29gal equipment?

[sweetpickles7]

Hi, well i just started a 29gal saltwater tank a week ago today, and i was wondering what types of things i need. My first question is, do i need a protein skimmer? and if so whats the best brand to get? I already have 3 powerheads in it with each on at 170gph. I was thinking of adding another one that has a slower gph for the bottom part of the tank, would that be a good idea? So far i have 2 on the top creating almost like a cyclone and 1 near the bottom blowing on my LR. My last question is about water, what i have been using is the water u can get at walmart that u get from a machine that says it has no chlorine in it, would that work?Also when i add it and it hits the water it looks kind of, dont really know how to explain this, oily?, but then it disappears. Is that just because of the salt? Well hmmm i think that pretty much covers it, sorry for so many questions.

 

[Lorna]

question 1. Depending on your bioload and how much live rock you have and how dilligent you are in doing water changes determines whether you need a protein skimmer. I have a 29g and I have an Aqua Remora C hang on back with a mj/1200 on it on mine. I would recommend one.......just because it really does pull crap out of the water.

2. Your powerheads should not create a cyclone....you are aiming for random irregular flow patterns. Aim your powerheads toward the front center so that the water flows collide and create turbulence. You could get by with fewer powerheads just get stronger ones. I have 1 maxijet 900 and a maxijet 1200 which are on alternating wavemaker at 90 second intervals which I find works great. You are light on flow aim for 15-20 turnover rate/hr if housing corals....

3. Using r/0 water from walmart or elsewhere is good, it just gets tiresome hauling it after a while and you may want to invest in an r/o filter of your own. Just don't use your tapwater unless you have it checked out for trace minerals and dissolved solids which can lead to algae blooms and other problems.

4. You haven't mentioned the amount of live rock, substrate or lighting you have?????

 

[sweetpickles7]

WOW, thank you soooo much!I have a small little journal that i have started in the nano section its just that no one was really posting on it so i came over here, cept for alter. I should be getting the rest of my live rock in the mail tomorrow or the next day. I have 13lbs so far. I dont really have that special of lighting yet, just the kind of lights that come with the tank.

 

[Lorna]

Well you should aim for at least 1.5 to 2 lbs per gallon, especially if you are not going to have a protein skimmer. You could add some base rock with the live rock and it will all become live over time.......