Why does fresh water evaporate faster then salt-water?

Nano salt water tank help? (experts only)?

• I have a few questions I would like to put out there. Please, people who actually own a saltwater tank, and only with a lot of experience. I have received my JBJ 28 gallon nano cube CF quad! Yet I could use a little bit of help here, I need to polish off my knowledge of the subject before I even take it out of the box. 1) I plan to make the 3 stage filter cartridge into a refugium as is suggested on the site as an option, and throw away the bio balls as fast as possible. Is it okay to grow chaeto algae in the refugium right when the tank is new and in the cycle process? 2) I want to put some live sand into the tank, along with live rock. Should I get these from my LFS, or online? 3) How long does the cycling process take? 4) Is a skimmer really needed for a tank of this size? If so, where may I be able to get one appropriate for the tank? 5) Should I get pre-mixed salt water from my LFS, and how does one go about filling a brand new tank with the water? Do I put live rock and sand in first, then fill the tank? (please explain how and what to do in order to fill the tank, you know, what goes in fist and in what manner) 6) how fast will water evaporate when it comes to a tank of this size, and would it be smart to invest in an ATO? 7) How powerful of a light/lamp is needed to grow Chaeto algae? I plan to prop a lamp right on the window of the refugium/filter area. Will florescent work fine? 8) When the tank is already filled with saltwater, I am assuming when you top off the tank, because salt does not turn into a gaseous form like water, will I just have to top the tank of with ro/di water, so salt levels are not too high? 9) What corals do you recommend me getting? I need corals that really pop, but will not break my wallet. I am mainly looking at polyps and soft corals, and maybe some easy to keep hard corals! Thank you for your time, it means a lot to me =)

• Answer:

  1) Yes. See #3 on the cycle, tough, as if not using live rock, and actually doing a cycle, then wait on the microalgae as ammonia is harmful to it. 2) If the LFS has some live sand they have been using, get it as it likely has pods and other additional life in it. Otherwise it doesn't matter. Liverocknreef.com has some real stuff that has all sorts of good critters and is a great option. I even got a sand sifting starfish, cucumber, and urchin in with my live sand form them!!! 3) Instant if you use established/cured live rock. A few weeks if the rock is not done curing (like it was shipped overnight). 4) No skimmer needed on the small tanks, in fact on nanos you can run the risk of over skimming! Unless you are doing a lot of SPS, you don't need one. 5) Mixing your own is cheaper. You can be lazy and buy the stuff from the store too though if you want to waste the money. On the small tanks, just mix the salt in separate 5 gallon buckets. Read the instructions on the salt mix! You can get clean buckets for cheap at HomeDepot or Lowes. Usually rock first, then sand, but that is for a tank where you might have sand burrowing animals. Many people who do not plan on sand animals will do sand then rock, but rock then sand is a more stable rock pile foundation. Then pour the water slowly over the rock to not stir the sand too bad. In larger tanks I mix the salt in the empty tank about halfway, then do the rock, then lay the sand bag on the bottom, cut with a razor and roll eh sand out of the bag, then fill the rest of the way with the buckets of water. 6) Not fast with the lid. ATOs are great, too, but a top off on that smaller tank will not be excessive amounts of work. 7) Fluorescent are fine. Get a spectrum 6,500k-10,000k. A CF is better. JBJ makes a little refugium light that isn't bad: http://www.google.com/products/catalog?hl=en&rlz=1I7GGLD_en&q=refugium++light&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&biw=1120&bih=637&wrapid=tlif131110938621510&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=3719370430032250280&sa=X&ei=E_ElTrS9C-LYiALSkLXeCQ&ved=0CHIQ8wIwAQ# I have a 5 gallon refugium and use this light: http://afishybusiness.com/FiltersRefugiums/CPR_Aquatics/Refugium_Light_Fixture_18W_13_by_CPR_Aquatics?zenid=tve1mdrt98vrhrrck6itilhgl4 I've used normal fluorescent aquarium lights before too. 8) yep. But best to regularly check salinity anyway. Hydrometers are cheap. 9) I assume you got the CF model, not the halide upgrade. Some easy coral that does well: soft corals and polyps Cabbage leather Nephthea leathers most mushroom most zoas pipe organ LPS: candy coral/trumpet coral blastomusa acanthastrea whisker coral/duncans frogspawn and other euphullia (has a long reach and will attack coral it can reach) pagoda flow cup most brains fox coral SPS: Pavona cactus coral horn coral cup coral montipora Some of the cheaper coral is frags of the candy coral (learn what frags are (pieces of coral) and ask for them and even get involved in "frag swaps"! I got most my coral cheap as frags. And I've found on my 30 gallon nanos, adding a SEIO or KORALIA nano powerhead only helps.