setting up an aquarium

Question
hi glen i am setting up a 29 gallon fowlr aquarium with a sea clone 100 protein skimmer, marineland 150 power filter no bio wheel, an spotted hawkfish a clown fish a bicolor dotty back coral beauty and a fire goby. my questions (finally! :]) where will those fish be happy together like that? do i need a sump? what is the main purpose of snails and how many should i get? oh, (last one) what # of kelvins would an anemone need to thrive? thanks!

Answer
Hey Nick,
Those fish will be happy anywhere in your system as long as you provide them with a deep enough substrate(I'd say 3 to 4 inches) and plenty of live rock(minimum of 1.5 pounds per gallon). Smaller tanks can actually have a harder time stabilizing and cycling than larger systems if the biological filtration isnt strong. Plus the added substrate and live rock will give them alot of goodies once the system has stabilized. You'll have more copepod and amphipod growth(a nice supplement to the diet of the hawkfish, dotty back and goby). Make sure to arrange live rock in a way that gives them lots of caves and overhangs, and lots of nooks and crannies. I dont personally use protein skimmers but with an on the back mechanical filter you'll need one.
A sump is not necessary with a system that size. It is a definite plus with any marine system but not a necessity. You can achieve similar effects through power heads and the use of several macro alga. The macros can even be aquascaped in to the system for a very striking display. Halimenia(Dragons Tongue), Halimeda, Gracilaria, Chaetomorpha, Acetabularia Crenulata(Mermaids Wine Glass), all make great additions and contribute to high water quality.
Snails and crabs are your clean up crew. They feed on unwanted alga, detritus waste and uneaten foods from the fish and other tank inhabitants. I would start with 6 snails and 6 hermit crabs or 3 emerald crabs in a 29 gallon system. The snails have a tendency to multiply on their own too. Remember they will need to be acclimated just as any fish would.
By # of kelvins Im assuming youre asking about lighting? The rule of thumb is 3 to 5 watts per gallon. I use 50/50(50% reef sun/ 50% actinic) Coralife lighting in all my systems at a 6,500 kelvin rating. Ive never lost a coral frag or an anemone, and have amazing growth in both. The anemone should be one of the last additions you make after the system has stabilized(8 weeks minimum in my opinion). They need stable, high quality water conditions to survive and thrive. The Condylactis anemone can take a little more strain, but in my opinion if you dont exercise a little patience you'll just throw away $7 to $10. Not to mention the fact that if the anemone dies while youre not watching it can wreak havoc on a system. Extremely toxic to your other inhabitants. So take your time there.
Hope this helps. Let me know how it goes or if you have any other questions.

~Glenn