a couple newb questions

[hyphen]

okay, this is my first attempt at a saltwater tank. right now i'm going for a FOWLR. before i go into the questions, this is what i currently have: 60g tank, 45lbs of live rock, jebo 180 II skimmer and a penguin 1140 powerhead (300gph).

i've set the live rock in the tank with sand and have my skimmer running. the lights are 2 basic fluorescent fixtures. which leads me to my first question:

1] would a fluorescent vho bulb run okay with a new 36" regular fluorescent fixture? i'm strapped for cash but i'd like a little better lighting than plain fluorescents.


2] [ignore this question, i answered it myself by doing a search :P] i ordered my live rock from liveaquaria.com. since then i've set it in my tank to cycle in a water with an sg of 1.026 (according to my hydrometer). i've noticed that there's a brownish fuzz settling on the live rock as well as my glass. is this normal or am i doing something wrong?

anyhow, any help and/or pointers in the right direction would be greatly appreciated.

[hyphen]

one more question, is dosing calcium necessary for good coraline algae growth?

[boxfishpooalot]

#1 yes you can use a regular shop light on vho bulbs, they just will be normal output.

second one yes calcium is a major element in coraline algae without it they die. Also important is strontium and nitrates. Also coraline algae enjoy the blue lighting rated at 10k or higher. Theese algae prefer lower wattage lighting like vho rather than intense metal halide.

[hyphen]

thanks for the speedy reply.

i was trying to save a little cash on lighting. as i've already mentioned, it will primarily be a FOWLR, but i'm considering keeping a couple easy corals, possibly an anemone.

would a fixture like this be suitable for my application?
http://www.bigalsonline.com/catalog/product.xml?product_id=23787;category_id=2907;pcid1=1843;pcid2=

[kau_cinta_ku]

IMO if you want an anemone you will need at least 6 to 8 watts per gal. for them

[boxfishpooalot]

When buying an anemone you have to take into consideration where they come from. Their enviroment is usually in shallow water wich would recieve very intese sunlight. In this area its rich in food of all kinds. Anemones are picky and require the best, imo a florecnt light thats nomal output will not be adequate and it will slowly die.

If you want to keep inverts with that lighting I would get somthing like mushroom corals. They dont need really strong lighting.

[pangaea6]

My mushrooms are doing well in regular lighting as well as some zoos and a toadstool coral

[hyphen]

awesome, thanks again for the input. knowing that there are some inverts that can live in normal lighting is a bit encouraging. thanks again :)