Hello from Calgary

[jeditait]

Hi I am new to the site and have some questions about starting up a reef tank and have been told this is the best site to get some answers .

I have been in the hobby for a year and a half now and have a 230 gallon freshwater african cichlid tank. I want to get into marine because i want to try something new.

Currently I plan on setting up the tank using a Cascade 1500 canister filter to do chemical and mechanical filtration. I will also add a sump, 30-40 gallons; with live rock, refugium and Seachem Matrix (see question 2 below regarding skimmer).

So to my set of questions:

1. Do you need to use RO water in Calgary or can you use tap water add water conditioner and filter heavy metals out of the water by using seachem carbon and cuprisorb??

2. Do I need a protein skimmer??

3. How much live rock do you need??
I have read a lot and see anywhere from .5 lbs per gallon to 2 lbs per gallon. I understand this probably depends alot on your filter setup and what type of look you are going for, but I would love to hear how others are doing it.

4. Last but not least, where's the best place in Calgary to get Live Rock?
Im not talking cheap live rock, i mean to say where is the most reliable source for healthy live rock that comes at a good price!

Thanks!