advice.........??

[cripps72]

ok like before this is first saltwater setup and im just trying not to mess it up.Its a 55 tank wpen. 350 bio-wheel,i have 2 power heads at 212gph,red sea 60 skimmer,and running a 50/50 light, 250watt heater and already have sand which i know mistake its not live sand and the bed will be approx. inch and a half deep and the rock i have approx.30lbs of holey rock and will be getting 25lbs of live rock and ro water this week for the tank is this ok ,wrong or missing something? Also in regards to the holey rock which is a type of limestone will that effect water and about how long will it take for the live rock to take over and eventually turn holey rock live?and once i have water and rock in i was going to get a couple deli shrimp to throw in for cycle,but once tank is ready i was thinking about cleaning crew first and if that is ok do i add iodide for them. Any help appreciated thank you

 

[murph]

Everything sounds fine.
If it where me here is some does and donts for setting things up
Do place your base rock in first then sand. Dry argonite is fine. Inch and a half is just right IMO. After filling the tank with ro water mixed to the right SG put your LR on top of the base rock.
Do check your SG with a refractometer or find someone with one that can verify the accuracy of your hydrometer.
Don't rearrange the rock work after the fact. It looks just fine where it is.
Don't expect your skimmer to do much in the first few months. It takes time to break in and theres nothing in your tank to skim any way.
IMO dead shrimp is overkill. Ghost feed the tank a pinch of flake food every couple of days for the first week.
Do get a basic test kit and start testing every couple of days to see how your cycle is going.
Do plug your heater in and see where it needs to be set to keep the tank at the temp you want or even if the heater is capable of doing so. Its hard to find a good heater.
Do replace the suction cups that came with your PHs to larger ones that will actually keep the PHs secured. Sand storms suck. Shoot for at least 15x turn over with your power heads alone. You may need a few more. Get the Hydor flow deflectors if corals are in your future. They make a world of difference.
Do expect to make some mistakes. Everyone does. Even the old timers will forget to do something here or there when setting up a tank. Research and visiting forums like this are vary good but there is no substitute for hands on experience. You will most likely learn something new every day.
Above all do have fun. Its a great yet sometimes expensive hobby. Be patient, don't expect things to happen over night and welcome to the hobby