You can definitely buy aragonite sand and then seed it with some "live sand" from an existing tank. It will be much more economical and actually more successful than buying bagged live sand. The more existing tanks you can take seed sand from, the better bio-diversity you'll have. Some people also recommend doing this every so often beyond the initial tank set-up.
The CPR overflow relies on the Aqua-lifter pump for proper function and reliability (to make sure no air gets trapped and breaks the siphon), whereas the U-tube style does not. Essentially, the CPR overflow requires an added piece of equipment to be as reliable as a properly installed U-tube style overflow. To really see the difference between the two styles, you'll have to click on the lifereef.com descriptions of the overflow boxes to see one with the U-tube included in the picture. During a power outage, both ends of the U-tube remain submerged, so the siphon is not broken. Once the return pump starts up again, it will continue to function as it should.
While there's a few factors that determine the operating cost of a RO/DI unit, I can make RO/DI for < $0.25 / gallon. I've seen posts where some people claim to make it for as little as $0.20 / gallon, but I must be paying a bit more for my city water or filters.
A retrofit kit is designed to be mounted to the underside of the canopy. In the retrofit that I'm working on, both of the ballasts are outside of the canopy so that there's two less sources of heat under there. It also allows the ballasts to be further away from the water, which I think is a good thing.
Yea, there's all kinds of thoughts on heaters. There's a 100 ways to do pretty much everything in this hobby.
Powerheads (circulation in general) -- probably one of the heavier debated topics (lighting, of course is another). Some people swear by Tunze and wouldn't have anything else. I'm sure they're great, but I can't afford them. I use Maxi-Jets in our reef tank for circulation on top of our return pump (2 MJ 900s, but I'm going to add a third one). I don't use a wave maker, but do have the outputs of the MJs pointed at the glass or a larger rock to disperse the flow. MJs, like most powerheads, create a narrow stream of strong flow. By pointing the output at the glass or a large rock, the flow is deflected off and creates more indirect flow patterns. It works, but does require a bit of effort in terms of positioning and adjustment to get things right. There's all kinds of closed loop options, wave makers, and such to consider. It honestly just depends on what you feel is best for your tank.
The CPR overflow relies on the Aqua-lifter pump for proper function and reliability (to make sure no air gets trapped and breaks the siphon), whereas the U-tube style does not. Essentially, the CPR overflow requires an added piece of equipment to be as reliable as a properly installed U-tube style overflow. To really see the difference between the two styles, you'll have to click on the lifereef.com descriptions of the overflow boxes to see one with the U-tube included in the picture. During a power outage, both ends of the U-tube remain submerged, so the siphon is not broken. Once the return pump starts up again, it will continue to function as it should.
While there's a few factors that determine the operating cost of a RO/DI unit, I can make RO/DI for < $0.25 / gallon. I've seen posts where some people claim to make it for as little as $0.20 / gallon, but I must be paying a bit more for my city water or filters.
A retrofit kit is designed to be mounted to the underside of the canopy. In the retrofit that I'm working on, both of the ballasts are outside of the canopy so that there's two less sources of heat under there. It also allows the ballasts to be further away from the water, which I think is a good thing.
Yea, there's all kinds of thoughts on heaters. There's a 100 ways to do pretty much everything in this hobby.
Powerheads (circulation in general) -- probably one of the heavier debated topics (lighting, of course is another). Some people swear by Tunze and wouldn't have anything else. I'm sure they're great, but I can't afford them. I use Maxi-Jets in our reef tank for circulation on top of our return pump (2 MJ 900s, but I'm going to add a third one). I don't use a wave maker, but do have the outputs of the MJs pointed at the glass or a larger rock to disperse the flow. MJs, like most powerheads, create a narrow stream of strong flow. By pointing the output at the glass or a large rock, the flow is deflected off and creates more indirect flow patterns. It works, but does require a bit of effort in terms of positioning and adjustment to get things right. There's all kinds of closed loop options, wave makers, and such to consider. It honestly just depends on what you feel is best for your tank.
