COM ON U KNOW U WANT TO HELP WITH MY TANK SET UP

[mattsfishin2989]

ok ive got a 55 gal all glass aquarium drilled through the bottom with the overflow. OK its a tall 55 gal and that is all i have right now.

1) what type of filtration should I use Wet/dry or protein skimmer what are the advantages?

2) What type of lighting, I was thinking about power compact with two strips and a lunar light because its affordable does that sound ok?

3) What type of heater should i get

4) Should i have some sort of filtration for my sand or will it be ok without it?

THANKS FOR ANY HELP I APPRECIATE IT GREATLY

[davejnz]

1.No wet dry,just a sump and a protein skimmer.LR and a sandbed wiht lots of current flowing through(About 2000gph from at least 4 different outputs) them will provide all the filtration you need.
2.PC's,They are actually more expensive than T5's or MH in many cases.Since you have a 55tall,I'd go with a single 250wMH to start off with(you can always add supllemental flourscents later on).A 250wMH can be retro'd together for about $135
3.I use 200w heaters on my tanks,the only brand i'd shy away from are those titanium heaters with the seperate thermostats(I had 2 fail)
4.Filtration for your sand?Not sure I'm following you,you can either have a shallow sand bed=SSB or a deep sand bed=DEB in your display.Both methods work great
IME,the only filtration you need is water current.You should have at least 4 outputs for water current(powerheads,return pump,etc..)

[jerryc]

Do you have some ideal whit you wont to keep? that will help with responses to most of your questions

For filtration your live rock is the best one and id plan on a skimmer

As for lighting that light 2*65??? will be good for soft coral only
you will probable end up wonting more

heater their or several good ones you may wont to get 2
depending where you live and if you have local availability

no filtration for the sand [ you may wont to do a research on
maintaining a sand bed