i have a few questions about filtration, please help me out

[buggzy702]

1)im new at saltwater and i was told i need a protein skimmer, can i just use protein drops?

2) i added live sand yesterday morning and my tank is still very cloudy, anyone know why? or what i should do?

Id appreciate the help

[ToddTT]

Protein skimmers can be optional. But you'll want to limit the number of fish you add, be careful not to overfeed, do water changes religiously, and occasionally run carbon or a Polyfilter pad.

When you add a protein skimmer to many systems, the collection cup will resemble this:



There are many models to suit all needs, so I would heavily consider getting one.

As far as the cloudy water, what sort of filtration do you have at the moment?

Don't add any fish for a good while, and have a look here if you haven't already:

Setting Up a FOWLR Aquarium

[buggzy702]

oh okay, what about air pumps, is it needed?

[ToddTT]

No air pumps needed.

What's in your setup now?

[buggzy702]

well i went with a basic set up, just fake coral, live sand, heater and a regular filter that came with my tank( 37 gallon )

[brisperel]

as far as your tank being cloudy it can take some time to settle. took my 55gal almost 4 days to become clear again