My 135 tank im buying has a gravel substrate i was wondering if i have to remove this in order to put my sand down or can i put my sand over top of it and not have to go through a huge cycle again because it currently has 2 damsels a clown and an angel in the tank and its my only saltwater tank. Also should i buy a skimmer because it has live rock and soon live sand either way i take the gravel out or not and the filter is an Emperor 400. Is this adequate enough for the live rock and sand and some inverts and those 4 fish until i buy a sump from my lfs? thanks justin
Substrate
- Thread starter Juthunter28
- Start date
A skimmer will help keep things cleaner, but is not an absolute necessity. If you will be going with a sump, then maybe wait until you can go with an in-sump skimmer.
If the emperor 400 is adequate filtration for what i want to do with some inverts and fish and some corals then i wont go with the sump but if its not ill use it until i can buy the sump at my LFS
To reply to your original post, I would replace the gravel with playsand, maybe 1/3 or 1/2 at a time. I'd take the old stuff out and replace it. It will get ugly if you pile sand on your gravel.
If the stocking levels aren't too high, the emperor may be fine. I don't use them, so I really can't answer the question very well. Personally, I think a skimmer improves the water quality, and think any tank will be better off with one.
This may sound picky, but could you add a little more punctuation? Your posts are a bit dizzying.
If the stocking levels aren't too high, the emperor may be fine. I don't use them, so I really can't answer the question very well. Personally, I think a skimmer improves the water quality, and think any tank will be better off with one.
This may sound picky, but could you add a little more punctuation? Your posts are a bit dizzying.
lol sure, im just a normal 16 year old haha, always on the go and trying to type and get stuff done the fastest my hands can type. Im replacing the gravel 1/3 at a time with Tropical Play sand from my local home depot. Hopefully it is Southdown i havent picked the sand up yet, but they told me that its real fine grain white sand from the tropics so i said what the heck give me 100 lbs of it to start off. Thanks again, Justin