New to salt water

[Chase31]

okay so as far as i know this is the correct form to post in, if not someone correct me please.

to the point,
I just purchased a 31G tank with a fluval 205 filter, heater and such
Im not 100% new to the fish hobby i have a 10G freshwater tank so i generally know the just of that one, so anyways i have the salt in and have used a refractometer to test my salinity (its 1.022 1.023). So my second step will be to get live rock, planning on getting about 10 lbs of it, so i was wondering is that the proper amount of live rock, is the lbs per gallon really a needed amount? and is this the proper next step? im planning to cook it also.
Thanks
Chase

[toxic111]

The amount of live rock depends on your plans.. less for reef, more for fish only with live rock, or if you have a skimmer.

The rule of thumb is 1-1.5lbs per gallon. I have around 40lbs in my 33gal.

I would also get rid of the fluval & get a skimmer instead, unless you are only planning on running carbon.

A sump is a better idea if you can, I just upraded to a sump, and never will go back.

[salty210]

What are you planning to cook? I hope not the rock. 10 pounds of rock is not much,
only a few "small" pcs. Remember the rock is the filter. more you have the better off you
will be. Dump the fluval, and get a good hang on skimmer.
ROCK, SKIMMER, LIGHTING, and MONEY is all you need.
have fun.

[DCDN]

Though I'm still new to salt water I would recommend doing lots of research on it. I spent a lot of time gettinge everything I needed to get started over a couple of months, so had lots of time to learn. Theres a lot to know but I love it. Costly but worth it. My tanks just over a month now and all i have in there really is a clean up crew and i still love watching them. Have fun.

[Myka]

Hey Chase, check out this link, and the links within the text. Lots of easy-to-read information. http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=48393 You can also click on "My tanks" in my signature for links to some articles I have written for novice reefers.

[Chase31]

okay so i should wait on the live rock, get a skimmer first then the rock, ( i go by my paychecks, im a student part time so im working with like $300 bi weekly) i probably wont get a RO/DI till later once i get my tank going, im planning to get corals after i get fish and my rock then the lighting. so lose the biological filter media in my fluval? or just lose the fluval all together and sell it on Kijiji or something?

edit: i also dont have the money for a sump yet, as its still a small tank and pretty expencive

[Fishward]

I am by no means an expert but went through the same learning curve not too long ago. i would suggest getting about 30-40lbs of LR first, if money is an issue, you can get by without a skimmer by doing more water changes. (may eventually cost more(salt, water, and time), but less $$$ up front). Leave that for a few weeks, testing your water periodically for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. once you get them all to zero-ish, you can start putting in fish. I also suggest going to the library and getting a book on keeping salt water (i learned with Salt Water Aquariums for Dummies and i can definitely recommend it). :-)

[The Codfather]

Chase31
If you need a few ideas, stop by, you can check out my system. It's not the best, but functional. It may give you an idea or two.
Bob

[Chase31]

well i could get a skimmer and just wait longer to get the rock in there would that be a better choice? and removing the biological media b4 i put anything in the tank?
as getting live rock and a test kit will run me $400 and a skimmer will only run me $200