Overall Tank Set Up Suggestions, Comments and Idea's

[ILM75Dodge]

Ok I have always loved marine aquariums so I decided to start a mini reef. The tank itself has been up for 8 month or maybe longer after many mistakes from taking the advice from the LFS around here I think I am finally going on the right track. I have a few mushroom anenomies, some starburst polyps and a small stalk of coral that looks like a cnidarion called heliofungia actiniformis from what I read it is the hardest to take care of but mine seems to do very well. I even have a chocolate chip starfish that I have found out is not reef safe but mine had never really gone after any corals and will come to the top of the water and put it's arm out when hungry. Anyway I am trying to find out if I have a good setup for my tank since
I soon would like to get a clam. My current set up is as follows:
-18 gallon tall glass aquarium
-prizm skimmer deluxe
-Fluval 304 canister filter
-probaly 25-30 lbs of live rock
-36 watts JBJ PC soon hoping to find a retrofit to attach to the canopy I recently bought 96watt PC I think
I am doing weekly water changes and would love advice on any aspect of the aquarium you guys and gals might have for me I would love this to be a successful hobby not a disaster!! equiptment idea's, livestock idea's etc.

 

[tkos]

Welcome to AA!

A question I have is whether or not you have filter media in the Fluval? Generally reef tanks rely on the LR and LS to be the filter and use powerheads to move the water around (to try and loose any dead spots). The skimmer does the excess. In this situation a filter with media in it can actually be harmful as the filter media collects gunk which rots and eventually leads to high nitrate levels which are harmful to inverts. Obviously the weekly water changes really help but if I were you I would remove any media and just use the filter as another source of water movement, essentially become a small sump system.

 

[Bearfan]

The Fluval may be overkill.

 

[ILM75Dodge]

If I were to remove the media wouldn't I want to leave in the sponges and ceraminc rings for the biological filtration wouldn't it create a home for the beneficial bacterial to propagate?