First Saltwater Tank

[dstipple]

Hi all, let me start off by introducing myself. My name is David and I go to FSU. My whole life I've loved the ocean especially fishing and I have wanted a tank since I was probably 13 or 14. I seriously considered getting into the hobby about 4 months ago and shortly after found this site. I learned basically everything I know from this website from reading EVERY post and posting a few questions myself. So thank you to all that responded to my questions and everyone else for posting yours as I would have eventually asked the same ones!
So on to the good stuff :bounce3:... I purchased a 46 Bowfront with matching stand, lights (Coralife PC), and 3 filters (HOT Magnums which I will only be using to "spot clear" my tank if I notice that is any floating debris). The light had no legs or anything to sit on the stand so I fabricated my own from some aluminum angles and rivets my Dad got me from work. You cant really make it out in the pics but I'll post one later if anyone wants to see it. For now the PC will work as I don't plan on keeping any corals for at least a few months so when I decide to do corals I will upgrade to some type of LED's. I started off with 35 lbs of base rock, 13 lbs or live rock, and 60 lbs of Arag-Alive Figi Pink Sand. http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/dstipple/rock.jpg
After quite a bit of aquascaping this is what I came up with
http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/dstipple/tank2.jpg
One of the pieces of live rock had this guy on it
http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/dstipple/polyp.jpg
Sorry for the blurry pic but if you guys can tell me exactly what this is it would be greatly appreciated! The guy at the LFS told me it was some sort of polyp, but didn't know what specific type it was. Its mostly purple with a little orange. And this is the most recent pic with the water clearing up pretty nicely. http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/dstipple/tank3.jpg
As for my fish list all I have/want as of now is a gold stripe maroon clownfish (perfect FSU fish lol) and a chainlink eel (I have already talked to my LFS about trading it in once it becomes too large for my 46). I also want some sort of goby/blenny more as part of my CUC than a show fish so if it isn't the prettiest looking fish I really don't care. Feel free to make suggestions as to what you guys think would be good additions to my tank, but I really dont want more than 4-5 fish total (counting the eel/clownfish). Hope you guys enjoy the pics and as my tank progresses I'll keep the pics coming!

[Brwestern]

Is that eel very aggressive?

[hollister]

EELS are not reef safe and your tank looks to new for any fish or corals.
If its corals you want then a few reef safe fish can be beneficial but trying both will only become a nightmare but after a few months and after many hours and much money spent.

You need to decide on a reef or fish tank for better success.

[ZPavDesign]

Eels are reef safe up to a point. If you keep an eel you wont be able to have invertebrates, shrimp, crabs, ect. Your also risking any small fish you may have in the tank with it.

Like Hollister said, figure out if your wanting to keep a reef tank or a fowlr tank. They both can be beautiful in their own way. ;)

[shifty51008]

the pic your asking about are zoa's just closed.

[sporto0]

Most eels will wreck your rock work, the bigger they get, the worse it becomes.

[IridescentLily]

Hi, i'm new to reef tanks too!
I like your tank and rockwork. I've got zoas too, i love the variety of colors.
Forgive me if you already mentioned it here but have you cycled your tank yet?
I'll be watching this thread with interest :)

[Curious George]

Congrats on taking the jump. Nice tank too. It's a good size to start with. You might want to reconsider that eel if your goal is a reef tank. A Chainlink will devastate a tank of that size and any corals you get will be smashed around.

[dstipple]

Well I've always wanted an eel so I'm starting off with a FOWLR tank. By the time the eel has become too large/aggressive I will most likely have saved up enough money to upgrade my lights and start buying different corals. It's kind of a couple year plan to shift from a FOWLR to reef and I think by doing this I'll have better success with corals by having an established tank. And I'm aware that I'm not ready to add fish being that my tank is 3 days old lol

[sporto0]

Water quality is the key to corals, be careful not to overload your FOWLER & then try to add corals, while system maturity is a good thing for reefing, stable water parameters are more important, fish = Nitrates = headaches in a reef.