Down & Dirty Shopping Guide for Your First SW Tank

thanx guys:)

i have no problem with patience. i don't mind waiting even 2 months to cycle the tank if it took that long. i have a convict tank to keep me occupied in the mean time.

another thing. so for evap top-ups, you just add plain RO water back to the tank, correct?

and for water changes, you must make a new mix at the same temperature as the tank and (salinity), is that right?:)
 
cool, ty. ok, well after doing some research i can see why everyone wants an RO unit. i've decided it's not the answer for me though right now. if i buy one, i'm buying a really good one and i can't justify that for a 20 gallon and 2 clowns, lol. one day i'll get a big tank, with nicer stock and that's when i'll invest in an RO unit.

so i'll either buy purified water from the fish store or ...what about buying distilled water from the supermarket? that stuff is pure as hell from i understand.

for a well established 20 gallon with 2 clowns, would monthly water changes be sufficient? :)
 
If you're into hauling it I'd buy the RO/DI water from your LFS and mix the salt yourself. It will be more cost effective than the supermarket water..at least where I live.

I'd do more frequent water changes...especially on a nano tank. JoJo and a few others here have nanos they'll be ever to give you more advice on them than I will.
 
ty. so i was reading on the net looking around and i saw something that distilled water and RO water is TOO pure and not suitable for a SW tank (or any tank) and you'd need to add something to it later. i don't know if it's true, but i thought distilled and RO water are fine for evap top-ups?
 
-Nemo- said:
ty. so i was reading on the net looking around and i saw something that distilled water and RO water is TOO pure and not suitable for a SW tank (or any tank) and you'd need to add something to it later. i don't know if it's true, but i thought distilled and RO water are fine for evap top-ups?
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As an actual water, yes, thats true. However, when we mix the water with the salt, the trace elements that are built into the salt will replenish what was removed.

As for top off, its fine as its only a small (ish) ammount at a time in comparison to the actual water volume of the tank...and all trace elements are again replenished when you do a water change....

Niko
 
I've only been doing this for a few months now, but my advice to those new to the hobby would be read the forums, decided what would work best for you, and don't be bullied by the LFS guys to change your mind. Funny how most LFS run their display tank on exactly the setup they want to sell you and are able to tell you all the disadvantages of the setup they don't sell.

I would love nothing more than to start all over again given what I know and based purely on the advice from this site.
 
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