hello everyone, looking to up grade to sw tank..

hi my name is richie from nyc,
i have been running a successful African cichlid thank for the last five years. i was looking to up grade to salt water with live rock and fish only to start with the hopes of adding corrals in the future. my tank is a 75 gallon tank, and i run a wet dry filter are these filters good for sw? i have one that is rated for 120 tank. i was reading that the bio balls turn into nitrate factories over time would a protein skimmer counter act this? or would is be wise to convert my w/d into a refugium. and would anyone have info on how to convert a w/d into a refugium?

i was thinking of a filtration set up with these components.

w/d filter
uv sterilizer
carbon canister

thanks in advance

richie

 

If I were you, I would probably use ruble rock instead of those bio balls with some floss filter. Def, use a skimmer. Good flow and decent salt. And let it cycle for a couple weeks. For fish only, you don't need that great of a light.

 

The canister filters are fine, they are great for running carbon. Just make sure you clean the floss regularly. Bio balls are fine, as long as you use them properly and maintain them. They are supposed to have water trickled through them, not to be fully submerged.

 

All you need is a skimmer and some kind of a carbon filter (canister filter would work). The rest is not necessary at all.

And some amount of live/base rock (commonly accepted amount is 1-2 lbs per gallon).