# sump before LR



## seastar120 (Jan 13, 2008)

Hi. I'm starting a 75 gallon fowlr potentially reef aquarim and I was wondering how I should first set it up. I was wondering if I could set up all the filters, substrate, sump and protein skimmer etc. before buying and adding all my LR at once. (I'm on a budget). Also, how much substrate should I have. Is it ok to have 2 inches of substrate w/ 1lb or more of LR per gallon? Please let me know...


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## SKAustin (Aug 1, 2006)

I'm sure somone will correct me if I'm wrong, but I see no problem with your above mentioned plan.


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## conger (Feb 2, 2008)

I agree with SKAustin, your plan looks sound to me. One thing I'll suggest, as this was recommended to me, is that you might try not using a skimmer right from the start, at least until your tank cycles. It might slow down your cycle by removing a lot of the organic material that is feeding the bacteria colonies which are trying to grow. However, I'm sure many people use skimmers right from the start, so its not like you shouldn't do that... just food for thought  Besides, if you're on a budget, that might be something to consider holding off on for a month or so, and use the extra $200 on something else.


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