arrrgh too much information!

[Chin_Lee]

hi all
new to the salty side of life, and I'm ahving an information overload meltdown!
Its the conflicts that are getting me.

There will always been conflict in information because different people will have different experiences. Best advice is to absorb, learn and make informed decisions. Visiting other reefer's tanks are also very helpful in learning the in's and out's and the associated lingo with this wonderful hobby.

I am currently in my 3rd day of cycling a 40gal tank.
I have a prism HOB protein skimmer (already a new one on order as I don't like this one)
2 korali powerheads, 46 lbs of live rock
temporarily running an HOB filter on it as well.

you are on the right track. I would remove the HOB though. 46lbs of LR is plenty for filtration.

I have been researching my little heart out, and today I've been reading about stocking. Conflicts galore, so I opened an account here to ask some clarification questions.

Keep asking - best way to learn. The search feature also helps too.

#1 -cuc - how many cuc can I conservatively have? I have read everything from around 5 total, to 5 each f shrimp, hermits and snails.

I'm a long ways from stocking fish yet, but of course I'm perusing that as well. More conflicts. I would like an anemone and clownfish combo, but I've read on one spot that any anemone is too large for my size tank, and another had a 20gal tank with an anemone.

CUC are fun to have but I don't find then necessary at all. I do love watching the little hermits and shrimps but I find the snails never really live long and prosper. you can have as many hermits as you want and as many shrimps as you want. Nothing wrong with either. But I do find the hermits tend to gang up on snails and eat them. Cleaner shrimps are great because they come out in plainview. Many fire shrimps and most peppermints will hide all day. This is my experience and I can guarantee somebody will jump in and contradict my above experiences with CUC. But thats the fun of it all - the dynamic co-exisitence of all the livestock is not the same in everybody's tank. For example - my shrimps may hide more because there is a tang that liked to nip at it on day 1 just for fun and that shrimp felt the need to be defensive from that point on. For others, the shirmp didn't feel threatened, became very comfortable and safe in the tank and is more incline to come out an run around.

#2 -anemone/clowfish - can I have these in a 40gal tank?

I'm very interested in a goby/shrimp pairing as well. I've read tho, that they may not be compatible with other shrimp/fish.

yes you can but research on the different types of anenomes. Some need very high light demand, some will kill most of your fishes. Red bubble tip anenomes stay relatively small and are great as the main display species for a 20g tank.

#3 - is a shrimp/goby combo compatible with the above? perhaps only specific species to avoid or look for?

As for as compatibility is concerned, just be informed about any fish's compatability. Being categorized as "reef-safe" means nothing to me. For me I need to know if they are "hard coral-safe" "LPS coral-safe" "soft-coral safe" and "invert-safe". Many angels will not pick at hard corals but they will pick as LPS, softies and attack inverts. Some tangs (ie hippo tangs) will eat softies but are still considered "reef-safe". Based on what you keep in your tank will determine what compatibility it need to be. If you want shrimp/fish combo, make sure any fishes you add are "invert-safe" and not aggressive towards gobies.
HINT - add the more timid fishes first and allow them to establish in your tank before adding the faster/active fishes.

thanks!

no prob. good luck