possibly to start first saltwater tank. nano
 

I have a 16 gallon bowfront. It just has stock lighting with i believe a t8 bulb. The filter i have is a tetra brand 10-30i says it is rated for up to 30 gallons. Anyway, is there any type of saltwater setup that would be possible with what i have outlined? Or is the lighting too inadequate for anything? Is the filter even enough if only keeping a pair of clowns or something like that??

Seems like a standard setup. You have a filter rated up to twice the size of your tank which is good. T8 bulbs are too weak for coral. The type of lighting to buy would depend on how much money you're willing to spend and what kind of corals you'd like to keep. LEDs or T5HOs are good options for a small tank.

yeah, i figured the lighting was a no go. problem is being a small bow front do they make tops with adequate lighting for bowfronts of that size?

It would be fine. The lights are so bright and aren't concentrated on one specific space, instead disperse evenly.

i meant the fit. is the bowfront glass tops readily available. anyway, if i were to get some coral sand or whatever it is i need and saltwater would i be able to put in a fake coral piece until i get the right lighting? or would this not be healthy for the fish?

You could if you wanted to but, you could do fish with live rock and allow the corralline to color up and provide decoration until you get lights to support coral

Oh sorry, I misread! I don't know how hard to get a glass top for a 16 is, but you don't really need it anyway. Not having a glass top would let more gas and heat exchange. If you have the rock (whether it be live or not) the fish will have shelter. There's no need for fake corals in a reef tank unless you like the look of it.

ok, sounds good. thanks guys.

sorry to wake this back up, but my friend starting his saltwater tank is making me itch a little more for it. i love my freshwater planted, but really want to get a saltwater tank going. i want to do it right though. How much live rock should i start with in this 16 gallon bow front? do i not need a protein skimmer? what about chaeto? how many fish can i get for a 16 gallon bow front? i would like to get a pair of clown fish for sure. some cleaners possibly (need recommendations) a starfish?? any and all recommendations are appreciated.

A clown, a couple cardinals and a cleaner shrimp would do good. I'd use the standard cleanup crew, 10 nassarius snails, 15 dwarf cerith snails, maybe a single turbo snail, and about 15-20 blue leg hermits. Starfish haven't served me too well in the past except for my sand sifter but in a 16 gallon it would slowly starve to death. These are rough amounts of cuc members go to reef cleaners.org and they have a list of tank sizes and the crew for that size tank.