Saltwater startup questions

[garnpet]

Ok, so after years of keeping freshwater fish I am taking a leap into the saltwater world. 

I purchased a used 24 gallon aquacube a couple of weeks ago and I'm finally ready to add sand and water sometime this week.  I purchased an RO unit (24GPD) so my water needs are taken care of.

My first question (but definitely not my last) is how much sand should I place into the tank?  I know there is some debate about deep and shallow sand beds, what are people using on this forum?  I was planning on 2-3 inches.

Anything else I should know?

[Julie]

How thrilling, an official nemo owner in the making - we are all converts 

I only have about one inch in my 20 currently, but I think in the 55 I will go 2 inches.

Hydrometer or refractometer(my favorite) for testing specific gravity is a must.  Aragonite, salt, live rock, maybe a test kit and lots of water flow with power heads is a start.

What lighting is in your tank?

[gvv]

I know people who have great tanks with bare bottom - no sand at all, I read a lot about benefits of deep sand bed, but I'm in the middle - in average it is 2" deep in my tank.
Sometimes depending on the fish you are planning to have you have to have deep sand bed (~4"), but IMO you lowering you overall tank volume adding a lot of sand and if it could be fine in large tanks, it can be a problem in nanos.

Regards

[kennyman]

The purpose of a DSB is to increase the anaerobic bacteria population for the purpose of Nitrate conversion. It also houses allot more benthic organisms (detritovores) to help with nutrient cycles. I think 2-3" is just fine for a tank that size but if you are planning to use LR I would put it in with the sand. You want the LR to rise up out of the sand not sit on top. Firstly because of aesthetics; It looks natural that way. And secondly because burying a bit of the LR in the sand increases the amount of habitat for anaerobic bacteria.

If it is going to be a fish only system then I would not use any more than 1/2" aragonite (unless you plan on having a jawfish or other burrowing fish) and very little LR. A fish only system can be operated much like FW tank with the majority of biological activity taking place in a power filter.

Hope to see pictures soon  

[garnpet]

What lighting is in your tank?

Standard 24G aqaupod lights, 2x32W.  The tank was originally used without any mods.  I plan to add an extra Maxi-Jet 1200.

http://www.current-usa.com/aquapods.html