daugherty
part time reefer
if you get live sand get it out of a tank at the lfs dont buy the baged live sand that crap is just a big rip off
ok. so I guess that I will just get the crushed coral substrait... that is cheaper anyways....im just curious if ordering live rock and other live stock online or in mags is going to be a issue... any thoughts???
Color wont matter as long as it's a calcium based sand. More personal preference.
like everyone here said, DON"T use crushed coral, it just causes problems...
as far as his corals go, there are very very few corals that will live alright under a basic light... go to the LFS and you can find "Mini" t5 bulbs. ours sells them for $15 here and I have one on my 2gl fw tank and the growth on my plants in there was awesome. in the long run the T5 is going to be the best thing you can get... we have fixtures for a 24" 20g here for $70... i'm not sure how much it would cost for a little t5 but probably not too much.
also, a little tank is also going to require a heater...it'll help keep the tempature regulated and everyone happy... you want your tank to stay at a constant 78degrees....
also, what brand of salt are you using or did you get premade water? its always best to use and RODI unit when adding water into your tank thats fresh, it'll take out all the bad stuff... I have both a filtered setup and and RODI unit, or you could buy premade at your local LFS/petstore if they sell SW stuff...
That will be a nice tank. I want to commend you for seeking advice and considering it all as you make some of these choices. When I started I wanted an instant reef in my living room. What I got by going to fast was heartache and a light wallet. So my best advice is go slow, read, ask questions to the forum and have fun. Don't let your failures bring you down, all of us here have made many. That is why we are here, to share our compined knowledge and expereince so that beginners have a better chance of success.
As far as your set up I would say your light will be fine while you cycle the tank. But, put a new t5 on your short term wish list. There are good nano lights you can pick up. Ebay and craigslist are good places to look also. But do be careful. You could end up with junk.
For the HOB filter. I had one on my 35 for a long time. I did not have any filter media in it, I used LR rubble from my LFS and just let the water circulate through it. I cleaned it every other water change and it did a pretty good job.
That heater should be fine just make sure you have an accurate thermometer.
For your water, RO/DI is probably the best long term plan. There is an up front cost of $100+ to get started. I like using prducts from Filter Direct and there are several others you can find with a simple search here that are also very good. But until you want to spend that money, the bulk water from Wal-Mart is good. Just DO NOT use tap. I did and had a ton of headaches for it.
Go with sand (I think you said you were). I just changed out my crushed coral for sand a few weeks ago. Wish i had done it sooner.
Which salt mix? Instant Ocean is pretty good. Not the best, but ok. You can always change later. I know some who use what ever is on sale this month and have no problems. Others will swear by a certain brand. This is one area I think you could experiment without major concerns.
For now I would say get some sand (live sand is not necessary dry is fine) and some live rock and get the tank to cycling. With a tank that size a small power head is probably all you need now. You can add another later. The key now is to get the tank through the cycle. And you will need a test kit. You will need this to know what stage of cycle you are in. Many to chose from. Some are junk, some are expensive junk.
So, I may have re-stated some info you have already had received, but I do tend to ramble.... Good luck and keep asking questions.
Joe
You will need a whole new housing and bulbs. That light on it is good for fish only, but you'll need something stronger for coral. If you're not wanting to spend much you can get by with the 65k compact swirly bulbs from walmart. I run two on my 10 gal and they will keep soft coral no problem, but nothing over that. What I did was build a canopy and put two light sockets in it and the two bulbs. Cost me less than 20.00.