55 gallon salt water tank

Question
I got a 55 gallon tank about 1 to 1 1/2 months ago. I first filled it with water and a Fluval filter. Then last weekend I got 3 bags of live sand, but I only used 2 how much sand should there be? And then this week I got the protein skimmer (Sea Clone 100) and a heater, what is the heat supposed to be set to? What else do I need to do or get before I put fish in the tank? My daughter likes the clown fish like nemo and the fish that looks like Dory, so we are probably going to go with that type of fish. Should we get live rock for those and how much should we get? Thanks, Holly

Answer
The fish you are in search of are an ocellaris or percula clownfish and a pacific blue tang also known as a hippo tang [from its latin name]. You don't need the skimmer yet, until the tank cycles. Temp should be 78 deg. Both of these fish need very good water quality. These are not the type of fish you just dump into your tank. You have to make sure your water and the water they come from are very similar in quality, salt content, etc. Go to about.com - click on games and hobbies, next page click on saltwater aquariums, there is the site you can literally find all the info on getting started. Most important asset in saltwater aquaria is patience. Good luck and have fun. Gerry.