FO 125. Help with setup

[calirob]

Hello,
Im in the process of slimming down my 125 from a FOWLR to a FO. The tank sits in the garage and shows through the wall of my kitchen. I sold off all my live rock (I know, I know) to achieve a different look. I am also considering replacing my sand bed crushed rock. I just want a simple set up thats easy to maintain and looks clean, much like a restaurant show tank.
Questions.
1. If I keep my water and sand, do I need to get bio balls in my sump or not? What filtrations do you suggest with FO tanks?
2. Heater. I have a 300w running but my electricity is sky high due to my tanks needs. The tank is in the garage and shows through the kitchen. Temps this winter get down to 40 degrees at night and 60 during the day. Is there better way to get a more efficient heater, or go the super insulated route?
3. Lighting, now I have 2 - 250 MH. Too expensive to run. What do you suggest to get a good look and not kill my electric bill. Actinics? T5?
Thats it for now. Thanks.

 

[mr. limpid]

LR is a great natural filtration, plus fish use this for cover (keep fish unstressed), i personal would keep the live rock. As for light I use a cheep T12 shop light mine sits inside a canopy. Your heater you'll need no matter what unless if you live in the south need to maintain a temp. between 78 to 82.

 

[tangs rule]

1. Live rock is very critical to providing a "natural or normal" look in the tank, it is something the fish kinda expect to have around cause they hide in it, some tangs burrow under it and lay there when scared or at nite (sleep there), and live rock breeds all sorts of tiny worms&shrimps & pods that help maintain a proper food chain system in the home tank. Live rock also assists greatly with the nitrogen cycle and the breakdown of waste products. I'd a kept that stuff! ! ! Running a tank without it will be much more difficult in the long run, as most fish will be more stressed if there's no where for them to feel safe. I'd expect water quality to be harder to maintain without it too.
2. Insulate better than running hundreds of watts of heaters. If part of the tank would be exposed to temps below 65, it is likely you'd need several hundred watts of heat. Esp if temps were to fall to less than 50 over part of the tank. Besides more large heaters = more chances one could go into "boil" mode and run the tank temp above where the fish can survive and kill the lot. Ive gotten to where I replace all heaters every 18-24 months. ( I've had several run away, but the chillers ran enough to keep the tank temp under 82)
3. I'm not gonna be any help on lighting, I just threw out all my HO and compact florescent units and brought out the HQI ballasts&fixtures. everything worked, just needed new bulbs, and just spent $500 on those. at least the halide bulbs last a year - Cf vho florescent bulbs last 6 months or less and I got tired of spending $1000/year on those. I tried the non-halide road for 2 years and never grew coraline alage and had an "as healthy" tank systems as before.....Yes the electric bills will rise, but the overall investment requires continued maintenance. Besides as soon as the florescent bubls begin to breakdown, I'd get alage spikes - every 5-6 months - whereas when MH bulbs begin to deteriorate, the spike seemed much less severe in the growth rates of unwanted alage.
hope this helps