Skimmer OR LiveRock?

[john bowell]

Hello,
I am going to start up my new 90 gallon tank this week.
My goal is tohave LR, LOTS of inverts and Lots of Invert friendly fish. I am a science teacher and want to show my students mostly the bottom dwellers of the ocean (Nekton) and the friendly fish (benthos) that help them live their lives.
90 Gal
25 gal sump w/ LS, bio balls and culerpa & sand sifter once cycled
w/ rio 2500 attached to sump
3 power heads in tank (one which oscellates) all at 270 gph
2 40 watt trichromial 48"reflector lights
100 lbs of LS
75lbs of Base rock
Diatom filter (once weekly)
UV Sterilizer
My question...due to dwindled funds (I am already over my budget) should I buy a protein skimmer or focus on LR? They are both around $100 and I know I need both down the road but can't buy them both for about 8 months.
Also, should I buy a RO (reverse Osmosis) water filter for my classroom, and if so, can I buy one at Home Depot or Lowes? What am I looking to take out of the water? Sediment, iron, chlorine...??? How much should they cost me?
Thanks Veterans for ALL your help!

 

[mmslue79]

First I wish my teaches had saltwater tanks! I would go with LR for the mean time. Though you should have both, you can get away with only LR for some time. As far as water goes, RO units are expensive, not sure if they have them at Hardware stores or not. I am going to get water from culligan that is RO and UV sterilized, it only runs $1 per gallon, maybe cheaper. Just a thought. Have fun with the kids!
HTH

 

[john bowell]

I have a UV Sterilizer, can I get by with tap water
(and de-chlorinating it) or will I run into problems in the future?
I just saw a unit that cleans unwanted things out of tap water on a site called "bigalsonline.com" it was 24.99. Is that not what I am looking for because it is too cheap to do RO? I really need help with this subject.
Thanks Again!

 

[mmslue79]

I have seen this item you are talking about. It might work out well, but I will step aside for someone else with better knowledge on that subject. I was going to get that unit when I realized I could just get RO UV H20 from culligan. It might cost me some money, but I will always know that it is quality water.

 

[surfnturf]

Hey, I actually lived in Dayton for a few years, Dad was stationed at Wright Patterson, pretty cool place, at least it was in the 70's. Forget about the RO unit right now, get some good RO/DI water at the Local Fish Store, there should be plenty of them in the Dayton area. The water should cost you less than 50cents a gallon, way cheaper than a RO/DI unit in the short term. When the fiscal year starts anew you can budget in the RO/DI. BTW I attended Seville Elementary for a while, dunno if you know where that is, near Mad River as far as I know. Good luck with the soon to be marine biologists!

 

[gregzbobo]

Another option you might consider is getting a 5 gallon jug, and buying that water they sell at Many Wal-Mart superstores that have the water treatment booth. That water is RO/DI and is run through a UV unit. And its inexpensive too, I pay 35 cent a gallon.