Just my 2 cents, its not about whether u can or cannot be successful if you dont follow the “golden standard”. Its more about when things start going downhill, if too many variable in the equation it will make troubleshooting very complicated, which factor causing the issue you dont know for sure. So its better to follow the rulebook and use Chiller/RODI and save yourself some trouble? My 2 cents lah Sent from Singapore Reef Club mobile app
I don't mean to be a wet blanket, but I would hardly consider a 2 month old tank to be a success story. Granted, some of the advice that you have received may seem a little extreme, but it is important to note the purpose behind those advice. It depends on your ultimate goal, what you want to achieve for your tank, and applying the knowledge that you have acquired to get it done.
Calculate the volume of water, then determine the rates. So if your tank is 300L, if u use 3000l pump, u are getting ard 10x. For sps keeper, think they usually go above 10x, maybe can search thr as this was discussed in some threads. For lps, 10 or slightly below seems OK, depending on the flow.
If yrs is ISO, you need to measure the space available and then look out for options available. If your tank is 180L, you may want to go for 2000 to 2500 l/hr pump. This mean u have Abt 10 x water turn over within Yr tank. If u keeping sps, high exchange is good. For lps, you may not want to have high exchange due to high flow.
01 IM SR60 Tank 36" x 24" x 16", 10mm high clarity glass
01 IM SR60 Stand
01 IM Custom Caddy
04 IM Spin Stream Nozzle
01 Filter sock holder
02 Return Pumps
01 JEBAO SW4
01 IM Ghost Skimmer (large)
01 Cooling Fan
15 L jerry can
ON Pellets
Eheim 16/22mm connector
Deep six hydrometer
Api kh test kit (used less than 5 times)
Hose holder
Leftover reef salt
Wakemaker jvp102
Acrylic isolation box
Aquarium glass cleaners
All for S$400/-.