Knowledge is good, but the right knowledge and choice is even better.
Just one thing guys, lets not give "must do it this way" ideas plz, everyone needs the choice to go they way they find easiest.
On lighting, the rule of thumb is 3-5 watts per gallon, although this changes depending on the height of the tank, it easy to run with for beginners. There are 3 main types of lighting;
One is MH which was mentioned already, which is good for sps, but they are hardder to get the colour ranges. The big thing with this type of lighting is the fact that you don't have to worry about the height of your tank. These are VERY expensive, but often the way to go. I use these on my 300 gal setup, due to the height of the tank.
The second is PC (power compacts). These are great for begginers and advance hobbist's. They are more expensive than VHO's and NO's, but the give a VERY high out put for what they are. Cheap by a long-way compared to MH on both price to buy and price to run. Bulbs can be expensive though. You only need 1-2 of these bulbs on an average to large tank. They are often supplimented with WHO's, but don't need it
The Third is made up of two types of Fluro's:- VHO (very high output) fluro's. These have a maximin tank height of 20 inch (thies is from the sand to the top of the water). They are cheaper, and easier to get a selective colour range. They also give a better 'total' coverage of the tank. The main hate towards these and NO (normal output) fluro's is the number of bulbs needed to get the right wattage, usually 3-4. Many of the ppl MH have to suppliment with VHO's to get the right colour ranges
:- NO's (normal output) fluro's. These are the cheapest way to go, but often the hardest to get setup. Most setups consist of 5-9 bulbs, and this can make it a large challange to fit in a hood. Cheaper t run, easier to maintain, and easier to get a hold of, alot of beginners choose this. I myself use 7 NO's over my 60/20/30 gal system. It makes it VERY easy to control colour ranges, and also makes it very easy to use simple ( I mean a couple of $9 timers from the harware store) to create dawn and dusk cycles.
Get as large skimmer as you can reasonably afford. This I belive is a must for beginners. This also goes for live rock, but you can choose just how much you want here. Try for around 1-1.5lbs per gallon (once again this is affected by tank dimensions).
As for live Sand etc, you will have to choose which way you wish to go. I would say put some sand in, and then seed it with LS.
As for a filter, just get a large sump if you can, and fill it with Liver rock and Live sand, and keep it well lit. I also recomend acarbon.
HTH (email me if you want more info Redemptioner@yahoo.com)
Ash
