Advice please!

[Marinebeginner]

I'm a complete newbie to marine aquariums. My aquarium is 3 weeks old. I was persuaded last week to replace the foam in filter with pieces of live rock (boyu TL450) Do I need to remove them and clean them when I am cleaning the protein skimmer and other bits and pieces ??

[OscarFan76]

No. You do not clean your live rock.

[OscarFan76]

Feel free to blast them with a turkey baster to remove debris but leave them in place in the water.

[Marinebeginner]

Thanks for your speedy reply! This is a steep learning curve....

[h8z2luze]

Steep to say the least lol. My advice is READ as much as you can and learn before you start. Its alot better to know the basics at least before you start. But then again its kinda fun learning from your mistakes unless they are big ones....

[OscarFan76]

Glad I could assist. This forum is a great learning resource. I've learned so much here.

[joelduval1]

h8z2luze nailed it. Before I started my tank I read almost every book/internet searches I could find. My tank has been up for about 8 months now... Things are slow and boring at first. But if you hang in there and have MAJOR patients, than they become fun and exciting.

[huma-huma]

Originally Posted by h8z2luze

Steep to say the least lol. My advice is READ as much as you can and learn before you start. Its alot better to know the basics at least before you start. But then again its kinda fun learning from your mistakes unless they are big ones....

Also, dont ever forget this --- just because it works for someone else doesnt mean itll work for you--- in essence, you have to always find what works best for you

[Schism]

No one will likely tell you this at your LFS but reading is half of keeping a saltwater tank. If you dont know what your doing or read about how to do it and whats what etc. then your almost certainly setup for failure or a disaster of some magnitude. Understanding what is going on in your tank before you even test your water is where you will get to eventually. A lot of problem solving and know how goes into diagnosing problems and then fixing them when they occur. Reading as much as your can will help you cope with any problems when they occur. Also having a great place like AA to ask question helps tons too