Hi all,
I am very new to aquariums, and have loved fish ever since I was little. I have finally decided to buy one after about two weeks of studying (I never reaslised so much went into an aquarium!).
I love the fact that everything needs to be done slowly and surely, as I'm not one that likes to rush things, as well as the challenge that raising a healthy tank creates (also the sheer beauty of a healthy reef system).
Ultimately I am looking to be purchasing a 500 litre (about 130 gallons) tank to start my marine/reef aquarium. I wanted to get a larger tank as it fits well with the room I had in mind, and it will be slightly more lenient on me if I make a mistake (hopefully not too many ). I would rather get everything proper now so I don’t regret anything later on.
The filtration method I was intending to use was lots of live rock, a protein skimmer as well as a wet/dry biological ball (with rotating arm). It wasn’t until I stumbled across this forum that I noticed a few users mentioning to get rid of bio ball filters. I did a little more study on these and noticed that they could cause high spikes in nitrate levels if not looked after properly (something I definitely don’t want).
Could anyone please offer any advice on how I should approach this filtration dilemma? I realise that no method is the 'only way', but if you could offer me some personal pro/con’s of what you’ve used in the past, and perhaps some direction I should look at it would be highly appreciated.
By the way this is trully an awesome forum; the pictures and users posts alone are what tipped me over the edge to finally deciding to take up this challenge!
Cheers,
Mowy
I am very new to aquariums, and have loved fish ever since I was little. I have finally decided to buy one after about two weeks of studying (I never reaslised so much went into an aquarium!).
I love the fact that everything needs to be done slowly and surely, as I'm not one that likes to rush things, as well as the challenge that raising a healthy tank creates (also the sheer beauty of a healthy reef system).
Ultimately I am looking to be purchasing a 500 litre (about 130 gallons) tank to start my marine/reef aquarium. I wanted to get a larger tank as it fits well with the room I had in mind, and it will be slightly more lenient on me if I make a mistake (hopefully not too many ). I would rather get everything proper now so I don’t regret anything later on.
The filtration method I was intending to use was lots of live rock, a protein skimmer as well as a wet/dry biological ball (with rotating arm). It wasn’t until I stumbled across this forum that I noticed a few users mentioning to get rid of bio ball filters. I did a little more study on these and noticed that they could cause high spikes in nitrate levels if not looked after properly (something I definitely don’t want).
Could anyone please offer any advice on how I should approach this filtration dilemma? I realise that no method is the 'only way', but if you could offer me some personal pro/con’s of what you’ve used in the past, and perhaps some direction I should look at it would be highly appreciated.
By the way this is trully an awesome forum; the pictures and users posts alone are what tipped me over the edge to finally deciding to take up this challenge!
Cheers,
Mowy