Do you guys think this will be good enough?

[adobesky]

Ok, so my bf and I are very new to this sw idea....we currently have 6 fw tanks between the two of us and want to do a sw tank now. We are buying a new 75g tank to house our two oscars and moving our pirhanas to the 55g our oscars are in. This will leave an empty 30g tank with a single flo ballast w/a hood free for our biginning salt tank. What we want to know is, if we purchase an Aquaclear 500 filter for this tank, will this be enough for a FOWLR tank, or will we need a skimmer as well. Our plans are to house some damsels and maybe a flame angel or some clowns and a clean up crew. We picked the Aquaclear because of all of the filter media choices that you can make for this filter. Please help us to decide what we should need.

 

[logan15]

I would put like 3" of southdown playsand then get maybe 10lbs LiveRock and yeah the aquaclear 500 would prob work but you also need a couple of powerheads and for the flame angel wait at least 6-8 months for the tank to mature they need stable tanks
Logan

 

[adobesky]

they don't sell southdown sand where i live, just washed playsand. can i just use a high quality washed silica sand?

 

[adobesky]

oh, i forgot to ask, what exactly do we use the powerheads for? the aquaclear 500 will cycle this tank 17 times an hour.

 

[toungetwster]

Just my thoughts.....I would also add a skimmer...it helps maintain water quality...and the fish are happier! Also...silica sand would be fine... I know some here don't agree...but I use white silica in my show tanks..and everything is great...and no I don't fight algee! I have had no problems with overall health of my tanks or the inhabitants....LR would be an added plus... The use of powerheads is for water movement in the tank...don't just rely on the filter to move enough water....the more movement the better! My 55 has 3 power heads....a skimmer...a hang on Whisper 330...and live rock...all is well...

 

[dreeves]

Something to consider..the smaller the tank..the more difficult it is to maintain steady water chemistry...a skimmer would be a huge plus in maintaining a little consistency...
Also...the 500 is a very large filter...we are talking 12 inches long and about 6 inches deep...I have all of the Aquaclear filters...150 on up and I think for a 30 gallon the 300 would be ideal.
Just a thought.

 

[slick]

Here is my recomendation. Get a dsb of 4-6 inches. 30-50 lbs of LR. A good skimmer, and a smaller hang on filter. A few powerheads to move the water in more than just 1 direction. If you set ti up like this you should be on your way to a nice little sw tank. Like someone else said if this is your first sw tank you may consider doing a larger tank. I say this because it's harder to keep the levels in a smaller tank study.