Next Step?

[Sakuri]

Ok people, its been 2 weeks since my first post and since then I have purchased a tank and built custom shelving to support the weight (picture included).

The tank i purchased came with no canopy, however you could purchase one additionaly. Now as I am new to this, I expected the canopy to be similiar to one from a starter kit I had purchased a while ago and be equipped to house the lighting for the tank. This however, does not seem to be the case as the canopy is as basic as can be.

So my next few questions are as follows:

How do I mount the lighting? Custom supports are not a problem, I have a friend in the trade who helped me build the shelf the tank is sitting on at the moment. (I intend to have a reef setup so I understand coral need stronger lighting)

The tank is 107 ltrs, which I think works out to be around 22 Gallons? I am sure this is big enough to house a few coral and clownfish (every beginners must set their eyes on this pair to begin with ^^). What size filter/heater do I need to purchase as I am going shopping for more hardware tomorow.

Before the tank is filled with water, I have been told I may need an "aqua-pad" which is a layer of rubber/foam to prevent the glass from cracking. Is this expensive, and can styro-foam or any other soft base be used as a substitute?

I intend to have a sand bed, however im not sure what depth the sand should be. As the Tank is 12"x36"x18", how deep should my sand bed be?

If anybody could clear up these queries I would greatly apreciate it

Sakuri

 

[zach119]

i have a 29 gallon tank and i just use the glass top and rest my pc light ontop of the glass. but i have heard of some people using eggcrate from homedepot or a place like that. i have a 100 watt heater so since yours is 22 gallon you could prolly go a lil smaller then that. and i have a 1 inch sand bed and thats it i thnk i should have went deeper but ohh well. there is a calculater link on the top of the page you can click and type in how many inch sand bed you would like and your tanks dimensions and it will tell you how many pounds of sand you need. also im not sure about the aqua-pad never heard anything about that maybe one of the advisors could help you out there.