Thinking of setting up my first salt tank

[ron101]

First off, welcome to the hobby. Secondly, there is more than one way to run a reef tank so different opinions are often equally valid. One thing that is for sure is that starting off in the right direction in the first place does save time and money down the road.

I would seriously consider using a different tank. Not only does a 72Lx24Hx12W tank require a lot lighting relative to the volume but the short width will be a PITA for stacking rock and because of the higher density of saltwater, it will look about 9" wide from the front. So while that configuration gives max viewing for a FW planted tank it may not be so suitable for you for SW.

The T5 vs MH is an ongoing debate. Personally I have not seen any numbers that declare one decidedly superior to the other. MH run 'hotter' partially due to them being a 'point source' whereas with fluorescents the heat is distributed over several feet. I suggest you compare pricing AND appearance and see which you prefer.

FWIW I successfully kept softies, lps, lower-light sps, and bubble tip anemones in a 24" tall tank under 10000K 175W MH for years. If you want to go with 'bluer' 20000K lamps factor in that as color temp goes up, usable output and lamp life goes down.

As for the sand issue, if you like black sand use it. Sand will have limited buffering ability in seawater since the water already has a higher pH and carbonate hardness. Unless you run it in a calcium reactor setup, your carbonate and calcium replacement will have to come through additives such as kalkwasser, calcium chloride, and sodium carbonate/bicarbonate.

I have had a few pieces of tuffa in my system for years. It's all encrusted now and difficult to differentiate from reef rock. So I would day use some (as long as it is relatively pure) if you want to save some money. Since it is so soft you could even drill some rough channels through them to make passages.

HTH

[kwirky]

Originally Posted by ron101

I would seriously consider using a different tank. Not only does a 72Lx24Hx12W tank require a lot lighting relative to the volume but the short width will be a PITA for stacking rock and because of the higher density of saltwater, it will look about 9" wide from the front.

agreed...

that's actually been itching at me... I was promoting T5 lighting, because it would suit your own tank, with it's surface being 6'x1'. I had a 33 long nano, that was only a foot from front to back and 18" tall, and aquascaping that was quite difficult, to get the rock to stack in a good way. It was hard for me to keep it from looking like a wall of rock in the tank. Your tank's 24" tall, which may make it even more difficult to aquascape.

And like joe reefer said, there's nothing like good ol' metal halide.

Using a different tank is another option to consider all together (to make it even more confusing, too! ), and I think in some cases, spending the money on another, more suitable, tank might work out much better in the long run. If you're worried about wasting anything, you can sell the old tank in a bargain finder or something. And spending $600 on a new tank and stand isn't much if your gear and rock to go with it may cost double that.

And like joe reefer said, there's nothing like good ol' metal halide. You could use a tank that opens up more options to you, so you don't HAVE to pick something because it appears to be the only thing that will work well on your tank.

I can say from being kinda new to the hobby (4 months experience), I had experienced the "should have done it different the first time" problem, and like many more people on here, would like to see you be satisfied with your choices from the get go