help a newbie with his first sw tank

[Cwetherford]

I don't wanna go cheap but I'm on a budget I have a powerhead, heater, I have terra filter that idk if its any good for saltwater tanks and its a 25 gallon tank so what do I need and do what do u all reccomend for sand and live rock I know people say but 30
% live to dead ans let it cycle and it will all become live...idk help please lol also if I need a new filter let me know what would be good for the price

 

[Bryceguam]

I don't use one but most people will recomend a refractometer. It's more acurate than a hydrometer. Are you going to have a sump? It is usually a good idea because it adds water volume and it's a good place to keep all your equipment like heaters out of sight. I would go with maybe 10 lbs. live rock and the rest base rock. I use live sand in my tank. In terms of filtration, don't know anything about the filter you have. You might want to consider a protein skimmer as well. If you do have a sump you could also have a refugium to keep nurtrients down.

 

[LordErrorprone]

Mechanical filters are usually only useful when just starting an aquarium or for surface skimming. Protein skimmer is definitely recommended as well as an RO filter. If you don't want to pay for an RO filter, you can use Prime to remove chlorine and chloramines but its not a substitute. I also use live sand and a hydrometer.

 

[crister13]

In a tank that size you dont need a skimmer or sump. It would help but a hang on the back filter would work if it was rated for twice the size. I didnt use a refractometer and got one yesterday and it SOOOOOOOO cool. Dont buy live sand as normal sand will trun live with live rock. GL!!!!!

 

[greaver83]

An ac70 fuge would work well on the that in place of the hob filter