I had received a 30gal tank and I currently have a freshwater Ann and think I have that well under control so I decided to make the 30 gal saltwater. Currently I am in th beginning stages. I washed all the sand and put it into my tank. And that's where im at. It took almost 4 and a half hours to clean the sand which was a Project in itself as I currently live in an apartment with limited space to do so.
understand it can be a msee.
The questions I have are how do i properly mix the salt with the water? Do I do it in the tank or in a Separate bucket?
for the initial fill you can mix it in tank but it would stir up the sand. the the tank would be cloudy for a couple of days. Also if you do that turn all the filters and circulation to let things settle down for a few days. Or just mix it in a seperate bucket and pour it into the tank with a saucer over the sand.
Which protein skimmer to buy?
I don't use skimmers.
How long do I wait before I put the fish in? I just am very nervous to mess up and end up with dead fish and am looking for a guiding hand for the process. Any advice or help in the right direction would be greatly appreciated.
I would start the tank with macro algaes in (to keep it simple) an in tank refugium. Just a partition at the back. to keep the macro algaes protected from the fish.
then let the system run for a week and add 1 male molly and not add food for a week. Then start feeding 1 flake per day or two. Once you can keep the molly alive for a few weeks then try the most expensive marine fish.
alternatively you can add a raw supermarket shrimp and let it rot. When ammonia and nitrIte spikes drop down you should be ready for a fish.
let us know how it works and best tank ever.
still just my .02