Hi SeaMunkie, I'm Austin, and would like to welcome you too! Although i haven't found the fancy welcome signs Casey uses. Yep, we pride ourselves in being flame free and not usually getting into insults and the like. If a moderater reads this, i would move it to the General discussion, where it will get more flow(get it, flow
) or you could just copy/paste it there.
First of all, Are Emperor systems = Biowheel systems. I'm not familiar with them. Also, what's in the tank. As saltwater tanks are recommended to have a ph of 8-8.4
Also, about filtration, I was advised in my early days that a skimmer was not necessary, and that i only needed to get one if i needed. In my opinion, and most here, a skimmer is a vital piece of equipment. It is the ONLY continual means of waste export. Many believe that a tank can't even be "over-skimmed", as it does not take many trace-elements out. Also, once the LR is established and if there is enough, it will act as a
biological filtration. With LR and a good, efficient skimmer, almost no other filtration is necessary. Although Water Changes are also usefull, as you know with Freshwater(I have
African Cichlids by the way). Also, are you using any particulate filtration, do you have a sump?
Yes, the RO water is very important, especially if your water is "hard" like mine.
The lighting should be fine with most soft corals(which i love) but if you fall in love with sps and clams, as you might, you can always find a way to upgrade later, how wide is your hood?
About the algae in the sand, is it in big groupings? If you could i would take it out, but i don't think it really matters.
Hope this helps, and i hope we can foster a friendship here!
