Green

[n8dawg]

I am totally green when it comes to saltwater tanks. Freshwater i have had plenty of, but I was just given a 12 g nano cube with a 24 compact flourescent light it has crushed coral around 3 inches thick 1 live rock and a damsel that isnt doing very well. the tank was 1/3 full of water then i pre mixed gallons of dechlorinated water with 1/2 cup of istant ocean. I have tested nitrate, nitrite, ph, and alkalinity all checked out but the hydrometer i got must go through 24 hour set up process. does everything soubd good so far? What I really want to know is what kind of things I can put in it due to the 24 watt compact. Can I do a coral tank with this light. my wife wants the finding nemo of course but i also want coral and invertabrates. Any suggestions? Thanks for your time in advance

[Scuba_Dave]

Read as much as you can on RC for the next 6 months & plan what you want to do
That's basically what I did

With what you have you could keep low level light softies

[welcome]

[n8dawg]

Any suggestions on lit?

[bertoni]

That could be a fun tank. I think it's a bit small for a pair of clownfish, but one should be okay, or you could add some neon gobies. Most soft corals should be okay, although they won't grow all that rapidly.

This article covers water parameters:

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-05/rhf/index.php

You'll need some test kits for corals, and a refractometer to judge the amount of salt needed. Measuring the volume isn't very precise.

This book discusses corals:

[ericsbook]

I would take the damsel back to a store or give it away, and then add enough live rock that you have 12 lbs or so.

[bertoni]

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=239848

Oops, meant to post that thread as a starting point.