bamaborn81
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Took the plunge and bought an Apex system. I went with AI Hydras, a Finnex 200w heater, Coralife 65 Skimmer, and a Eheim pump.
My First Aquarium 50 Gallon
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Took the plunge and bought an Apex system. I went with AI Hydras, a Finnex 200w heater, Coralife 65 Skimmer, and a Eheim pump.
bamaborn81
Community Member
bamaborn81
Community Member
bamaborn81
Community Member
Yes, lots of research lol. Now I'm trying to figure out how to keep my basic parameters even, like temp, ph, and salinity.
SeahorseKeeper
Where's the mysis?
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You're off to a fantastic start!! 
Palting
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Very nice, an excellent build!!
Salinity fluctuates only with evaporation. Best method of keeping that stable is with an ATO, You can also manually do it daily, but it will get to be a pain afterwards.
Don't chase your pH. It routinely fluctuates depending on the time of day and status of photosynthesis. Best time to check your pH is just before your lights go out, at the end of the lighting period. Don't make the common newbie mistake of chasing the pH with a buffer. The most common cause of low pH is high CO2, usually corrected with increased flow.
Temp should not be an issue, as most homes have AC and an ambient temp of 72, and it appears you already have a heater and controller.
If I were you, my next purchase would be powerheads. You'll need good flow for all those excellent porous rocks to act as good biofilters. How much flow depends on whether this will be a FOWLR tank, or a full blown reef tank with SPS corals.
HTH, and GL!!
bamaborn81
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I'm wanting a mp10. Is it worth it to add the module for the apex for just 1?
Palting
Active Member
I am not a fan of vortech. But, since you have the apex, why not? OTOH, running at max flow of 1500gph, that alone will provide 30X flow within the tank, so it may be better to just run it.
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mcarroll
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If you plan to make it a reef there's a very strong chance you will end up needing two powerheads to adequately flow a narrow tank this size once you have things growing out into the open spaces of the tank. I think even a FOWLR would be better off with two.
Two mp10's would be fine, but makes for a pricey solution (tho not a bad one) when two smaller powerheads would perform the task.
-Matt
Two mp10's would be fine, but makes for a pricey solution (tho not a bad one) when two smaller powerheads would perform the task.
-Matt
glb
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I'd invest in the best test kits you can afford. The more accurate your readings, the better you'll be able to keep things in balance. I have hanna checkers for alk and phosphate, salifert for nitrates, Red Sea pro for mg and Red Sea for ca. What a difference!
bamaborn81
Community Member
I picked up 1 MP10 and so far I love it! I will have to add another when I get the funds. Probably get the Apex add on as well. Tank has cycled and I started my lights which are awesome! Gonna start up a QT and look for a pair of Picasso clowns to add!
