Questions about set up

[Roger Clark]

Hello,

I am in the processing of setting up a salt water aquarium. The tank is a 75 gallon acrylic tank (non sump)with a canopy and I could use some help in doing this correctly. Presently I have a XP3 canister filter, two maxi-jet powerheads (295 gallon capacity)and looking to add a Berlin Turbo hang on skimmer. My plans are to start off with just a few fish and some live rock and perhaps some anemone later.

I have two questions one concerns a skimmer and the other involves lighting needs. With what I have described as my desired set up do I need a skimmer and what type of lighting do I need and how can I use it with a canopy.

Any input would be greatly appreciated

Roger

 

[wayne]

Hi

1. a skimmer is always a good idea i.m.o. , especially if you are a little inexperienced. For that size tank the remora pro is a good choice as it not super costy, a HOB unit, and best of all for the novice it is 'idiot proof' - many of the cheaper HOB's are not only , frankly , rubbish, they are also very hard and frustrating for a novice to get to work properly. The CPR bakpak is also a good call, though a little small for that tank, as is, if you see one second hand , a Deltec MCE 600.

Avoid seaclones, prisms, air driven nasties. Saving money here is along term waste.

It also pays to buy good lighting upfront. I leike metal halide, though that means throwing your enclosed hood away. You may need to do this anyway as overheating may be an issue in texas. I cannot recommend any US brands as I am not especially familiar with them. My number 2 choice is T5 lighting, which are thein high output fluoro tubes. The cost difference between these and a MH is actually trivial - the issues are more around light intensity versus heat and evaporation and so on.
Choice number 3 is PC lighting, popular in the US and nowhere else. This is similar to T5, though a bit less intense per watt as the T5's are able to use optimised reflectors.

My suggestion is always to do the rounds of some shops, and if you live in Houston, or another large metro area there are some excellent local clubs so you can see how all this overpriced junk actually works