thinking of setting up FO tank a few ?'s

[kaotica]

since i tore my 40/30 reef down to set up my new 72G reef tank I have 2 empty tanks sitting there. I sold the 40 but the 30 is begging to be recycled, so the thought of a FO tank has been running around in my head. Questions:
1) HomeDepot sells play sand (NOT SouthDown) can I use that as a substrate?
2) i plan on running a Whisperfilter for filtration, is taht ok?
3)do i need current in the tank? i plan on adding just a small powerhead in addition to the waterflow that the whisper will cause.
4) i will add some rocks at a later date, is that ok, or should it be liverock?
anything else i should be thinking about?

thanks in advance

fabio

[Agu]

fabio,

1) Yes, take a scoop or two of sand out of the reef to help seed it.

2) I've done it, but you may have some nitrate problems.

3) Current helps keep crud in suspension so the filtration can remove it. It's also good for the fish, most marine fish are accustomed to water motion. How much is your call.

4) IMO, you need either a skimmer or live rock in a tank. A skimmer removes nutrients, live rock helps break it down. Without one or the other I'm afraid you'll have water quality problems, ie: lots of nuisance algae.

jmo,fwiw,
Agu

BTW, I'd go with the skimmer :)