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[clownfish]

Hey guys, so, this is my first salt water aquarium, I have experience in fresh water. So I'm gonna ask a bunch of questions and I hope you don't mind giving me some pointers here. I have posted in other sections about skimmer selection, etc. But I think I'm gonna start anew and from the bottom to fully understand how is done and quit confusing myself and taking so much of your time. Anyway, here it goes:

What I have: 46 Gal. bow front tank (glass), Penguin Bio-Wheel filter, Glass lid, fluorecent light, heater, 40 lbs. of live sand, 15 lbs of live rock.

My tank's 2 1/2 weeks old today, the Nitrite level is not high, but it's not too low either, and pH is at 8.0.

About Skimmers:

Now, I have heard/read many different opinions about skimmers, I have decided to go with a Remora, BUT i have also heard that I don't need one while the tank is cycling, is this true?

About Live/Dead Rock:

Do I need to have all live rock or can I mix it up with dead rock? Reason I'm asking is 'cause of the price difference between the two. If live rock only is a MUST, can I gradualy add more as I go, so I don't end up using all my paycheck on it? or do I have to do it all at once? or like I said, can I mix it up?

What else besides rocks should I add as I go? and how often.

Lighting:

My lighting (from allglass aquariums brand) came with a fluorecent bulb, but I have heard I will need a special one if I plan to have corals in the tank. Is this true?

Invertebrates or Corals:

Are these hard to keep? when can I add them? how much? and what do you recommend for beginners?

Maintenance:

As fresh water aquarium owner, I used to do a 20% water change every 2 weeks, I also used a gravel vacum cleaner and soft scraper to take algae off the tank walls. Now, with a salt water tank how often is a water change needed, if needed, how much water and how is the sand cleaned? if necessary. Please give me some pointers/advice. I'm gonna cap this question: IS A WATER CHANGE NECESSARY WHILE THE TANK IS CYCLING? AND WHEN?

Things I have noticed in my tank:

I was looking at it today and noticed that some brown spots are developing on the sand bed and live rock. Is this a good/bad thing and is it Algae? The newest pieces of live rock I added recently do not have these spots, only the old ones.

That's pretty much everything I can think of right now, I'll ask more as I start reading your repplies when doubts arise.

Also, I live in Fremont, CA, if by a wild chance any of you know of a good, reliable place where I can buy live rock, skimmers, etc, please let me know. If not, well, a good, reliable website will do too.

A final detail: I plan to have everything HOT at the moment, I will use a sump and probably a canister filter as time goes and I gain more experience, but most importantly, I want to use my $$ on what's basic and important (live rock and other things you guys may recommend).

Thank You for taking the time to read this and I'll be waiting for your repplies. Laters.