Two tanks, both SW, what Filtration

[Tipton34]

I have built a 70 gallon and 100 gallon. I have decided at the last minute to make them both saltwater. But I don't know what to do about the filtration. I plan on doing just a fowlr tank. Someone told that with just a power filter and protein skimmer that would work. Is that true?? The cheaper the better

 

[coffeetwitch]

are you putting any rock in your tank? fish seem to do better with rock than plastic decorations. even just a little rock is better than none.

but yes a power filter and skimmer will work. i have a tank with rock a canister filter and a hob skimmer and doing fine.

good luck and dont hesitate asking questions here. for the most part, its a friendly community.

 

[Tipton34]

Ok thanks! And yes it will have live rock!

 

[Unwritten]

As I am finding out, no saltwater tank is cheap.. and the cheaper... the crummier. Be sure to look into anything and everything about the tank before making the decision. You will have to talk to people about certain lightings and RO water. I went way over my head when I made the last minute decision to turn my 20 gallon into a saltwater, now on its way to a nano reef. Are you looking to add coral?

The good thing I discovered was you can go with basics and always add onto your tank the more you discover you'll want to do.

I also discovered that a tank should run about 6 months before planting any nems (anemones) in there... so make sure you get the right advice from the right place because some guy at Petco sold me an anemone 4 months too early... I had to drop alot of money to keep this thing alive, but he is doing pretty well now.

Also look into a water circulation pump... I didn't realize that the fish and plants are used to the rough waters. There is alot to consider lol but most of my knowledge was gained through this site, so take some time and read through other people's forums.

 

[Tipton34]

Thanks for the advice. I am very experienced with aquariums. But being a college student I run on a small budget. I have done a 10 gallon tank before. All I had was a power filter, live rock, and fish. I was too impatient to let it cycle which killed most of my fish, however I had a damsel survive for at least a year. The only problem I ran into was a massive algae growth

 

[Unwritten]

College student myself...and I jumped the gun with my anemone. It's a hobby of patience and wealth. That's for sure lol.

 

[Tipton34]

Ya I think as long as I don't try anything past live rock and fish just basic filtration will be acceptable.

 

[Terrance]

The amount of money getting live rocks, skimmer, and powerheads for both of your tank is at least $1000. Small budgets = long and better (better in terms of planning, but maybe not equipment-wise) builds. Complete the 75g before moving onto the 100g. You might not like operating a SW tank.