Lighting

[golfish]

let me start by saying welcome to SWF..When I see threads like this I get a rumbling in my stomach. Its not that I don't believe you, its just that I've seen people start threads like this just to fire up the board.
If I were you I would not put one of those critters in your tank for at least 3 months. I would add the LR, get a GOOD skimmer, GOOD lights (MH's), GOOD test kits and spend the next 3 months reading. I'd spend more money on GOOD equipment and less on critters.
Your list of critters is what I would consider twice what your tank can handle plus you have a few fish that are hard to keep at best. IMO, Anemones are not for beginners, along with the butterfly fish and Clown tang.
Are you using RO water or tap water?

 

[superpet]

R/O

 

[dacia]

:nervous: Whew...relief.

 

[superpet]

man the lfs didn't tell me any of this. they will here about it tomarrow. i will c/p the info you have given me so far. and i will do a ton of research.
THANKS SO MUCH
one thing is for sure at these kinda prices i want to make sure i do it right the first time. so if i follow the outlined steps above things should go ok right.
also do you have any good suggestions on the types of test kits i should get or any other equipment i need

 

[benj2112]

Originally posted by superpet
also do you have any good suggestions on the types of test kits i should get...
Get Salifert if you can...they are one of the best.

 

[dacia]

Agreed on Salifert. They are very accurate.

 

[superpet]

cool, thanks
I must say that all this is kinda dishearten but I am really glad I joined here.
I really want to thank you all very much.
I guess I thought that saltwater wasn't that much different than freshwater ( boy was I wrong ) while replying to post I have been reading up on salt tanks man was I wrong. I hope that you all can nursemaid me thru this. i'm sure i will have a ton of stupid questions.
Thanks
Bill

 

[golfish]

Originally posted by superpet
man the lfs didn't tell me any of this.

The LFS is in it to make money...that's it..I don't really blaim them one bit for giving bad advice. There are exceptions but for the most part I would NOT listen to a word they say.

 

[superpet]

yea it seems that way. i only have a mom & pop's lfs here.

 

[dacia]

The owner of my LFS would probably try to sell you a bottlenosed dolphin for a 75 gallon tank if there was about 1 foot of swimming room...
But this guy that works there has his own reef tanks and has been really helpful to me. However, he seems to only give good advice when the owner is out of earshot. :nope:
One time I was in there looking to buy an emerald crab...that's all I needed at the time...and she tried to get me to buy a Sea Goddess nudibranch simply because "it's pretty" and a Condylactus simply becuase I have a clownfish. I only have 130W of PC over my 30 gallon reef...that Condy would have died in a month or less and the sea slug, well, I still don't even know what they eat! LFS loves money.

 

[superpet]

what wattage of mh lighting should i get for my 180gal.

 

[dacia]

I would go for 250W MH bulbs. How long (in inches) is your tank?

 

[superpet]

72-1/2x25

 

[dacia]

I would get 3-250W MH bulbs and 2-96W actinic 03 PC bulbs for that size tank.
That can be costly though. The catalog I have in my hands now has a retrofit kit like the one I described for almost $650 and the complete hood for almost $860...of course, that is just one retailer and there are lots more out there plus you could go to a big auction site for some deals...

 

[superpet]

thanks, i wish some were listed on my auction site.
i looked up the specs on my sump.
300 Gallon Wet Dry Filter
Specifications
Dimensions 35"L X 12.25"W X 18"H
Rec. Tank size limit: 300 gallons
Bio Area: 9 gallons
Sump Capacity: 24 gallons