Berlin Live Rock Filter

Question
QUESTION: I want to set up my first salt tank. I plan to use live sand, live rock, protein skimmer and power heads.  It will be very minimally stocked.  I am seeking opinions because every store I walk into seems to think you can't do it without big sumps and mechanical filters. The only place that gives me hope is on the web.  I have read many articles about Berlin Filtration, but I don't want to make a foolish mistake as a beginner, so therefore, I am seeking expert opinions.  Here is my set up:
30 gal tall tank.
30-40 lbs live sand
35lbs live rock (figi)
Koralia power head
Protein skimmer (could use advice on a brand and size)
Current Satellite 130 watt dual actinic and daylight with
lunar light.
I only want to have about 4-5 fish not to exceed 3" adult length
And a good clean up crew.
So, am I crazy or could this work?
Thank You, Lisa

ANSWER: Hey Lisa

No, youre not crazy. thats actually pretty much a perfect start. Dont listen to most stores, they just want to sell you stuff you wont need

For the Koralia, i would get a Koralia 3 or 2 Koralia 2's. this should give you enough flow. if you want, you could even get a Koralia 4, it will work if you place it right

For a skimmer, i like the Coralife Needle wheel skimmers. theyre pretty much just plug in, adjust a few things, and all you have to do after is clean it once every month or 2 and empty the skimmate cup. i have the 65g rated one (which is best for your tank) on my 125g and it handles my tank easily.

Your lighting is good, you can keep alot of soft corals that are low-medium light like zoas, kenya trees, polyps, mushrooms, brain corals, etc.

for a fish list, how does 2 oscellaris clownfish, 1 yellow watchman goby, and a fairy wrasse sound? theyre all peaceful and will not harm eachother or your clean up crew

for cleaners, i would get 15 hermit crabs, which cruise along your sand and live rock eating any loose food. I would get a assortment of snails too, about 10, which will dig in your sand to release gas pockets, and will eat any algae and loose food. you can also add a shrimp, coral bandeds are a general favorite

A quick tip, if youve got time to set up the tank, i would get 15lbs of fiji rock and 15lbs of dead rock. dead rock has no life on it and is dry. all you need to do is let it sit in your tank with the 15lbs of live rock for a month, and the dead rock becomes live just like the live rock. dead rock is extremely cheap, $1-$2/lb, and is a money saver. stores make alot of money from live rock, they buy it at $2/lb about, and sell it for around $7/lb generally. however, when they weigh it, over 1/4 of the weight is just water, while dead rock is pure rock. If you go with the half live rock/half dead rock route, you have to let it sit with your substrate and mixed saltwater for a month and you cannot add livestock during the time

Another quick tip is check local online ads, people who are tearing down large reefs are willing to sell nice established live rock for a few dollars a pound, especially if they are pressured for time by having to move or leave the country

good luck!

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: I was kind of not wanting clowns because it seems everyone has them, but, I am looking for fish that hang around the rock as opposed to those who need lots of open swimming space. clowns seem to do that.  Will I be able to support an anemone for them in this environment? I read somewhere that they were difficult to keep. Is there one more fish you could recommend that would compliment the other ones you suggested? what do you think of damsels or chromis?
Also, can you give me a timeline for the addition of everything after the live rock has had a chance to become really alive?
You have been so helpful.  Your response was just what I was hoping to hear.
Thank you!! Lisa


Answer
Yep, you could go with damsels and chromis too, i would go with a couple of damsels and a few chromis

Sadly, no with a anemone, even the smallest species need a 55g tank.

Yep, i could give you a timeline. basically

day 1- add mixed saltwater, sand, all equipment, live rock, and dead rock. wait 1 month

day 30- all rock will be live, test for nitrates, nitrites, and ammonia

day 35- if all levels are alright, add a couple of fish and 1/4 of the clean up crew. if the levels are not alright, do a water change and wait another week

day 40- brown diatom algae will occur around here. wait it out, it will go away on its own. feed a bit less and skim alot during this stage

day 60- you can add another small fish

day 90- you should start to see some hair algae now, manually pull it out. again, it will go away on its own and is part of a young tank

day 150- you can add a few more fish and the rest of your clean up crew

day 240- you will see cyano, which is a red goopy algae. it is important that you skim alot and feed less during this stage

day 365- you have a mature reef

One thing i forgot to mention before is always use Reverse osmosis water. you can get a RO filter for about $150, or you can buy it from grocery stores. do not use tapwater, tapwater contains phosphates and other bad stuff that will cause algae allover, i learnt this the hard way with my first tanks. RO water is pure and will not cause any of the bad stuff

Also, the algae stages on my timeline are loosely based, its the time give or take a few weeks to a month that the algae stages occur. usually it goes diatoms, hair algae, cyano like i listed, but some peoples tanks get diatoms, cyano, then hair algae