new reef tank

[teog]

hey all I posted this earlier but some some reason its gone.
I have a 24gallon tank I want to make into a basic reef. I am new to this. I would like to have a pair of saddle clowns. What type coral/anename do they like? Also what criters should I have too?
I plan on getting 35lbs of live rock and get 25 lbs of live sand.
I have two power heads and an aqua clear 200(which i think I dont need).
I have a basic ballast with a single flouresnt light. What type bulb should I have for something basic?
Also let me know If im missing something.
Thanks

 

[@knight]

teog, welcome to the board. I dont know what happened to your first post, must have been a fluke.
lets see.....your missing a little bit.
What you are wanting to do can be done...but without the corals or anenome. in order to keep corals of any sort (hard or soft) you will need a conciderable ammount of lighting. (approx 4X what you have now)
A 24t can comforbly hold a pair of clowns, though. you must remember though that in small tanks such as yours, water conditions can and DO change VIOLENTLY and RAPIDLY. That is why it is not reccomended for newbies.
With that said, my first tank was 1 15T and the one I have now is a 30L, not much bigger than yours, so it can be done!
You are on the right track getting LS, however, I would emphattically urge you to build a DSB (deep sand bed) OF AT LEAST 3.5" this will help your tank be more stable by keeping the nitrates in check. Only about 10% of the substrate needs to be live, so you can use dry aquarium sand if you want to save $$$ (read up on southdown sand!)
the skimmer you will not need to worry about for a few months, so set it to the side.
Welcome to the hobby- beware: it's addictive. read up, and dont rush things!
if you have any questions or are unsure over advice that a LFS gives you, please feel free to come here. the search feature at the top right of your screen is also a very handy rescource as well as he beginners guide on the SWF homepage. BurNSpy also has a nice website set up for newbies like yourself that you should check out:
BurNSpy's Reef Basics
I wish you the best.

 

[adrian]

Do a lot of reading before you jump into it, as @night mentioned. A couple of good books are Natural Reef Aquariums by John Tullock and The Coral Reef Aquarium by Dr.Ron Shemik. I agree what you want is not out of reach, but it can be very difficult if youve never dealt with saltwater. Im not one who thinks small tanks are difficult, as long as they are set up correctly, and and the process is not rushed. I think a 24 would be fine as long as you do plenty of research and pay attention to the tank. A person who has never dealt with saltwater could have the same amount of trouble with a larger tank. True there is less room for error, but unless the tank is extremely small, say 5 gallons, I dont think youll have any unavoidable problems. Just my .02, good luck.