need help with what to get

[hawthorn]

hi guys hope you can help ive got a 30 gallon FOWLR corner tank and want to make it into a reef tank but im a bit unsure which corals and stuff to get first that are easy to keep and what lighting i will need to do this at the moment i just have normal florescent bulb. what would you guys recommend i start with and what lighting should i buy.
hope you can help and thanks in advance
daz

 

[jdragunas]

well the first step you need to take is to figure out in the long run what corals you eventually want. Then you should buy your lighting according to those needs.
Good beginner corals are mushrooms, polyps, xenias, zoos, and other such LPS or soft corals.
The best lighting you can get is Metal Halide (MH), but that's pretty pricey. You can have just about any coral you want with that kind of lighting (except for low-lighting corals). You can also get Power Compact (PC), but that isn't enough lighting to keep hard corals, anemones, or some LPS.

 

[viet-tin]

You can check the famous auction site for a price range on the different types of lighting. As mentioned by jdragunas, it all depends on the type of coral you will be getting. Mhs would be best and youd be able to keep any type of coral and clams as long as your water params are in good shape.