First time salt questions

[ron101]

Here's another no vote for DSBs.

I ran one and in a couple years it became a nutrient factory for algae and the corals stopped growing. Unfortunately most of the articles on the subject promote the theoretical benefits but fail to mention the long term realities. The high initial cost of all that sand, the constant restocking with detrivore kits, and the questionable long term success rate do indeed make DSB's oldschool. Now I run an inch or so of crushed coral (one bag-cheap) and vacuum it with every water change (labour is free). Save yourself the money, the water volume, and future headache and go CC or BB.

As for the halides and heat. Almost everyone running them in the lower mainland has some heat concerns in the summer time. Raising the light, shortening the duration, providing air circulation across the water surface, and reducing the number of powerheads are ways of managing.

HTH