How much Live Rock and Lighting needed for 40H gallon Reef tank?

[sco999]

I am starting a 40H gallon reef tank and was wondering how much live rock I would need. I am going to use a live sand bottom. Also what kind of lighting would I need and how much? Tank dimensions are 36"x12"x24". Also I would like to be able to upgrade to 120 - 180 gallon in the future without having get new lighting. I would like to be able to utilize what I buy for my 40 gallon in the future with the bigger tank.
Thanks

 

[jobob]

well the rule of thumb is 1- 1 12lbs per gal. i have 80 in my 55 gal. but for lighting. thats a deep tank, so i would get metal halide for it. u can always use it on a bigger tank. if money is a problem the get the power compact. i have a 48in power compact for my 55gal, but im upgrading to mh so i built a canopy for the mh and now instead of buying new pc for the actinic im taking the old one apart and retro fitting it in the canopy. u could do something like that? if ur getting pc i would get the 2x96 watts, so thats 192w or alomst 5wpg. thats enough to keep soft corals. they're the best to start with.