How is my FOWLR Setup in your opinion?

[dannable]

Despite extensive research I am finding out new things every day. I even made the mistake of getting suckered into a canister filter and ceramic rings by my LFS. I much rather would have spent this on live rock. Anyways.... Suck it up, right.

I am really worried that I am not on the right track anymore. Here is my current setup. Let me know what you think.

Intended occupants: 2 osc clowns, goby or another peaceful fish or two. 4 turbo snails and 2 cleaner shrimp.
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35 Gallon FOWLR Cycling since Sept. 1st
SG 1.025
Temp 78 degrees
PH 8.4
Ammonia and nitrite a little above 0.1
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Rena XP1 Filter - Now running with only fresh carbon and micro filtration pad. I will replace the carbon at least every 3 weeks and rinse or replace the micro filtration pad weekly. Is it ok that I removed the mechanical filtration foam? Is that what the skimmer does anyway?

Coralife SuperSkimmer 65 - Properly broken in and running 24/7. No microbubbles either!!

15 pounds of Live Rock. Picking up 15-20 pounds of additional live rock this weekend from another LFS in ontario. I think it is 6.99 -7.99 per pound.

30 Watt Florescent Lighting on a timer. Running 4 hours during cycling and going to run 8 when I have fish.

1 powerhead - I forget the flow but it was rated for a 30 gallon aquarium. The Rena is providing water flow on the other side of the tank.

Heater

Anything else I should be doing?

[Avi]

I think that, for the most part, you've set it up well. I'd be down on the canister, too, but yours will be a fish only tank for the most part...no coral, anyway, and so I don't think that you should be concerned about using it and even having some medium in there so long as you change it regularly, say every three weeks or so.

I do think that your lighting may be a bit weak. You don't need anything like the kind of lighting you would for a reef, but one thirty what bulb may be so dim that you can't really appreciate the fish. I'd go up another 30-watts, but of course you can just wait and see how it looks once the fish are in there.

One other thing....the amount of flow that you have may be enough, but try to use some very general rules because you will have a decent amount of live rock in your tank...Check the amount of flow from the canister and the amount from the powerhead in the total gallons per hour. To keep that water moving sufficiently to keep detritus from sitting and collecting on your rockwork and fostering either micro-algae or cyano outbreaks, you should try to get the total flow to about 450gpr or 15X your tank's water volume. Even more if you'd like.

[dannable]

Thanks Evi,

I will calculate my flow. The 30 watt bulb is surprisingly bright so i think for viewing pleasure it will be ok.

Should I put the foam back in the filter or leave it the way it is?

[Avi]

The idea with a reef is to keep nitrates down to as low a number as possible, with zero always being the goal, because inverts, particularly most coral are sensitive to any nitrates. Filter mediums like bio-balls and foam can actually foster some traces of nitrates so it's widely recommended against using them in a reef. But, fish are not so sensitive to nitrates and you don't have to be as vigiliant with keeping the numbers down to zero since your tank will be for the most part, fish only. Using the medium may contribute, then, to a generally cleaner tank, so I'd start out with the foam but watch the nitrates and watch the health of the livestock...with maybe some more focus on the snails and shrimp. I doubt, though, that it will be a problem since you'll have the live rock that you plan and you will have that skimmer on, too. But if you see nitrates going above 20ppm, then I'd be a little concerned about the shrimp in particular, and take the foam out. I think that it'll be fine. If you remember, after some time, post here on what the results you have are.

[dannable]

Thanks again Evi. I appreciate your input. I do have all of the test kits including Nitrate so I will keep a close eye on it. I am in no hurry to add fish. I want everything stable before i do that.