[chief2036]

Thanks for the responses, this has been very helpful so far! The HOB filter definitely does not sound useful, so I will avoid that. I will have to start investigating skimmers, although I may start off without it and keep a close eye on the tank and see how things fare, and buy one if the levels start getting out of whack.

Also, I forgot to ask about a heater. For something like a 36 gallon, what wattage should I be looking for? Something like 100w? Or should I get something higher?

@JerryClunsford: Thank you for the reminder, I somehow forgot about that! Mixing my salt water would have been a very interesting affair without that. From what I have read, people seem to prefer refractometers. Interested about other people's preferences, but will start investigating refractometers for now.

Thanks for the responses so far, this has been very helpful and is getting me even more excited for getting this tank set up

 

[chief2036]

Thanks for all the responses, they have been a lot of help! I am hoping to get the sand and water in place this week, and then buy the live rock from the LFS this weekend to get the cycle started.

In regards to a heater, I have a 300 watt standard glass heater from an older (and larger) tank. This seems like overkill to me, would a 150 watt be a better option so I don't fry any future fish? And are the standard aquarium heaters used for saltwater aquariums, or is there some special type of heater that is needed for saltwater?

 

[chief2036]

Ok, thats a good point, I will stick with the current one that I have for now at least. I also ordered a digital thermometer as well as an in tank glass thermometer for comparison to be able to keep a hopeful close eye on the temperature. And I'll have to look into the shrimp method some more, I am getting quite excited to get this project started

 

[chief2036]

Hi Jerry, thanks for following up! I actually just went to the LFS today and picked up my live rock, they are in my tank now. Unfortunately my water is still pretty cloudy from adding the live sand yesterday, but hopefully that will settle down within the next few days. Now its time to test my patience while waiting for the cycle haha

 

[chief2036]

Great, thanks for the tip! Should I run the powerheads while waiting for the sand to settle, or should I keep them off?

 

[chief2036]

Good to know, I'll make sure keep the water moving. I'll post pictures once the tank finally clears

 

[chief2036]

Yeah, I still need to give some decent thought to what fish, and what their compatibilities are. I have seen a lot of different posts on this forum about stocking ideas, so I plan to dig around there for some ideas, visit the local LFS, and start figuring things out to make sure everyone will get along in the future. I do love the idea of having a clownfish, however I am not sure if I would want a pair. However, I have heard that clown's typically are happier and healthier in pairs, does anybody have any personal experience with this? And sorry if this thread is becoming a catch all, I will likely start creating new threads/replying on existing ones here with more specific questions in the future

 

[chief2036]

Thanks, I'll have to do more research on clownfish as well as other stocking ideas, but all of you have been extremely helpful!