Getting back into the hobby

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Hey guys,

It's been a long time since I have been on here. I am looking at getting my tank back up but need some advice. It's an 11 gal nano, with dry and dead rock/sand in it. I know I need to clean everything off but where do I go from there?

Also, is there one type of salt mix and test kit better than another? I have always bought mine from a sw store but want to start mixing it myself for it to be cheaper to get back in the hobby.

Thanks.

 

[Dave & Monica]

After you have saltwater, you'll have to seed everything. Buy some life rock and get some cups of sand/crushed coral from the bottom of the live rock tank. Buy the good stuff like Florida Live rock that has coaline algae on it. That should seed your base rock and sand. For salt, Instant Ocean/or Reef Crystal is the best bang for the buck. Make sure you get a RO/DI unit to start with.

The link here is to all the basic stuff that you can re-read an area as a refresher as needed. Good luck.
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1696795

 

[Dave & Monica]

I've used a lot of test kits - Salifert is a good brand.