turning my Planted Tank into a reef see last post

well did some measuring and found out a Aqua C Urchin won't fit in the stand

so I think im gonna go with one of these:

AquaticLife Internal Mini Protein Skimmer 115

 

the way i did my tank was i bought a little at a time, i didnt buy a sump or protein skimmer until about 6 months in, also i would not buy lights yet, you cant start a tank without having t5's on it, i would only buy them once your ready to get coral.

 

Update guy at fish store where Im getting tank drilled is gonna help me build a sump...so got everything figured out now I jus need to sell the rest of the freshwater stuff.

Made a sale thread here if anyone wants anything.

 

ordered a Aquatic Life 115 Mini Skimmer and 25lb box Marco Rocks Key Largo Nano sizes today.

Just in time for the skimmer I get $10.00 cash back rebate thing just have to send in receipt with bar codes from the packaging

Was originally gonna just get 15lbs of rock but decided to go ahead and get 25lbs because its only $20.00 more and then ill have more pieces to choose from and I can just sell the extras or add to my hex.

Also sold a bunch of freshwater stuff so all thats left to sell is the plants and substrate.

Getting close I have $180.00 left now plus whatever I get form plants and stuff.

So all I gotta buy is:

Sump: $50.00

Drilling tank,Overflow,Loc line: $65.00

Powerhead(s): $40.00

ATO: $65.00

So looking at: $220.00

Ill prob make about $100.00 more soon so I should be good. Plus $10.00 back from skimmer

 

why do you think an ato is necessary? i just replace evaporated water with fresh rodi water

 

because its more precise and keeps params stable...at certain times everyday it fills the tank up to pretty much the exact level you set it.

not just random times you see that its low or at different levels

thats why my first tank did so bad for so long it wasn't stable so instead of waiting a year like I did the first time im jus gonna get one from the beginning

 

most people dont dont use an ato if im correct, its just an unnecessary piece of equipment that expensive in my experience. a tank wont do bad solely because your not using an ato, it must be something further that is wrong.

 

I would recommend an ATO if you can get one. Sure, evaporation is not the only thing which leads to a "bad tank", but is one of a multitude of things, which all add up to that. It is not necessary, but is recommended to have an ATO on a reef tank to keep your slainity level more stable. Inverts(i.e. cleaner shrimp) are especially effected by harsh swings in salinity.

An ATO does not have to be expensive either..Maybe $40 for the ATO switch, and $16 for an Aqualifter pump, and a 5g bucket. You could also do a gravity-fed auto-top-off for even cheaper.

 

if done correctly topping off a tank with just a pitcher of water works fine, if you have salinity swings then you must not be doing it correctly. i put a duct tape line on my tank so i know where to put the water line to

 

Go with the ATO, not only does it help keep things stable but it makes it have less maintenance since you only have to fill the bucket every few days. Also down the line if you go with SPS or anything you can use it for a kalk top off and then that will lessen the maintenance and keep the params stable. Can't wait to see it when its done!