My dad just got a 46 gallon URO tank (bow front). He wants to do salt water, and I am gonna help him as I know alittle bit, not much though. All I have is a 20 gallon salt tank with some live rock, a snail and a snowflake eel. He basically wants to do a reef tank (the eel is staying in his 20 gallon), he wants some corals, a few fish an anenome or two. He would like seahorses, but I told him I dont think they are doable with fish and I haven't seen them in like a year anyway.
The tank, a 46 gallon, will have 2 light strips 1 atinic and 1 50/50, a tronic heater, a couple power heads, an emperor filter (came with the tank), and a fluval 404 canister filter. I will probably take the biowheel off the emperor so it doesn't drive the nitrates up. We will probably add a protein skimmer to it.
Some questions
What other equipment should we get?
Is crushed coral or sand better?
If we do sand, how deep should the sand be? And is "Live Sand" worth the money?
Is 1 pound per gallon of live rock really neccessary or can we do less and use some other rocks along with it (which will eventually become live rock as well right?)? I was thinking a pound per 2 gallons (23 pounds or so)?
I am going to steer him towards hardy corals and low light corals because he doesn't have the best lighitng. Basically its gonna be 2 strips lights, one with an atinic bulb and one with a 50/50. Will this be sufficient for a few varieties of mushrooms and some polyps and such? Will a gorgonia (sp?) be able to live in this? Could a leather coral do well with this lighting? How about xenia?
For an anenome, I was thinking either a bubble tip or a long tenetacle. Which is hardier, and which will be less likely to harm the corals?
What supplements should we use? Is kalkwasser the best to use for calcium?
What media should we use in the fluval filter?
We are going to get the tank going with corals and invertebrates before adding any fish. When we do add fish. My dad wants a pair of clowns, so probably 2 perculas, and I was thinking maybe a purple psuedochromis or something, a yellow tangs (is a 46 big enough for a tang?), maybe a talbots damsel (i like them), and one or two other small fish.
Thank you for any help.
