• Help with the equipment.

  • Erica

Before salting and re-equipping the 230-liter aquarium, I decided to practice on a smaller volume... I chose the marine set Aquael 30 liters + additional lighting. The problem is that this set does not include a protein skimmer... can you recommend one to use? Another question about the water: since I don't have an osmosis system yet, I will buy distilled water from the pharmacy for the 30-liter aquarium, which I will then salt... In general, the tap water has the following parameters: KH=13-14, Gh=3-4, Fe=0, PO4=0, NO3=10-15, NO2=0.05, Ph=7.6 (JBL tests). Can this water be used for salting a larger aquarium? I would appreciate any advice... P.S. maybe it's better to go for a DIY setup with a sump instead of Aquael...?

Darrell5975

What kind of salt do you recommend using?

Darlene4238

from good and affordable options we have: Tropic in - PRO-REEF (I use this one) or Aquarium Systems - Reef Crystals. You can also consider Tetra (it's cheaper), but many complain that it has low calcium and magnesium.

Kimberly2102

One more question: I want to use crushed coral as a substrate. Can you advise on the optimal fraction size and the thickness of the layer to apply?

Jose

According to reviews, coral gravel should be smaller, ideally aragonite sand, as the gravel tends to darken over time and loses its aesthetic appeal, while sand remains white. However, if you still want coral gravel, I would recommend a size of up to 5 mm.

Randy

Almost everything is ordered... the open question is with the sand... I ordered coral gravel in the fraction of 2-5 mm from the aquarium, but there isn't enough of it... Although I haven't decided yet what kind of sand I need (I'm afraid of live sand)... please advise what it should be like and how much (fraction, layer, weight), I would be very grateful for any information...

Guy

as an option

Danielle9144

I decided on the sand ... ordered live (they convinced me on the air rifle) .... Now we are waiting for all the equipment to arrive.

Kimberly3727

+1 to AS Reffcrystals CaribSea sand is also great, quickly populated by the right animals.

Elizabeth882

Sand, additional light for Aqual 30L, UV for the VZN-3 filter, and a hydrometer have arrived... I'm waiting for the aquarium itself, salt, and tests from Akvaria.