during the initial setup do i have to change any of the water in the tank do i leave the water in then do a water change after the first cycle. also is it important to have live rock during the first cycle what about a protein skimmer.also when i turn on the powerhead it just turns up like dust and it doesnt seem like the water will ever get clear. is this normal? and lighting is there any way to be cheap with good results. ive seen fish under different lighting but i dont want to spend 200 dollars on lights

how big is your tank. how long has it been cycling?

liverock is always good to have during the cycling process.

where in your tank is the powerhead located?

Not very important to have live rock during the cycle especially since you seem to be using 2 hob bio wheel filters and a sandbed. Since you plan on having live rock though, the bio wheel filters will not be needed for anything other than a bit of flow and to run filter media in such as carbon or phosban media.

That being said, if you want to add live rock later, it must be fully cured to prevent another full or mini cycle.

It takes a few days for the dust to clear after just adding water and sand.

Protein skimmers are not absolutely essential but do help quite a bit to remove organics from the water and keep nitrates lower.

A fish only or fish only with live rock tank requires only the light that you want to view the fish by. You could use normal output fluorescent tubes.

With just fish and no photosynthetic coral planned, you could use a Nova extreme T5HO 24" twin bulb fixture for about $60.

The powerhead should not be pointing down. It should be pointed horizontally.

May I suggest a book? Any new or even advanced SW aquarist should have this book. "The Conscientious Marine Aquarist by Robert Fenner" http://www.amazon.com/Conscientious-Mar ... 921&sr=8-1

Wether or not you need more filtration depends on if you mean biological or mechanical. If you plan to keep just one or 2 tiny Gobies, then the 2 biowheel filters would suffice. If you want to keep more small fish, 20-40lbs of live rock would be preferred. Bio wheel filters are perceived as nitrate factories but if they are properly cleaned at least weekly, they can provide decent bio filtration.

schigara that book is amazing by the way.....I learned a TON from it. 40 bucks i paid....but well worth it in advice and set up tips. BY the way!!!! Make sure you dont put your rocks ON the sand burry them in the sand.......this will help the anerobic spots in your sand and will also provide a more sturdy rock structure. :)

Check out my set up....I have a 29 gallon just like yours...... And i made my filter. Its a sump and works like a charm. :)