Questions for the Sharks (im a guppie)

[cuda]

Hello all.....I have a few questions. I am in the middle of converting my "Fish Only" tank into a Reef Tank... I just received my lighting system and set it up....Here are the Specs
IceCap 660
4 36" bulbs
3 Actinic White URI Bulbs 12000k
1 Super Actinic R URI Bulb
Total of 380 Watts or 8.26 wpg
Here are my questions
1 How much Live Rock should I have in my tank
2. What type of corals CANT I put in this tank (due to lighting limitations
3. What should the ideal tank temp be (for reef setup)
4. What is the reccomended saltinity levels / PH Levels and Calcium Levels. (((That is all I think I have to worry about

Here are the rest of my tank specs
Please let me know what else you think I may need...
Thanks everyone...

 

[nm reef]

How much Live Rock should I have in my tank
I'd suggest approximately 1 to 1.5 lbs per gal...so in your 46 galdisplay 45-80 lbs or so.....
What type of corals CANT I put in this tank (due to lighting limitations
With the lighting you are using your options are fairly open to a large selection of corals....I'd suggest you first decide what it is you'd like to keep then research the requirements prior to adding them. Without knowing what you intend to keep I'd say you should probably avoid clams and SPS type corals....plus prior to adding any corals you should insure the system is balanced and stable first.
What should the ideal tank temp be (for reef setup)
This is a much debated topic...personally I prefer a range between 78-82 degrees.
What is the reccomended saltinity levels / PH Levels and Calcium Levels.
Specific gravity should be stable around 1.023-1.025...ph should range from a low of 7.8 early in the day to a high of around 8.2 during the day......ph will be lower during night time than during the day.....a ideal ph would be 8.2 in my opinion.....calcium is a bit more techinical....you should try to maintain calcium and alkalinity together....I try to maintain a calcium of 450 ppm and a alkalinity level of 2.8-3.5 meg/l.
Thats was a lot of questions...I hope I helped a bit....good luck developing your reef and let us know how it progresses.

 

[iechy]

I'm not a shark and obviously don't know as much as any of them but I can help a little from what I've learned around here from them and others. With that light you should be able to keep just about any corals and most clams. Get about 1 to 1 1/2 lbs of LR per gallon. Ideal temp varies but most will tell you about 80-82 works well.
Salinity - 1.024
pH - 8.2
Calcium - 400-450
Hope that helps you a little,good luck with evertything. I just started a reef for the first time this summer too after some years with fish only and was amazed at how much I didn't know once I found this board. I wish the internet had been around when I first started.

 

[iechy]

WOW! I must be learning something around here. I was typing while you were NM and came up with about the same stuff.

 

[cuda]

Thanks for the help guys.
In order to keep clams, what would I need to do. Are there any SPS Corals I could keep?
Thanks again.

 

[iechy]

I think you could keep many SPS just check the requirements of what you like before you get it. Also, once everything is really going well you could probably do some clams that require less light. I think it is squamosa and maybe crocea( maybe someone who knows clams can verify this) which need less than the others. Naturally, they aren't as pretty as maximas but they are still nice.