setting up a very basic tank

No disagreement Matt just a different approach or another way to skin the cat.  

In my experience I started withe the fish only idea, but it wasn't long before I caught the reef bug.  My suggestions were made in light of that eventuality and is an easy and economical way to transition.

I realLy like the esthetics of the LR in a fish only tank.  Add some better lighting and, voila, I've got a reef!  

 

That's a good point Craig.

Well it was good to map it out like this, now the options are spelled out. [smiley=deal2.gif]

 

Whooooo thanks guys,
So much information in so little time.

I am from India.  ;D I am a 21 year old computer science engineering student who been bitten by the fish bug.  
A cousin of mine is gonna come down to India from US. I was planning on shipping the stuff from Al's to his place and he can get it to india. It is very important for mr to know the dimensions and weight of the product cause he has to go through the customs authority and offcourse there is a weight constraint on how much he can carry. So guys if you have any idea about these specifications let me know.
Since i am on a heavy bugdet constraint, I have more or less decided to go with
Super Skimmer II by coral life.
If anybody feels i should not use these products then pls let me know. Remeber its going to be a 50 gallon fish only aquarium. but will it be possible to support a little reef life with this set up?
By base rock do you mean uncured rock or just normal rock? and can i use normal sea sand as a substrate?
One more thing guys, here in India we use 240 volts current and I guess in US its 110 volts. If you know the power wattage of these items let me know so that i can look at the availabilty of getting the proper converters. thanks a lot.

 

For the skimmer, hang on the back filter - Aqua Clear 200, and the heater you are not talking much more than 20 - 25 lbs US. You can use the Covertme link to calculate what that woul be in kilos. Approximately 40 - 50 kilos. Yes it will be 110 volts US. Call the manufacturers and see what they recommend as far as converters.

I would be very careful getting sand from a beach. Beaches end up collecting pollutants and those pollutants get trapped in the sand. Even a remote beach that has been near a fuel spill will collect that stuff.

Depending on the collection laws in India you can pick-up some rock near the ocean and use it as base rock or as LR depending on whether or not you collect it from under the water. The Indian Ocean, Arabian Sea, or the Bay of Bengal should provide plenty of the infauna (bacteria, amphipods, and copepods that are found in and around the reef ecosystems of the equator.

This should enable you to within in the next year, allowing your tank to properly cycle and stabilize, introducing reef safe fish, and upgrading your lights to have a 45 gallon reef tank. Your 100 watts of lighting should support some low light polyps and mushrooms.

Hope that helps, let us know what more you need.

 

I have seen the wet and dry filter suggested by Matt Rogers. Im sure its a very good one but its way over my budget. The Aquaclear 300 would be a ideal for my budget. What kind of filtaration is provided by aquaclear 300. If i order it from al's do i need to order any other accesories along with it? Is it the complete package for 18.99$ or do i need to order any other filter cartridges with it? I dont need anyother form of filtration other than the protien skimmer and the aquaclear300 even if i need to upgrade it to a reef tank right?

Craig - about the rocks which you sugested. There is no such restriction that the rocks cant be taken here. So if i get some rocks from the water how do i transport them. can they be transprted normaly or should they be immersed in water when they are being transported? How do i know if the rocks i collected are live rocks or not? Do i need to clean them in any way before i introduce them into the tank.

 

If you are getting rock from underwater, scrub off dead sponges, excess algae, but keep the rock under water as much as possible. You could Look for crabs or shrimp that are hitchhiking. Most of these are not good. If you got a hitchhiking mantis shrimp you would slowly see fish disappear. Mantis are fascinating but you want them in their own tank.

Here's everything you ever wanted to know about live rock including how to cure it.
http://saltaquarium.about.com/cs/filterselection/a/aa111901.htm

 

I am almost done ordering from al's and the ordering amount totals to around 49$. It does not include the shipping charges. It says the charges vary. My cousin lives in St.Louis Missouri does anybody have any idea as to how much it would cost me for the shipping charges.
One more thing about the lighting. I plan to set up the tank next to a window and in the room which recives quite a lot of indirect sunlight. Is it good or bad for the tank and do i have to change the lighting acordingly. he room does not have so much indirect sunlight that the water temperature rises.

 

The Aqua Clear Filter comes complete. You will need to get a couple of extra sponge filter media and activated charcoal bags. I change the sponge filter media every six months but clean them weekly by rinsing them out.

I run the activated charcoal only when needed as it can strip important trace elements from from he water column, usually when their is yellowing in the water or when soft corals have a little chemical warfare. You shouldn't need to rune your carbon more than a couple of days at a time when needed.

Your filter media basket will show the sponge going in first and the carbon bag on top of that. Run it that way to start your tank as it cycles, but remove the charcoal after the first month and use it as needed after that.

How far from the beach are you? You will definitely need to transport the rock in bucets of natural sea water, and depending on the time of transport, cure it before putting it in your tank to cycle. You will obviously need your synthetic salt mix before starting this.

We will discuss more of the particulars as we know your beach a travel time and you move along!

 

If you are in the tropics I wouldn't put it next to a window in direct sunlight as you will have overheating and algae growth issues. The overheating may cause you to need a chiller and that can be tough on your budget. You will need an accurate thermometor to make sure your temp is in the 76 - 80 degrees farenheit range.

 

I have no idea how much the shipping to St. Louis would be. Ask your cousin to go to the LFS's and see if he can pick up a piece locally. I'll even see if I have any pieces for you. (I just set up a nano tank so I won't have much extra but hopefully I have something with some good coralline. However, you can't beat the cost).

Tell your cousin to join http://www.seasl.org