Noob with a salt question

[sirclintler]

I am new to the hobby, in the process of building a system now for corals and a few fish, 125 gal tank with 40gal sump, 35 for refuge. Vertex ps, wet dry filter with live rock and rotating spray bar ? MH for lighting 3 x 250w 20k
1) does it matter which salt I use?
2) does the ps remove desolved solids, does it mater where it is located in the system?
3) are floresent lights needed to company the MH'S

 

[homer1475]

Salt doesn't matter really. If you want corals then I would go with a quality reef salt, it has more of the stuff corals need to thrive.

Protein skimmer should probably placed in the sump in a location where your water level stays constant. Typically this is in the first section of your sump, or next section past the drain section.

You usually don't have to supplement metal halides, but some do.

Theres a nice little walk through of how to setup a tank, what equipment is needed, basic chemistry, etc, etc, at the top of these forums labeled " ***SETTING UP: HOW TO!!! Comprehensive list of articles for the newbie aquarist!!!*** ".
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1031074

 

[DBR_reef]

The benefit of more expensive salt is a more consistent chemistry. For a fish only tank it isn't necessary.

 

[sirclintler]

Thank you

 

[thegrun]

1. The salt you use should be close to the parameters you intend to keep the tank at. If you intend on keeping stony corals you would likely want a salt with higher calcium, alkalinity and magnesium, where soft corals would not need those elements quite so high. You can still use a slat mix lower in the big three elements with stony corals but you would likely need to dose those elements more often.
2. The skimmer needs to be in a section of your sump with a stable water level. It should not be in the return pump section of your sump where water levels will fluctuate with evaporation.
3. Florescent lights are not required with MH lights, but they will help show off more colors in your corals and fish.

 

[sirclintler]

Thanks, is it best to stick to one type or the other such as mixing lps and sps? As long as the corals lighting, and flow requirements are met is it that simple? So to speak

 

[thegrun]

It is a little tricky to keep a mixed reef (soft corals, LPS and SPS) as they do best with slightly different water chemistry, but you can definitely walk that fine line, it just takes careful monitoring.