Ok so I have decided to take the plunge and try my hand at a saltwater tank. I have a 55gal available as well as a light fixture thats 48" (currently 2x 10k, and 1 actinic T8s fitted in it). Already acquired a few bags of Argo-nite sand/crushed coral, but going to hold off on live rock till the tank is actually running. I am thinking I will start with fish only tank to start and then get some soft corals in a few months. I would like to give a EPIC thanks to ProAquatix (http://www.proaquatix.com/) who has offered to stock my future SW tank with fish and inverts at no cost :cheers: . So... on to the questions...
#1 Is a SUMP necessary if I use a canister filter? Looking at how a sump works it looks like the same basic principle, just adds more water volume. Reason I ask is because my 55gal is glass and trying to figure out how to plumb it doesnt sound like loads of fun.
#2 I cant find anywhere in saltwater reading that says anything about doing amonia/nitrate cycling of the tank. Is there something about saltwater that bypasses this? or is it still necessary?
#3 How long should I have the live rock doing its thing in the tank before I add fish?
#1 Is a SUMP necessary if I use a canister filter? Looking at how a sump works it looks like the same basic principle, just adds more water volume. Reason I ask is because my 55gal is glass and trying to figure out how to plumb it doesnt sound like loads of fun.
#2 I cant find anywhere in saltwater reading that says anything about doing amonia/nitrate cycling of the tank. Is there something about saltwater that bypasses this? or is it still necessary?
#3 How long should I have the live rock doing its thing in the tank before I add fish?