Starting a new reef....

[beardo]

I've decided to switch my 29 gallon fish only tank over into a reef tank......I had a 10 gallon reef tank before and had zero problems with it but I want to make sure I do things right this time since a larger tank obviously means a higher investment.
First off, what would be the best method of filtration? I have 2 HOB penguin filters on the tank now and they seem to be doing the job just fine.
Also, I see lots of gorgeously-aquascaped tanks on the forums here.....but my quandry is how to go about doing so in regards to the placement of the tank heater and the filter intakes? You obviously don't want rocks/corals leaning directly on the heater and you don't want to block the filter intakes. Any ideas on how to circumvent these issues would be greatly appreciated.
I currently have crushed coral in my tank but I believe I'm going to switch that out for live sand.....any easy way to do this so that my tank won't cloud up for days on end?

 

[markanderson]

For a 29 gallon reef tank the best filter is alot of live rock and a protein skimmer. The HOB filters will increase the nitrates.
Alot of your aquascape options depends upon the shape of your rock, but I always try to have it building up from the back wall. As for the new sand, there isn't really anyway to wash live sand before you put it in, but there is a product called "clarity." Add a capfull of that after you put in the sand, and it will cause the sand particles to cling together; thus the water will clear much faster. Its reef safe.

 

[beardo]

Awesome....thanks a ton for the info.

 

[nycbob]

i run a penguin 350 w carbon in my 72. i run it so it take out the chemical my softies might be releasing. i hv sps, lps, softies and a clam. u can see the pics i posted online 2 weeks ago. the heater, i place it horizontally 1 inch below the water line. if ur running a hob filter, make sure to change ur cartridge often or run it occasionally. make sure u hv lots live rocks. i hv like 140 in my 72.

 

[beardo]

Thanks again for the input, it is greatly appreciated.
What would be the best thing to do for lighting? The name of those lights/fixtures that are specifically built for reef tanks escapes me (the ones with the brackets that holds the fixture above the tank).....I had one of those on my previous reef tank and it worked great. Do I have any other options?