Robb in Austin

The tang, trigger, Moorish idol, Mandarin are out completely (tank to small). The damselfish I'd advise against because they can get mean and impossible to remove. The angel's would be better served in a larger tank but 1 would be ok IMO.

Cured live rock is ready to go, no cycle (or little), add to your water and add fish/coral/etc. The downside is it costs more and may have undesirable issues (aiptasia/bad crabs/etc). Dry rock, or uncured live rock, will need a month or two being cured before it is ready to go. I recommended existing live rock due to the ready to go method. If you are willing to wait, dry rock is really the best way because there are no undesirables. Curing it involves having a place to keep it and waiting. Mix up salt water, place rock in, circulate the water. Adding something (a uncooked shrimp, pure ammonia, something like BioSpira) to get the cycle started will help. Yes, you can use tap water. RODI is ideal, IMO, especially with a smaller tank. I started my 58 and then 75 with RODI, and used nothing but in them. My 215 was started with tap water, and currently using tap water, due to needing such a large amount. Yes, add water, add salt, let mix, get to correct salinity, add sand/rock, and let it cycle/sit and mature. Waiting for the maturity is the hardest part. When I started my 58 I used live rock from a tank being taken down and let it sit about 2 months. I ran a skimmer, did water changes and just watched all the life on the rock. I then added fish and lost the first few I added. IMO, the best practice would be nothing but live rock and clean up crew for 6 months. Sand is personal preference although you can find proponents of shallow sand bed, deep sand bed, and bare bottom. They all have merits but in the end comes down to how you want it to look. Your livestock choices will impact this too. (You don't want sand sifting starfish in a bare bottom tank. Or jawfish.)

Patience, patience, patience. And then some more patience. Find someone breaking down a tank, buy their live rock. Use new sand, get a hang on back skimmer (Nice one was just listed). Buy a good light. Because you will want to start adding corals in the not to distant future. (I've got a great 5x39w T5 setup that will fit right on top (I started with the same size tank) for sale.) Add the sand, after rinsing if you want. Add the live rock, let it sit about 2 months (more would be ideal) before adding your first fish. Add the least aggressive fish you want first. Wait, repeat. Start saving for the eventual upgrade.

Yes. http://www.austinreefclub.com/topic/31735-co2-tank-and-regulator/

I, for one, am still holding out for a spectacular update one day. I just know OP is going to pop in one day and show off fully grown in colonies of the utmost, ultra LE SPS, LPS, Zoas along with clarion angels, bandit angels, and all manner of other rarities each selected to go with the appropriate level in the tank.

Yay!

I'd recommend this one:

Amazing what a ~40g water change will do. My pocillopora started showing polyps in the white areas, my Jedi mind trick polyps came back out. The green birds nest still looks ugly but I think the TN slowed/stopped. Going to do another WC this weekend. And finally get the GFO/GAC back on line.

Big. IMO, something on the order of 8ft long, 3-4ft wide. Or more.

Bluebonnet electric and a wife with hot flashes.

Why do you need a heater? This is a serious question, not being smart a**ed. We keep the house around 72-73 and I do not run a heater on any tank I own. Last I checked my reef tank it was 78 using LEDs.

I'm in, prolly with the family in tow too!

Short answer; using cheaper salt will be fine. You may find that you might need to supplement to get Ca or Alk or Mag where you want them.

Well poop.

Is it a Tunze? Did you talk with Roger at Tunze? He is very active in the Tunze forum on Reef Central.

Started making water...

Oh yeah, thanks Ty!

And that is with a recent 30g water change! Wonder if I'm still going through a cycle. Or maybe the fish additions recently drove the nitrates up that high. I knew the PO4 was going to be high. I need to get my GFO back on line. On the plus side, my LPS, zoas, and rics should start taking off.