switching from fw to sw;need filter info

[plantman1028]

hi! I am an experienced fresh water aquarist that wants to upgrade to the larger world of marine life.I need some info about the proper filters in the tank.First, the tank I have is a 125gal with glass top and 2 36" single strip lights.Currently I have 2 Aquaclear 500 filters on it along with a diy wet/dry with a 6 gal bio ball capacity.There are 8 large cichlids along with various other fish and the tankis CRYSTAL CLEAR,no smell or algae.My question is if I took out the carbon and replaced it with 2 more large sponges to build up bacteria,would that still work along with the wet/dry?I plan to add a protein skimmer in the sump before the bio balls.Also i heard that a refuge filled with live sand and rock is also excellent for the tank.By the way,my substrate will be southdown sand box sand along with some live sand.Thanks for the info about the sand i got off of another thread.Would a reverse flow ugf have an undesireable effect on the sand?I heard it helps with the bacteria colonies.ANY info you guy(& girls)would be very helpfull. Thanks All.
CHRIS

[OrionGirl]

First--Fish only, or do you want a reef? If you want a reef, you will need more lighting--the strip lights are fine for fish, but will not work for corals.

Second--pitch the bio balls and filter media. In SW, live rock and sand are your filtration. Mechanical filtration just stockpiles waste, and causes problems. You can run the AC's emtpy for water movement, ditto for the wet/dry. Just no media.

Third--you can fill the sump up, but have this in the tank too. You'll want at least 3 inches of sand in the tank (the mix is good--get the activator kits, rather than off-the shelf bagged sand, as this doesn't have the life you want). You want 1.5-2 pounds of live rock per gallon of water in the tank--way more than will fit in the sump. Also, the rock provides natural hiding places for the fish and other critters.

Fourth--UGF and RUGF are not for SW tanks, and won't work with sand. While they are fantastic bio-beds for the aerobic bacteria (dealing with ammonia and nitrites), the anaerobic bacteria that process nitrites live in the undisturbed sand depths and inside the rock--moving a bunch of water through there will prevent them from growing.

Good thing you'll take advice from girls, too...:D

[plantman1028]

Thanks ! you saved me a bunch of time ,not to mention$$$I really appreciate all the info you gave me.Its hard to figure out which way is exactly the right way to do things when there are sooo many opinions and new technology.One question though,if I put a DSB of about 3.5 inches +the activator kit,then put half live rock and half fossilized coral would the critters and bacteria colonize the coral, or should I put the coral in the sump and let it go from there?Also, what sort of arrangement of powerheads would be most beneficial to the tank.OOH,Sorry i'll be putting in fish only at first to see how it goes,but would like to eventually add some corals and inverts.One more thing,what would the best lighting be?Should i go with a marine VHO strip+an acitine or a MH setup.I dont mind spending the $$ as long as its the right kind.Thanks again for all the help.AS soon as I get my new digital camera i"ll post some pics.THANKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
CHRIS