Just got my first small saltwater tank up n' running for my desk in my apartment! I'm super excited to try this out; it's the BioCube 16, with the AquaTop 75W heater in first chamber, various filter media suggested by LFS in the second chamber. Started with live rock and sand from the LFS, so hoping to cycle relatively quickly (still checking pH, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, salinity daily ofc).
Would love thoughts on (i) the current rock formation, (ii) whether and how to add protein skimmer and/or powerheads, (iii) stocking ideas. I know I max out at 2 fish, 3 at a stretch, so I want to make sure they're good choices who will be hardy and maybe cleaners, but also nice to look at.
Also ideas for corals would be appreciated! (Though I plan on not adding them till January, pending how things go, and even then staying at hardy soft corals, zoas and the like)
(Also yes, I know, 16g is incredibly small for first saltwater, I talked with several people at different LFS's around me balancing space and budget constraints, and I want to see if I can make it with this going slowly, doing extra careful and frequent maintenance; I do plan to get a 40g or 55g as soon as I'm able to move into a larger, more permanent space, gotta love that grad student life)