More n00b confusion about tank set up's

[R2Dn00b]

I have read a lot of information now and the trend I seem to be finding is that they are about marine set ups where the tank is the size of the moon and lighting power output equal to that of the sun!

I am going to be starting with a 36x15x12 tank, which according to my calculations is 23 gallons (21 usable).

Now my priorities in my tank are..

a) As nice environment as possible
b) See above

Now this is where the confusion sets in and need advice!!

External filter - Penn Plax Cascade External 700L (found a place selling it for £69 (rather than the RRP of £188.95) - With the necessary medium in.

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I want a skimmer as I do know this will help me achieve priorty 'a'! But I can't work out what I need to get this working, am I correct in saying that something like this....

http://www.ishop.co.uk/ishop/1029/shopscr153.html

(need air pump too?)

will be ok (although I don't want ok, I want HELL YEAH but not some 3 billion pound monster).

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Live rock - by adding this to my aquarium will it make my water even better because it is acting as a biological filter? I calculated I would need 8 KG of live rock for my tank size.

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Ok so now this leads me down another trail of confusion regarding lighting.

Because I want to achieve great water conditions and if adding live rock to my aquarium will help this then surely I need adequate lighting to keep the rock alive and encourage growth or am I now talking about reef tanks?

Will the 36" version of this - http://www.theaquariumshop.co.uk/ishop/1029/shopscr236.html

Allow me to create enough lighting for coral growth in the future??

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Can i get a filter/skimmer all in one?
Can I get away with skimmer with live rock and no external filter?
What about the currents (powerheads arg what are they)?
Why am I loosing my hair when I am only 25?

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ARRRRRG so many questions so much confusion.

All I need is someone to list the components I need (without being rediculous).

Cheers!

[cruzeoc]

for starters your tank is quit small it's best to get an external filter or even better set up a sump you can get a good fluval 204 from southern aquatics for cheap (i take it your from the uk) there about £49 as 4 that skimmer you will need a twin air pump to run it i think it's the same 1 i got.
Live rock is a must have really and you can add what you want to your tank just aslong as you got the rite lighting and filtration i got 1 tank full to the brim with the stuff coz im making my own and the amount off life i have i cant even put a name to half of it i cant tell you what bulbs to get coz i cant remember the name maby another person can help you but i would say a marine glow and a sunlamp and powerlamp

[SaltyDawg]

Well a lot depends on what your ultimate goal is for the tank. Is it FO (fish only), FOWLR(Fish only with Live Rock), or a reef tank? Not sure on conversions, but a good rule of thumb would be to add at least 1 pound of LR per gallon for the tank. So 23 pounds of LR would do you well. If you are going for a reef it is more like 1.5 pounds per gallon.

As far a the skimmer goes, I advise you steer away from ones that need air pumps and use air stones. They tend to clog up and you are constantly having to adjust the air flow to get it operating at peak effiency.

An external HOB(hang on back) filter will be ok if it's a FO or FOWLR tank, at least for the first 6 months or so, then once the tank is established you can take it off if you have sufficient LR and LS to help with the bio-load. Also keeping in mind your skimmer is operating right.

LR does not need a whole lot of light, some people may feel differnt but mine is doing well on my 54g tank and I only have a total of 40watts of lighting. Sure the coraleen algae isn't growing as fast as it would if I had more light, but it still grows.

For the first 6 months or so I would suggest you use just the standard light setup with a 100% actenic bulb and a 10K bulb. They will need to be changed at about 6-8 months then you can see about adding more light. If you start out with high output lights you will have a serious algae problem that you might never get under control.

Also think about some maitenance critters to help with the algae.

Wayne