• Help, please advise on starting a 250L marine aquarium.

  • Daniel9952

I have had a freshwater aquarium my whole life and have long dreamed of the sea, especially after two trips to Egypt, but once I visited the sea, I became completely obsessed with it. I want to set up a 250-liter (100x50x50 LWH) marine aquarium. I understand that my hobby is not inexpensive, but each of you has experience with equipment and livestock, so where can I get reasonably priced items and not spend a fortune on expensive equipment? I'm interested in the following: 1. Is it worth making the aquarium partially from ultra-clear glass? What thickness of glass is needed for the sides and bottom? Who can manufacture it? 2. How much substrate do I need, and is sand or coral sand better? 3. How much dry rock and live rock do I need in the right proportions, and where can I get them at reasonable prices? 4. I'm thinking of using a 1MG Sylvania CoralArc 250W and T5 Sylvania Coralstar FHO 39W+T5 actinic 39W lighting setup. Will this be sufficient? And I want to install two fans in the canopy for water cooling in the summer, plus one in the sump cabinet. 5. Who from your experience makes good quality canopies at a reasonable price? 6. For the protein skimmer, do I need an off-the-shelf model, or are there good DIY options that are as good as commercial ones? Thank you in advance for processing the information for me. I look forward to

Larry9400

I think many of your questions can be answered by him. He has both live rocks (Ж.К.) and dry reef rocks (С.Р.К.). I've only heard positive feedback about his lights, as well as his foam. Or you can search for him here on the forum. Regarding the ratio of live rocks (Ж.К.) to dry reef rocks (С.Р.К.), it should be decided individually. There are those who will say "only live rocks (Ж.К.)", while some aquariums have been successfully started with dry reef rocks (С.Р.К.). I personally went for a 2/5 ratio. Choose the substrate according to your taste. For example, I prefer 1mm sand.

Anthony7814

Kulibin is here and even next to you, Vitalik.

Pamela

+1 And among those who will help resolve all questions about the sea - are your neighbors.

Brandon9634

+100

Natalie

You don't need to go far: Alex, here are your guiding stars in the world of marine aquaristics.

Barbara

You are very lucky with your neighbors. Follow their advice and everything will work out for you.

Rachel9060

Yes, there are only 7 of us Zaporizhzhia sailors on the forum.

Karen1649

Fans won't cope. In general, MG and the lid are absolutely incompatible.

Curtis

So, what should we use to cool the water if there’s no air conditioning, and the lamps can’t just hang in the air; they need to be secured somehow. I’m not talking about the lid that covers the freshwater.

Jeffery

The lamp is made and hung over the aquarium, or placed on legs on the side glass.