Help With 12g Eclipse

[jorgeinmiami]

Hello, I have a 12g Eclipse tank 1 light version. I want to do a fish only tank to start. I have a few questions....

What items do i need to buy to get going, I know i will need to upgrade lighting. Also do i need a power head or not. Is the eclipse filter enough. Ive been reading you if you change water weekly It should keep tank ok. Does this mean change the water with the type you by at a you LFS. Should i use live rock...

 

PLEASE HELP....

[twflys]

If you are only going to keep fish, there isn't much reason to upgrade lighting, so don't worry about it. The live rock is optional as well, if you want to keep it alive however, you may want to upgrade your lighting to help with coral line algae growth. The power head shouldn't be necassary either, unless again.... you want to keep corals. The stock filter should be fine, but keep in mind that fish do crap a lot. Good luck and keep reading the boards!

[Xwhite]

If you use a filter and no live rock, your nitrate levels will be high all of the time. This will fuel unwanted algae growth. UNLESS, you do regular water changes. Like 10 percent once a week.

 

If you have live rock, no filter and a protein skimmer, you will be able to do less water changes. The disadvantage being that you have to spend more money up-front. AND, it's hard as hell to net a fish in a reef without tearing the damned thing apart.

 

A happy medium is a fish-only w/ liverock tank. You're not trying to keep coral so you don't have to spend alot on lighting. But, you get the benefits of the rock in the deal. At its most expensive, live rock is like 8 dollars a pound.

 

So, there you are. I kept a fish-only saltwater tank in the early nineties when I was just getting into the hobby. Used crushed coral and an undergravel filter even. The tank was beautiful as long as I was taking care of it. When my girlfriend and I broke up and she wanted the tank, it went to hell because she wasn't the type to keep up on water changes and such.

 

John