New 12 gallon tank

[tel0004]

I have never had any Saltwater tanks, so Ive decided to get one. I got an 12 gallon nano cube cheep off a friend. I know its small, and going to be difficult, but I dont have the space for another big aquarium, and if I did, there would be discus in it. My questions are, how much do you think it will cost, and what can I stock it with. I was thinking two clownfish, and a one other fish. I also, was going to use normal sand, and normal rocks, but im willing to go FOWLR if everybody thinks that the LR would help with filtration. Thanks.

[OrionGirl]

What do you mean by 'normal' rock? Any porous rock will eventually be colonized by bacteria. Other encrusting algaes and critters can be introduced--you can save money by using about 50/50 lace rock and live rock (or more lace rock, it just will take longer to look mature). Yes, live rock is essential, IMO, for a healthy SW tank. It's more than just filtration--it introduces food, and gives cover to the fish.

I would plan on running the tank with just live rock for several months. This will give you time to get used to the maintenance needed to keep a small tank stable, before introducing fish. With a pair of perculas or oscellaris, I likely would not add any other fish. But, cleaner shrimp, maybe an emerald crab, snails and micro stars are very cool critters as well, and will make it a fun tank to watch.