It's a long process but well worth it. You probably won't need the Eheim if
you have enough live rock and a good skimmer. Auqa C makes really good
skimmers, freestanding and hang on. I didn't go with the sump setup because
of the same fears of siphon floods in the event of a power outage. Try to do
about 1.5 - 2 lbs of live rock per gallon. That will take care of your
bio-filtration.

Research and read ALOT before diving in.


wrote in message
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Hi there,

I've been lurking for a while and I'm impressed with all the know-how,
and willingness to share it, on this board. You guys are great!

I'd like to impose on you for a little advice of my own. I've kept a
planted freshwater tanks for three years now, but I'd like to take
advantage of my move from CA to CO to switch to freshwater. However,
I'd like to take advantage of as much of my existing equipment as
possible, and I'm not sure what to use to supplement my existing setup.

My tank is an acrylic 75 gallon short tank, which means it's shorter
and has a bigger footprint than most 75 gal tanks. The tank has a lid
built into it with two big holes where the lights go -- mostly for
feeding, I presume. Behind those, it has two elongated holes, but
they're not right up against the edge, so I'm not sure that an
over-the-back skimmer would attach correctly. Is there a way to
ascertain this without buying one and trying it?

I have an Eheim 2028 filter that I *think* can be used in sal****er as
well as freshwater. Is this worth keeping, or is filtration negligably
useful compared to skimming?

The thought of setting up a sump doesn't excite me, but I'll do it if
necessary. I'm moving to a mountainous area of Colorado and I'm
worried about power outages due to storms. I really don't want an
outage to lead to flooding because the siphon overflows either the sump
or the tank. Is this a problem? Also, the stand I built doesn't have
a whole lot of room underneath for an additional tank.

Are there any good free standing skimmers? That seems like the
simplest option to set up; I could simply put it underneath the tank
next to the filter. What brands do you recommend?

I plan to use live sand (well, actually I'd like to seed some Florida
crushed coral with Agra-Alive, if possible) and some live rock, so that
should help with water quality.

I'm rather befuddled about the filtration/skimming question in general.
I welcome any and all advice! Thank you very much!

-- Kathy