Help!! I know I'm over my head - need advice

[SDnewbie]

I love to snorkel and decided it's time to jump in and look at my reefs and fish at home!
I've never had an aquarium, but I want to have a salt water reef system with beautiful fish.

I got a "good deal" on a 125 gallon Clear for Life wet/dry filter UniQuarium.
It has a 250 watt Eheim heater, Rio 1700 pump, bio balls, filters etc.

I've made a few purchases on SDreefs.
I got 2 Current USA Orbit Marine Aquarium LED lights (48" - 60") and
2 Koralia Evolution 1400 pumps with a Hydor smart wave controller.

I bought 80 pounds of Aragonite sand and 50 pounds of Key Largo dry rock from
Marcorocks.com. I was told to add Micro Bacteria to the water to cure the rocks.

I plan to get my water from Scripps Pier, but I'm trying to learn as much as I can
before I actually start my tank. I'm starting out slowly so I don't crash my tank!!

I've been asking lots of questions and reading advice you've given to others, but
I think my UniQuarium is quite different from the ones I've been reading about.
( for example - Do I even need a protein skimmer?)

Am I headed in the right direction? What do I do next? Help!! SDnewbie

[CMD2213]

Welcome to the hobby and yes PATIENCE IS KEY!

[hydrahawk]

Welcome! It looks like you might not have the space in the back for a skimmer. I know there are a few skimmers on the market designed for All-In-One (AIO) tanks, you might look into them to see if they will fit in the back. What types of corals would u like to keep?

[sdnd]

welcome to the community! well some questions to start off with is what do you plan on keeping in your tank. that will pretty much dictate what equipment is "necessary" or is a bonus to have. for skimmers you can always look into a HOB (hang on back) skimmer if you don't have space in the back of the tank, OR you can drill your tank and then you can have a sump and put a skimmer in that. all depends on your budget as you know this hobby isn't cheap!

good luck and ask away!

[SDnewbie]

I'd like to have soft coral, live rock and several colorful fish. I'm just looking for lots of color and coral that moves in the current.
Is a skimmer necessary for that? Another question - If I fill my tank with the water from Scripps pier do I always need to add that
water or can I later add RODI and a salt mixture?

[sdnd]

skimmer is nice because it'll keep your tank cleaner longer then without one. you can always just keep up with water changes and do them more frequent if you have access to scripps pier. you don't technically add anything other then "top off" water which is RODI, since your water will evaporate and the salinity will increase over time since salt doesn't evaporate you need to top off. then when you do water changes to remove dirty water and replenish with new water, usually 10%, you would use scripps. if you are religious on water changes and maintenance you can go without a skimmer. just have a good filtration system and you should be good. and if things turn bad you can always add a skimmer later.

good luck!

[SDnewbie]

Thanks for the skimmer advice. I have a new question - If I start my tank with 125 gallons of water from Scripps pier, do I have to keep using that Scripps water or can I top off with RODI and then use RODI and salt mix when I do my water changes?
Thanks, SDnewbie

[cutterx23]

Yes you can always use mix, you're not locked in to one or the other. Go back and forth and find what works best for what you want to grow