hey, im new to this and need some advice on what filter and powerhead to get.

[isaac]

hey i had a super idea to start a marine aquarium. I used to have goldfish wen i as 11 but they were lame and boring

I live in North West Australia and have huge tidal movements where i live 9m tides! so when the tide is out there is heaps of rock pools around where i can throw a net and catch heaps of cool fish for free, ive done this before to get bait to go fishing.

i know i need a biological filter, powerhead, heater, and apropriate lighting, but im buying all my stuff off ebay so i can get it cheap
. i plan to make my own skimmer later on wen i try to put other creatures in such crabs and mantis shrimps

i need a hand with deciding what substrate to put in and what size filter i need, the tank im going to buy is around 1m long and 50-60cm wide

add me on msn p_o_w12@hotmail.com

[philolsen]

I have bought almost all my equipment off ebay and have not had any issues, I just got two items this week as a matter of fact. A Odyssea 260w light and a Fluval 404 Filter. I have also gotten a Ramora skimmer and 3 maxi jet 1200 powerheads, stay away from the cheaper powerheads, only the maxi's are wotrh it, I found out the hard way. All the research I did pointed me in the directions I took, it is all good equipment without spending big bucks.

[sopranogirl]

Since we are online. Take a look at the vast selection at the internet supplies store. They have a great selection, overwhelming! But atleast you can familiarize with the necessary equipment. I find that local fish stores never have the best equpment for a marine aquarium.

[philolsen]

At least by me, it is much cheaper to buy online and when deals present themselves on EBAY, the UV I bought I got for 70.00 on ebay and sells for 119.00 at the local fish store. It was new in box just cheaper on EBAY. Same for my skimmer, lights and filter. I am currently waiting for 40 lbs of live rock I paid 100.00 on ebay. it sells for 7-10 per pound locally. I will let you know the results of the purchase once received, which will be in a couple days.

[philolsen]

But the way, dont wait for the skimmer, set it up ASAP. I found out the hard way how important they are.

[chefbenry89]

i just want to say that your skimmer is the most important part of your filtration, the only neccary peice. and you cannot over skim and i would not suggest building your own aqua C Ramora is the way to go! and if you plan on geting coral in the future buy a HUGE powerhead, wavemaker even, that you can control the flow.

[charlie]

I hope the guy that started this thread is still alive, this thing is 3 years old Ben.

[berkdog]

hey cool. living by the ocean and getting free fish! that means you probably can get free live sand, free live rock, etc. just be good to it and let things go free when they outgrow your tank!