starting up a 90 gal please help.

[mwrmma]

hi there i am currently in the process of starting up my 90 gallon tank. so far i have purchased 120 lb of florida crushed coral, a fluval 404 canister filter, a 300 watt heater, a 200 gal mix of oceanic sea salt, and a 50/50 flouresncent bulb and also a 10000K fl bulb. i also have an aquaclear 500 that i could use and i have a rio 600 too.
my questions are these: when i purchase the LR, do i need to buy ALL LR or could i buy some LR and some dead rock? to eventually convert over. not sure if it works like this, and how much do i buy?
and also with just a regular flourescent fixture and the 2 bulbs that i have what kinds of fish/anenomes can i house. i know that i really depends on what i like, but i was just looking for a few suggestions as to what experienced hobbyists have done.
what should my next step be? i bought an ro/di unit off ebay, so i will probably rinse the crushed coral and add that and then mix the salt with the filtered water in the tank, and then get the filter going ( canister and hang on? ) and then put the lr in. just looking for suggestions as to whether or not i am heading in the right direction.
Thanks so much

 

[vsnsofadrgn]

youre on a good start, youll need about 1.5- 2 lbs of lr per gal of water. and you can use some live and some "dead". the live rock will seed it for you over time. youll want to wait for the anenome, they need an established tank (up for over a year and stable). and make sure to do a fishless cycle before adding any fish. oh and a couple of powerheads to make sure the mix keeps getting oxygenated and for flow.

 

[ChosenOne]

Wow you really need to await upwards to a year for an anemone? My LFS said as long as the tank is cycled and stable I'm ready to go.

 

[lando]

when i purchase the LR, do i need to buy ALL LR or could i buy some LR and some dead rock? to eventually convert over. not sure if it works like this, and how much do i buy?

That is fine. A 50/50 ratio is good.

with just a regular flourescent fixture and the 2 bulbs that i have what kinds of fish/anenomes can i house

You have lots of options as far as fish go. For an anemone you do not have near enough wattage of light or event he right tpe of light to keep these creatures. They are highly photosynthetic asn as such have particular lighting needs. Waiting several months and having the right type of light are a must for long-term surival.

so far i have purchased 120 lb of florida crushed coral,

If it is not too late I suggest taking the CC back and exchaing it for reef sand. Sand is a much better and less maintanance substrate.

 

[seaham358]

Agree with what lando has said.

take the CC back and look into better lighting if oyu want an anemone.

Keep doing your homework before jumping in...

And welcome to AA

 

[mwrmma]

thanks alot, my lfs took the 120 lbs of cc and is giving me an equivalent dollar amount for some reef sand. i put in 60 lbs and he is getting me 40 more. do i need more or less than 100 lbs of sand for a std 90 gal tank? then i just have to wait patiently for this ro/di water to finish and i can mix in my salt. thanks for the help!