Help? New to hobby and I have no idea where to start!

[Loreanny Medina]

Hi all!

So I always wanted a salt water hobby ;). I finally decided that this year was it! I ended up buying a pre-owned tank. Its a 55g Bowfront. It came with a stand and a hang on filter, AquaClear70. The previous owner had some coral but mostly it was a FOWLR. My aim is a coral tank with a few fish, I'm aiming for color. So far I have managed to keep the temp. and the following chemicals within the desired range: pH, Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate, and Salinity.

My tank has been running for about a month, I have 40 lbs of live sand and 10 lbs plain sand. Should I add more? I do want some kind of fish that shifts the sand like an eel or a goby, most likely.

Anyways, I went to Petco and talked to someone there. I bought about 10 lbs of live rock from them. It had a snail! His name is Snoopy. He seems content there. So far I found a transparent blob that looks like a snail, Casper, maybe in the process of growing? And I have a tini tiny starfish with 3 legs white in color that like to chill on the side, named Patrick. Had to have some fun naming things!

Any who, I put the rock in the tank, he said not to worry about a protein skimmer since right now I'm working on the "cycling" process. I do want some help with choosing the right skimmer especially when the goal is a reef tank. I want a "toyota/honda" model that get the job done and doesn't break the bank. I went on a hunt looking for local live rock sellers, I ended up finding a local store that sells some premium live rock at $4 a pound. I bought 6 lbs just to see since it looked really red/purplish and I didn't have a clue what I was buying. Anyways, one of the pieces had some type of coral on it. I also ended up buying a piece of coral at Petco that looks like a chunk of rock. I'm aiming for about 75 lbs of live rock, is that good? I want something with lots of colors that looks awesome, something that I want to sit there and stare for hours! I have been buying live rock that has been inside pre-exisit established tanks, I personally don't want to go through the "curing" process, I live in an apartment and it seems like a lot of time and space.

As far as lighting goes, I have a 24in strip that needs a new bulb. Recommendations? No idea as to what powerheads to get or wavemakers. I am a major newbie at this.

Any recommendations and advice is highly appreciated. I want something that is beautiful to look at. I read the Saltwater For Dummies book, very insightful.

[FoMoCo Master Tech]

Welcome to reefland and welcome to the hobby!
A great place to start is here: Setting Up a FOWLR Aquarium

[Loreanny Medina]

Welcome to reefland and welcome to the hobby!
A great place to start is here: Setting Up a FOWLR Aquarium

Omg thanks! I just started reading and its seems like I did the wrong thing already! It also turns out that my tank needs more sand. So I need to do a redo.

[Matities23]

First of all.. Welcome to your worse addiction.. u should start doing crack.. its cheaper! LMAO!!! nahh jk say no to drug kids!
I would put that hang on the back filter in the trash.. not the best filtration for saltwater...
Sorry to tell you but Patrick is not friendly to corals... they eat corals.. take em out whenever u see them.50lb of sand is not bad.. I always go w a deep sandbed but not everybody likes it. Worked for me...so far.
The amount of rock u place in the tank is up to you and ur ideas.. i never follow the 1lb per gal rule.. because all rocks are different. some weight more than over without taking up so much space.

[Mad Mead]

i know its seem like all is lost because of your lack of reading up first. take a deep breath its not all lost. you can still get life to come through okay in your tank. i will need you to do more things before you start making new changes if you haven't already started too. like what are your levels at in the water. the temp of your water. all so you may want to take out the starfish out. if you have a friend with a tank set up to go in would be great. if not you could take him to a store. i wouldn't take him back to petmart if that all there is i keep and hope all turns out okay for him. Your tank levels will spike and he may take it or not. keep asking Q&A for help and read loads of stuff. Hope it turns out okay