Questions for possible reef

[Joetaff]

Well I have a 29 gallon tank that is just sitting around and I have been entertaining the idea of setting up a reef but Im not sure yet. I would Like to keep the cost low and consequentially will be using alot of stuff I have lying around. ok here we go

1) whats this I hear about base rock? CAn you mix it half and half with live rock and eventually the good stuff will grow on it as well? b/c where I am LR is $10/lb......would It be cheaper to order online? and if so does anyone have any experience/ advice? As of now LR is looking to be my biggest expense and really it is keeping me from wanting to dive into reefkeeping.....cheap is good.

2)What kind of lights, I was looking into the coralife 2x65 watt fixture. If I did that should I go 100% actinic or use 50/50's? I dont want to grow any hard corals or have clams that need metal halide/t5 beasts that rival the intensity of the sun and cost what a small country in South America might.

3)What substrate and how deep

4)How do you filter a saltwater aquarium, I hear canisters were bad....maybe just a HOB or 2??

5)I have a maxijet 900 powerhead, what else do I need for flow.

6) Fish Flame angel, pair of clowns, goby of somekind. couple cleaners......good stock??

7)sump......I wouldn't even know where the hell to begin, drilling, plumbing, auto top off....damn, I really would like to just skip on that whole deal.

okay I will have more Questions soon but If you want to answer any of those great, dont worry about tackling all of em. really lighting and LR are my biggest concerns right now.

Thanks, John

[kau_cinta_ku]

I suggest start reading the stickies at the top of this forum, most of your questions are answered there.

[the droob]

Hey John ,hope these will help you decide (what to build not if to build).
1.I dont know if online is cheaper but you will need L/R.I have used base rock with some live scattered thru and had no probs but it will take a lot longer for your tank to find its balance.

2.If you just want a few fish with some easy care inverts then fluro's will work just fine.So long as your tank isnt to deep.

4 filtering can be done several ways but a sump is a good idea.I used a basic sump with a protien skimmer setup in the sump for years on one tank I had (till we moved inter state).A must in your filter system is a good skimmer,most important!

5.I'm not sure of the diamentions of your tank but your maxijet 900 sounds ok. Hopefully someone else can help there.

7.Well thats back to filtering , you don't need to drill holes in your tank to set up a sump and plumbing is easily done with tubing and /or pvc piping from your local hardware store.

Just remember to take things one step at a time and you can run a marine tank very successfully on a budget.You wont be able to keep most hard corals and some fish but that still leaves a big selection to keep and as time goes by you might be able to upgrade stuff to improve you tank.
All the best, Beetle Bailey(aka the droob)

[Playa-1]

I agree the best thing that you can do for yourself now is to start reading. Read the stickies on this site. Read a couple of reputable books on the subject. Most of your questions will be discussed in detail to give you the pros and cons of different ways of doing things. I think the structured approach in a good book is the best way to get this information down. You don't want to buy anything or make another move before you get the reading out of the way. Here's a gr8 link for you.

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2008-01/tips/index.php