n00b to SW question

[kw0me]

My plan is to setup a 3ft SW tank mainly reef style and a few fish/inverts. Due to the price of SW fish (blue tang 85$) im planing on getting the tank well established and stable before i get any fish.
I'm going with sand for the base and planing on getting a heap of live rock and drilling it and using plastic dowel to build it into a 3ft chunk with plenty of caves and hiding spots.
From what ive been reading this live rock will just start to sprout things from nothing (assuming thats why its called live rock). If i just leave it go for a while just with LR will i have any problems? I also want coral and anenomes wich will be put in before any fish and allowed to establish. any tips advice links or ideas much appreciated.

(so far i only have a tank and stand but want to get the full story before i take the big dive)

[Reefscape]

Hiya Kw0me....

The new reef idea is a good one. It is a good idea to use things like plastic dowels to build your live rock structure. The only down side is when/if it comes to change, its a lot of work involved..thats the only thing to bear in mind with that.

Yes, when you buy the cured live rock, life will grow and new things like sponges and feathers will start to grow with the availability of nutrients in the system. They will come AND go, depending on that nutrient level..

I dont see any issues of putting corals in as the tank starts to mature before introducing fish. However, i would advise against the anemone untill the tank is very well established, say a year down the line. This give the tank time to grow and mature, and it also helps you as the keeping to learn the system and learn to keep the water in prestine conditions...

Just a few of my thoughts for you..Keep us informed of any more purchases and idea's you have for the system..

Niko

[kw0me]

Thanks niko with that said about the live rock structure i will make it in sections so if i want to change the style or something i can remove a section insted of the whole thing.

Another question that pops into mind is do SW fish like to have an open area? I'm thinking of styling it like the edge of a shelf with 1ft of the tank clear and just sand on the bottom with some small rocks and plants if there is such a thing in sw.

http://members.optushome.com.au/~lyndon44/SWtank.JPG
the idea with the pickup and return being at either end is to create a flow through the tank so i dont have any dead spots.

[Reefscape]

Yes, fish do like to have some good swimming room, a nice open area for them to have a good swim along a length...that is how i had mine in mind when i setup mu new reef...Its always good to create shelves in the live rock to provide fish hiding places, areas to shield them from the lights if they so need it...

The idea is sound in principle about the pick and return in your diagrame. Most people tend to suppliment the flow in the tank with powerheads pointing at random directions to create flow to stop dead spots and also a little surface aggitation is also required for gas exchange...

Niko

[Germanman]

looks sand sounds great! keep us posted on ur progress! welcome to the saltwater hobby!