[kazin]

About 6 months ago I got this salt water aquarium from a friend of my moms who was going through a break up.

We previously only had fresh water tanks. We immediately started buying cool looking fish and spending a lot of money on these fish, but we couldn't seem to keep them a live.

Our tank sat there, and now I want to redo it.

So I was reading these forums and noticed a few things that I have not priviously heard of before

Questions #1: Is a sump necessary to have a nice reef aquarium? I have a 45 gallon tank.

Question #2: We still have three fish miraculously living in this tank, 1 is a blue damsel fish, then we have a yellow fish, and a black and white zebra looking fish with a little blue stripe on the edge of his caudel fin. Should I get rid of them (if so how), or should I set up a small tank, like an acclimation tank to hold them while I redo the tank.

Question #3: I have read through the forums and I have read about the cycling process, Should I just get rid of my sand, and get new sand (idk if my sand still has the proper nutrients and stuff it needs?) or can I just take out the water and put in new water and then replace the 50% weekly and continue from this point, and can I use regular faucet water with the dechlorinater stuff or is it better to use special water?

Question #4: Asking this question kinda makes me feel stupid, but I suppose I'll never learn if I don't ask the question. What do I use to test the Ph and Alkalinity <sp?>, nitrite and nitrates? Do the testers have special names, or just "Ph tester"? and about what is the average price of a good tester for each?

Thanks in advance, and I really appreciate any and all feedback. BTW I'm incredibly nooby at the reef aquarium thing, so while I do plan on reading many of the good articles on RBF's, if you feel there is any certain place I should start looking, please kindly point me in the proper direction, I really hope my tank can look as nicely as some of yours in the future :]

Thanks~

[RyanG]

1) No you don't have to have a sump, it will just make your life easier in the long run.

2) I would suggest selling them or giving them back to your LFS

3) Get new sand, either purchase live sand, or get southdown playground sand and see with a few pounds of live sand. I wouldn't use a decholorinator, water that is recommended is RO/DI water or just RO water. You can purchase this at walmart or purchase a RO filter for about $99 which is what most reef builders do. Plus your family can have fresh pure water.

4) You need to look at a saltwater supplier for test kits, good test kit brands are: Seachem, elos, and Salifert.

Welcome to RB Edd!

[pogodzib]

Welcome to Reef Builders Edd

1.) No a sump isn't necessary, but it does add water volume which makes a tank more stable and gives you a place to hide some equipment.

2.) Having a different tank (a q-tank that you can use for all future purchases) to hold them in while you set your tank redone would probably be prefered (if you set it up correctly) or a close second would be to see if your LFS will take them back and hold them for you until your ready for them.

3.) If the sand is full of detritus (waste) then you'll want to remove all of your sand and replace it with new sand. It would be much easier to do it now then later once your tank is full of fish, LR, etc... and you are having algae or nitrate problems. Water changes alone won't solve your problems if the sand is full of waste. As for water, RO/DI water is highly recommended for reef tanks due to the strong lighting. Poor water quality will cause algae issues, along with other issues that could affect your fish and coral success.

4.) All pet stores that sell fish supplies should sell test kits. Salifert, LaMotte, and Elos are good brands. Just make sure that you buy test kits that are made for testing saltwater. Freshwater kits will not work.

[kazin]

First I want to say thank you for your warm welcomes, and helpful advice! ^^

Now I would like to toss more questions out there, yay!

I searched up sump information on the RB's forums and I stummbled across this link
Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sumps, Part I by Greg Taylor - Reefkeeping.com

I saw other pictures of sumps, and IF I ever make our 90 gallon tank into a reef aquarium I will definately put a sump on just because it sounds like a good idea, so I'm going to learn as much about them as I can now.

So I was wondering, if I have a sump on my tank along with a protein skimmer, do I need a filter? and if I don't have a filter will I need to clean the sump? or will the natural system of the tank keep itself clean (via crabs, snails, ect...)?

Also I noticed one pic of a sump with LR maybe? in it, is there an importance to what I put in the sump, will it help filter out things? or was I looking at something different and just mistaking it for a sump?

Thanks~
I'm sure there will be more questions, but atm my mom is calling me ^^ and until I move out it's just something I'll have to deal with.