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Leah
Good afternoon, everyone. I need advice from marine aquarium specialists. I want to get an aquarium. A marine one. I've gone through a lot of literature. I realized it's very expensive (reef, especially mixed or SPS). I want to start with something simple. Live rocks and a couple of fish. I'm thinking about a volume of 140 liters or so. Then, over time, when I gain experience and have extra funds for upgrading the aquarium (buying equipment), I will move on to soft corals, and we'll see from there... Basically, what I've understood so far is that I need: an aquarium - 140 liters on average; - sump - do I need a sump right away for live rocks and a few fish? Or can I just install a skimmer (protein separator) and a small built-in filter directly in the aquarium? - Regarding the skimmer - please suggest a suitable brand. I found one called Aqua Medic Miniflotor Abschäumer up to 200l/h for 35 euros, but I think that might be too cheap. There's also the Tunze 9001.000 DOC Skimmer, which is almost 90 euros. - I looked at two pump heads for creating flow, like the Hydor Koralia nano for 30 euros. - For lighting - will built-in lamps that come with the aquariums work (I'm only talking about live rocks and fish), right? What other equipment will be necessary for the setup? I have RO water, I will buy salt, and tests for nitrates, nitrites, and ammonia. I'm thinking of using crushed coral or white sand for the substrate. I would appreciate any comments and suggestions.