newbie needs help

[thefishguy]

okay I am really excited about this whole saltwater deal. I just bought a 70 gal with a stand and hood. it came with a Eheim ecco 2236 canister filter, a 200 watt heater and a dual bulb 80 watt light.

My plans are to build some plexiglass covers with stuff from home depot
put some live rock in, have a deep sand bed with sand from home depot

some questions. how much live rock do I need. is the sand good enough, is the filter good enough, is the heater big enough, same with lights. It will be a fowler with dsb. I was thinking about adding a powerhead that ariates as well for circulation, a protein skimmer(hang on the back). anything else. what is the best way to cycle, to take substrate from an existing tank or what, what types of testers do I need, is the filter good enough or do I have to add some other typle like physical IDK. what about quaranining what should that tank consist of. what about feeding the fish. I was thinking about some triggers, clowns, blennies, maybe even some eels, cool.

sorry about all the questions, but I am so excited. you don't have to awnser them all, any input is apreciated. nothing fancy just a basic setup thanks.

 

[lando]

Welcome to AquariumAdvice.com!!!

My plans are to build some plexiglass covers with stuff from home depot

You may want to consider going "topless" and suspending your lights above the tank. This will allow for better gas exchange and can help keep Ph steady. this is personal prefereance though.

how much live rock do I need

1.5-2 lbs/gal is recommended for good biological filtration. Check out www.liverocks.com for the best aquacultured liverock around.

is the sand good enough, is the filter good enough,

Sand will be fine, just make sure it is aragonite sand not silicate sand. You might want to see if the LFS will give you a few cups of LS from an exsisitng reef to help seed the sand bed. the filter is fine to. Just make sure you clean it often as they can produce high nitrates. With enough LR you will not really need the canister filter, you can replace it with a good skimmer instead.

is the heater big enough,

I would suggest going with two 150watt heaters instead.
Lights are fine for a FOWLR and I would add a couple of powerheads. Check out the "Articles" section at the top of the page for great info on cycling. I also recommend you get a good book. I like "The Conscientious Marine Aquarist" By Robert Fenner. good luck in the set-up and keep stopping by here at AA!

 

[boardsurfer]

Welcome to AA!!!!

I hope this site will help you as much as it's helped me. Hopefully you'll refer to this site often like I have...It's funny, but as you gain more and more knowledge about this hobby, your appreciation of it will grow! You'll learn in "stages" and before you know it, you'll be a pro. Good luck

 

[midiman]

Congrats on entering this hobby. Read as much as you can on this board , and search topics that interest you or that you consider important. There is a lot of interesting info out there, and the people on this board offer nothing but encouragement and advice.

Good luck!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!