Newbie Needs Advice on Setup

[dubious49]

hi all.
i've been in the freshwater hobby for a few years (mostly african and american cichlids) and am considering taking the salt water plunge. i figured i'd start off with something small and relatively simple (fish only) and then eventually move to a full blown reef in a larger tank.
after much diligent research i think i've settled on a system. here's what i'm working with so far:
29 gallon tank (30 x 18 x 12)
twin-fluorescent fixture with
-one daylight bulb - 20 watts/6500K
-one antic bulb - 20 watts/7200K
emperor 240 power filter
20-25 pounds of live rock
15-20 pounds of crushed coral substrate
2 rio 200 power heads (138 gph each)
as for livestock i'm pretty open to suggestions although i really like the coral beauty angel and the ocellaris clown.
at this point, everything looks good on paper but i have a few questions:
1. will this lighting be enough? does the live rock require anything more powerful?
2. with this setup, is there any possibility of adding any inverts? does it make more sense to invest in pc lighting or will i be ok with the twin-fluorescents?
3. i'm thinking of adding a protein skimmer. should i invest in one right away or wait until the tank is somewhat established?
answers to these or any other suggestions would be most appreciated.
thanks in advance!
chris

 

[dubious49]

jwtrojan44, thanks for the post.
lighting - this seems to be my biggest sticking point right now. at this point the fluorescents will keep me in budget since i already have the hood and just need to purchase the twin-bulb strip and the bulbs themselves. of course i would prefer to have the PC lighting but beyond the price factor, i am concerned about the heat they produce. i'm assuming i would need to ditch the traditional plastic hood and go with something made of glass. also, are fans necessary with this type of lighting?
substrate - i've been reading about DSB vs CC on this forum all morning and the argument seems to overwhelmingly favor the DSB. so the next question is how much do i need in a 29-gallon to create a 3-4 inch bed? should i use live sand exclusively or mix it with regular sand?
setup/cycle - my plan is to set up the equipment and add the saltwater mix without the LR or the sand. wait until the tank has reached the proper specific gravity and temperature. then first add the LR directly to the glass bottom and then add the sand around it. does that seem right?
thanks again to all for the info!

 

[cboyfan2020]

PC's produve very little heat and if you want to go reef down the road this will enable you to keep some softies w/o having to switch your lights again. Basically do you want to buy PC now or later?
I would say get 2 50lb bags of sand and that should be plenty with some left over.
Dont really need a skimmer until the cycle is over so you have some time to see what you want and save some money up.
As far as the rock and setup you have the right idea. I personally would suggest going to HD and buying a sheet of egg crate( a grid like light diffuser found in the lighting section for like $6) and cut out a peice to set on the bottom of your tank and place the rock on. I use it so little fish cant burow under the rock and cause an avalanvhe and even if they did it wouldnt scratch/ break the bottom glass. JMO
HTH

 

[jlem]

i had PC's and really liked them untill summer when the heat, which is alot lower than MH really heated up my tank. Granted I have a low canopy and not a ton of circulation which I am sure was a big prt of it. I switched to VHO and corrected the heat problem and actually really like the way the tank looks. I am not saying that VHO is better than PC's, but they are another option also. Before you go with the DSB, i would recomend trying just a sand bed of about 1-2 inches. You won't have the nitrification benefits but you will still have the nice look of a SB. Your tank may not need the benefits of a DSB anyways depending on your bioload, and you can always deepen it if you decide in the future that you want one.