Hey, I would just like to congratulate everyone on a great month.
http://delreefclub.org/home/index.php?option=com_smf&Itemid=28&action=stats
In November we had the largest number of page views, new topics, and new posts. We also had the largest number of new members since the first couple of months that the site opened.
GO DRC! :BEER
Sweet! Let’s keep this growing trend going!
They are defiantly growing.
We changed the most online to reflect 24 hours instead of 15 min. in July
The first 3 months of the year we migrated members from RC.
Not a Bad year and looks great going into the New Year
Happy New Year
Thank you to all who replied about my “Tank Placement” question. I joined this forum recently because I am considering a salt water tank. I have always loved marine biology, but there are many other factors to consider before I buy my tank. (cost, set-up, mess…etc) This forum will really help me decide. Also is it essential to have a protein skimmer at first? I am probably going to buy a 24 gallon Aquapod.
I would say that an RO unit would be a more essential part of equipment than a skimmer. By doing frequent water changes with good water you dont necessarily need a skimmer to keep most corals. Also keeping macroalgae can reduce the need for a skimmer as well… thats how some tanks deal with nutrients. I really dont think that our skimmer does a whole heck of a lot… we have plenty of LR and try to keep up with water changes.
i use no ro unit or skimmer. i have lots of lr though. i always treat my water with declorinator and amquel. i have not noticed a huge difference between the 2. in my next setup ill put in a good skimmer but will not need it right away and will wait until the tank is 6+ months
Hey and welcome once again. One VERY important thing to realize. It is human nature to complain about problems and share disasters. Most of us when things are going very well in our tanks will be spending time sitting in front of them and enjoying them or running out to buy more corals since things are going well and we feel brave enough to try more.(these are often never ending projects)
If you take your time and do your reading I am sure you will love this hobby and you and your friends and family will enjoy your tank.
Skimmers can be skipped on if you do your water changes and don’t feed too much or stock too many fish. If you want a lot of fish and don’t want to do a lot of water changes then you need to have the money for a nice skimmer. The hobby isn’t really that expensive if you can stick to a routine, it’s laziness that is expensive.
bz350 you do realize you just said you use a declorinator and a declorinator right? amqual removes chlorine and chloramines so you might be able to cut out what ever that other product is and reduce the amount of artificial crap getting into your tank.(not to mention the cost of consumables)
I ran my first 55 gallon tank skimmerless and it worked well. There are many proven ways to run a tank with or without a skimmer
I run my 39g skimmerless, but I do 15% water changes every 10-14 days. I would never try and run a reef tank without an RODI unit for making water. You just never know what may end up in your tap water and most have a high TDS which will fuel algae.
There are many successful ways to run a reef and a lot of it depends on the types of corals and fish you plan on keeping.
Just keep reading and asking questions.
The most important thing you’ll need is, fortunately, free. And that’s patience.
The skimmer can come later. Just keep on top of the water changes.
As mentioned above, there are many viable solutions in this hobby. There are people who run their tanks using just tap water. I feel RODI is important, and I, personally, wouldn’t be without one. But, for now, there are LFS that will sell you RO water.
Oh, yeah, … :Welcome) to the forum
:Welcome) glad ya found us i would test your tap water. check it and see what you are dealing with. i have well water and just use a 3 phase watering filter not ro/di. just made up a 3 filter housing setup and water is great. but need to see were you are with tap water, then go from there.
If you use a R/o unit to make quality water, then frequent water changes will be sufficient. But remember, the more livestock and/or corals you add to the tank,will increase the bio load.The main thing is to be very patient.Go slow.We have all been there.I still feel like a kid in a candy store when I go into a LFS.But I have learned, it’s cheaper to buy one piece at a time. Good luck.
I never have used an RO/DI unit for any of my previous tanks, reef or not. I’ve had great results, no major problems. I have used a skimmer on most tanks, also refugiums help a lot. It really depends on how bad your tap water is. I just bought an RO/DI unit finally and I must say, I can see the difference in the water. It’s too early for my corals to see a difference though. As said before, patience is a huge part in the hobby, but it pays off.
