36 gallon FOWL ready for stocking?

[Jalo Reefa']

couple weeks in now:
ammonia 0.0
nitrite 0.0
nitrate 0.25
specific gravity 1.025
temp 76
about 22 lbs of live rock (I know recommendation is a lb per gallon, but I have limited space with this tanks footprint)

equipment:
hydro koralia #1
hydro koralia nano
Bak Pak 2 Protein Skimmer
Emperor 280
visitherm stealth heater (250 watt)

all reading have been steady over a 3 day period, some minor fluctuation in nitrate readings (less than a .25 change daily). Am I ready for fish? Oh, and by the way, before I get lectured on using artificial corals, please send me a check to pay for the lighting needed to keep real ones!!!!

 

[Sploke]

If your ammonia and nitrite are both staying at zero and you have some nitrate showing, I would say you are ready to at least start with a cleanup crew if you are using one.

 

[Jalo Reefa']

I'd like a cleanup crew, in fact my plan is to keep this lightly stocked as far as fish go, 36 gallons is a small tank and this is my first venture into the salty stuff. I've been searching the forums here for invert opinions, seems there is a lot of varied opinion (ie some people love hermit crabs, others hate them)

My freshwater experience tells me inverts belong in well established tanks, but seems like maybe they are a good starting point for saltwater? Also, I do water changes with premixed RO saltwater from the LFS, at least until I get better at making my own - if I keep inverts do I need to add iodine?

 

[Amphiprion]

I'd like a cleanup crew, in fact my plan is to keep this lightly stocked as far as fish go, 36 gallons is a small tank and this is my first venture into the salty stuff. I've been searching the forums here for invert opinions, seems there is a lot of varied opinion (ie some people love hermit crabs, others hate them)

Heh, I'm not completely against them. I am, however, completely against the usual densities of hermits.

 

[Jalo Reefa']

I have another question, I hope it gets looked at on this thread but I am trying to make an effort not to flood the forums with new threads - would it be better to continue to run my Emperor 280 on this tank as is, with custom cartridges that contain filter floss and carbon, or should I remove the cartridges and fill it with live rock rubble?

If I do the later, will that cause problems with grime and detritus effecting flow performance? Add that to my iodine question on inverts.

 

[Sploke]

Well, odds are that it will trap all sorts of crap and end up causing elevated nitrate levels, if you use the cartridges. I would fill it with LR rubble, or turn it into some sort of HOB fuge.

 

[Dan06]

Cool tank!

For lights, you can do it the way I have to save $$.

I picked up two Current USA 2x24 24" fixtures for $60ish each.

As for the iodine, from everything I've read, I've gathered that a lot of people dose & a lot don't dose. Some who do use it, notice a huge difference in the health of their inverts & corals while others say they saw no improvement from dosing at all.

I'm not going to mess around with it right now... I'll wait until I lose a couple inverts with no obvious sign as to how they died or until I see some sort of deficiancy and talk with my LFS & contributors here...