45 Gal Tank. Suggestions

[fish1219]

Hello, I have a 45 gal tank and wanted to start a reef tank. I was planning on using:
protein skimmer
scwd - Closed loop
live rock
live sand
VHO 2 - 36" tubes (95 watts each)
Would like to be able to have the following fish
2 clowns
1 yellow tank
Questions:
1)I have a lot of base rock (Live rock that died from my previous setup). How much live rock to base rock should i use? (I'm looking to use Fiji rock)
2)Can corals, etc. be grown with the lighting I have. I can not afford togo to Metal Halids?
3)Do I need a sump or will the skimmer and scwd do provide the filtration I need?
4)I have a canister filter (Fulval 303). Heard they maybe a Nitrate trap and did not plan on using. Is the the way to go?
Thanks. I've learned alot from reading this forum.

 

[NaH2O]

Welcome to Reef Frontiers!!!

You don't have to have a sump for a successful tank. The sump will provide more water volume for added water stability, and a place for your equipment. If you can't do a sump - no worries - there are many tanks without them. The liverock and sand will provide your biological filtration. With regards to the left over rock - you can stick it in a rubbermaid tub, add some water, powerheads and heater to get it going. This will help the rock shed some detritus and junk that has been locked up in the rock from the previous set-up. How much rock do you have left over?

Depending on what types of corals you want to keep will dictate your lighting requirements. Do you have any idea on what types of corals you want to keep?

Were you going to have anything else providing flow? What are the dimensions of the tank?

 

[fish1219]

Hello,
Tank is 45 Gal (36L x 12W x 24D).
For water flow I was going to use a Mag-5 (or Mag-7) through a SCWD (Closed-Loop)
For filtration I planned on DSB, LR and a Protein Skimmer
The corals I would like to keep are ones that will live under 2-95Watt 36" VHO lights. (any suggestions).

 

[lizardarm]

most leathers should do well under that light.
muchrooms should also do well.
you can look into corals that do not host symbiotic algae, they don't need any special light at all. but do note that they tend to be difficult to keep alive in the aquarium do to the fact that their only food source is the plankton which you'll have to add to the tank regularly.
i'm not sure about this, but a 45 gallon might be a bit of a squeeze for a yellow tang. there are dwarf angels that are as bright yellow as the yellow tang that can be kept in a mid size tank like yours.