad for corals.
You shouldn't attempt to get an anemone until your tank is at least six months old. A new tank will go through many imbalances, and this is something an anemone can't handle.
You shouldn't attempt to get an anemone until your tank is at least six months old. A new tank will go through many imbalances, and this is something an anemone can't handle.
New Salt Tank
I appreciate the help... a few more questions. My tank has been set up for 3 days now (24g aquapod), with just some live rock and sand. is it normal for the salt gravity to be above normal, all my other levels are perfect, another concern that i did not anticipate was ro/di water?? I just assumed that would be okay with tap water treated with a lil conditioner (ie aqua plus). For the hell of it I tested my tap water (NYC) is known to have good water quality and there is 0-0.5 nitrite and nitrate. Am I going to be okay ??????
I appreciate the help... a few more questions. My tank has been set up for 3 days now (24g aquapod), with just some live rock and sand. is it normal for the salt gravity to be above normal, all my other levels are perfect, another concern that i did not anticipate was ro/di water?? I just assumed that would be okay with tap water treated with a lil conditioner (ie aqua plus). For the hell of it I tested my tap water (NYC) is known to have good water quality and there is 0-0.5 nitrite and nitrate. Am I going to be okay ??????
New Salt Tank
I appreciate the help... a few more questions. My tank has been set up for 3 days now (24g aquapod), with just some live rock and sand. is it normal for the salt gravity to be above normal, all my other levels are perfect, another concern that i did not anticipate was ro/di water when doing changes?? I just assumed that would be okay with tap water treated with a lil conditioner (ie aqua plus). For the hell of it I tested my tap water (NYC) is known to have good water quality and there is 0-0.5 nitrite and nitrate. Am I going to be okay with using tap water for my water changes??????
I appreciate the help... a few more questions. My tank has been set up for 3 days now (24g aquapod), with just some live rock and sand. is it normal for the salt gravity to be above normal, all my other levels are perfect, another concern that i did not anticipate was ro/di water when doing changes?? I just assumed that would be okay with tap water treated with a lil conditioner (ie aqua plus). For the hell of it I tested my tap water (NYC) is known to have good water quality and there is 0-0.5 nitrite and nitrate. Am I going to be okay with using tap water for my water changes??????
If you want corals/anemone then you'll really need to get RO water. Many fish stores sell either RO water or premixed saltwater. You'll need RO water for the topoffs. Some people also use water machines at grocery stores (the ones where you re-fill a container), which is usually RO water (but not DI -- deionized).
Hydrometers aren't expensive but they are not always that accurate. You can get a good refractometer here for $50. well worth it IMO:Refractometers
It is absolutely necessary to be able to accurately measure your salinity. Most swing-arm hydrometers are inaccurate, but they are cheap (about $8). When I started out, I was using a hydrometer. When I switched to a refractometer, there was a big difference in the readings, and my salinity had been way too low from using the hydrometer's reading.