Marine setup question, NOT a reef

[chkltcow]

A co-worker of mine is probably gonna be giving me an old 29g tank that he's not using anymore, and I'd like to set it up as a SW tank. Only thing is, I don't want one of these full reef tanks like I've seen so many pictures of. For my tastes, that much coral is just overwhelming. I'd like to set it up with a minimum of live rock and a maximum of fish/inverts. So here are my questions...

For filtration, I've planned on something like a Fluval 204 canister filter. Will that be okay for a SW setup? Will I need a skimmer to go along with it?
For lighting, I'll probably do a dual tube flourescent like the one on my 20g planted FW aquarium. 2 24" bulbs at 20 watts each is 40 watts..... is that sufficient, or do I need to spend the money on power compact?
And for fish, the only thing I have my heart set on right now is a combo of a trigger shrimp and some type of shrimp goby. I want to see how they form their symbiotic relationship, and even if they don't they both still look like interesting critters. Beyond them, I don't really have any true preferences. I'm sure the wife will prefer something colorful like tangs and damsels, but I don't think there's room in a 29g. The only things I don't want are puffers... they freak me out
And finally, water chemistry.... are there any good tutorials around about SW water chemistry? I understand the basics of FW, but after looking at the 3 shelves of SW additives at the LFS, I was a bit overwhelmed. I can tell you that our tap water is from a well (no chlorine/chloramine) with a pH of about 7.4-7.6 and a GH of around 3... if that will help with recommendations too.

So what am I looking at here, how much lighting do I need, how much filtration, and how much live sand/live rock will be required to set up a tank like I'm wanting with the shrimp/goby combination? And finally, if the wife decided she wants a clown fish, would that work in a setup like this?

 

[OrionGirl]

Make sure the tank has never been treated with any copper medications, first. While there is some argument about how long copper can remain in the silicon seal of a tank, there is no argument that any levels of copper are lethal for inverts, and a tank treated with copper may not work for you.

You can run a SW tank without any power filters (no wetdry, HOB, canister). Live rock/sand is colonized by the bacteria, and critters (worms, stars, crabs, shrimp, snails) are the mechanical filtration. You'll want at least 1.5-2 pounds of rock per gallon, and with the goby, 6 inches of sand will be best. You can reduce the cost by using lace rock and play sand, mixed in with the live rock and sand--probably best, since you'll the rock will have to be buried by the sand to ensure stability with the digging.

The addition of corals is entirely your choice, and not a big deal if you don't want them, or only want a few. Without upgrading the lights, you'll be restricted in what corals you can support anyway.

For fish--with a shrimp/goby pairing, you could probably add either a pair of smaller clowns, like the percula or oscellaris, a pair of cardinals, or a single pygmy angle--one that will stay under 4 inches. Tangs would be out anyway--they all get much too large for this size tank. Damsels won't get too big, but they are very aggressive and will potentially beat the heck out of other fish.

For chemistry--the big thing is the salinity. You'll need a refractometer or hydrometer, and aim for a stable salinity of 1.024-1.025. Other tests will be similar to FW setups--ammonia, nitrites and nitrate during cycling, then nitrates to determine water changes. The other parameters, and most supplements, are primarily needed only for special cases or reef setups. Water changes should be sufficient to replace trace elements, and the marine mix should buffer your water appropriately. Additional buffering may be needed--with a GH of 3, I'd imagine you have a very low KH as well, so you'll need to watch your alkalinity and make sure it's in range and stable.

 

[wayne]

You can make a nice tank with a 29. my advice would be....
buy a copy of New MArine Aquarium by mike Paletta
Go for a liverock system as they're so easy compared to a non LR system. Assume you'll need 25 or 30 pounds of decent branching rock, more if you get aquacultured florida. High startup cost, but easier down the road.
If I was a beginner I might give the shrimp/goby combo a miss as they require a pretty deep sand bed, but if you research go right ahead.
You can keep some stuff under dual NO, but not much.
Most SW additives will be utterly unnecessary for you - a weekly water change will keep you in good shape. The only thing you need to do is evaluate your tap water - if it contains much nitrate/phosphate you'll fight continual algae wars if you don't purify it by RO or whatever.
Have fun

 

[skippy2]

You could also check into getting some base rock to supplement the live rock. Would be a lot cheaper than all live rock. The base rock will eventually turn into live rock. I got mine at hirocks.com. I set up my tank just over a yr. ago and most of the base rock is covered in coraline algae , formarlins and featherdusters.

 

[tahoe98]

If you are doing live rock then the main device you need to be thinking about is a protein skimmer. I can't stress how important this is because without it you are not removing the toxic bi-products of the live rock and you won't have healthy rock or fish for very long. 40lbs of rock would be good for filtration but you also need to make sure that you have sufficient water current. If you are not going to use a filter, you need to at least get a few small powerheads to go into the actual tank for current. You need these to provide oxygen to the fish as well as aid in the health of the live rock. If I were you I would go ahead and buy a berlin sump w/ a protein skimmer (ask me about this if you aren't familiar with it) and have a return pump to pump the water back into the tank. This will automatically give you a good bit of current so you won't have to have but maybe one powerhead in the actual tank.

As far as lighting it all depends on what you want to keep. For the live rock, the main lighting that is needed for coralline growth is actinic blue. If you want to keep any corals at all then you need something like a power compact at something like 130 watts. Now for supplements, of course you will need salt and 8.2 PH. If you want coralline to grow on the live rock you will need buffer (KH) with a level of between 9 and 14, and calcium with a level between 400-450 ppm. Coralline will not grow without these two supplements. Sorry if this is kind of long but starting a salwater tank isn't the easiest thing to do. Let me know if you have any questions about anything I said.