40 gallon newbie setup...

[hoss]

How much crushed coral gravel should I buy?
How much live rock? It will be the main aquascaping.
What kind of Fish would be best(im a newbie)
Agressive or community?
Inverts I like the sound of lobsters.
Equipment Do I need a protien skimmer? They sound expensive .
What kind of filtration would be adicuate(gallons a hour)? Pumps?
I apprecate any answers and please dont all say get a larger tank! Cause I dont want to go bankruped.

 

[mr.marine]

hey
here are some tips...
i have a forty gallon my self!
- add about 2 inches of coral but it can vary at some spots less or more. dont lay the coral flat let it go wherever and make a mountany effect.
-dont start off with too much rocks. add it at about 8-10 pounds a week or less. you sould gradually build that up to about 60 pounds. u dont have to have alot of rock if you prefer not to.
- you do not need a protein skimmer although in the future when you have more money it would be handy. if you get lots of live rock it will help filter the water alot! i have a fluval 303 canister filter. i have carbon, a sponge and PACKED with BIO-MAX rings. make sure you have EVCELLENT bio filtration.!
- i would not reccomend getting a lobster in the tank of that size becaus tehy can be aggresive! a lobster wont think twice before chomping on a small fish. you should get a cleaning crew to start to cylcle ur tank or cycle it alone with only rock. a cleaning crew includes some shrimp and crabs.
anything else?

 

[grouperhead]

hmm, do livesand and a dsb instead of cc, trust me it will be alot better in the long run. i would go with a community fowlr. there are tons of good beginner fish, so do some reading and research and find some that you like. i would go with a protein skimmer. you will want a cleaning crew (order one from this site). if you are going to have inverts never ever use any copper in that tank. you will also want some powerheads. theres lots more stuff, so go check out some books or do a search at www.google.com. bo

 

[hoss]

Thankes for the quick response .
So I shoild buy about 10lbs of live rock to get it started cycling. Should I add any fish to start cycling also?
Whats the rule of thumb on mow many inchs of fish per gallon?
When you say cleanup crew what inverts would be best ( for cost)generaly speaking?
Hermit crabs and snails Im thinking.
Ive read I should stack the live rock up in the back And leave a large open swimming space. IS this right?

 

[mr.marine]

i wouldnt satrt too much in the back. make caves for the fish. they love it. alsdo make sure ther are lots of hiding spaces. have lots of current!!!!! in my 40 gal i have TWO power heads and a jet sprayer from the return hose. i would suggest cycling with rock only. add about 15 pounds then next week add 15 more. let it sit for about a month or a bit less. constantly check the ammonia and nittate and nitrite.