Newbie to saltwater

[RobbyF]

Greetings, I am a new member to MAAST and to saltwater aquariums. I would like some help and have questions that I know ya'll have more than likely answered a gozillion times. My wife and I have converted our 55 gallon freshwater tank, we have 2 powered filters, 1 has a single charcoal filter and a bio wheel, the other has 2 charcoal filters. We have a submerged powerhead, and a Sea Clone 100 protein skimmer.
Our tank is in the process of cycling, we have approx 50lbs of live rock and holey rock, with 8 damsels, and live sand. At the moment we have 2 15 watt 50/50 bulbs on the tank. Tonight I ordered a Nove Extreme Pro 6X54 HO. Our tank is 48X13X20 There are SO many opinions on lighting, I'm going nuts. We want to place SPS Coral in the tank, and depending on where you go some say the lighting that I've ordered is sufficient and others say not so. I stuck my neck out and bought the thing, will I end up having my head chopped off?
Also do we have sufficient/excessive filtration? Do we need a bio filter?
I'm sorry for all the questions, but I wanted to hear from folks that have aquariums.
Any help would be greatly appreciated,
Thanks,
Robby

[LittleReef]

Sumps with a return pump, skimmer, and refugium are what you will generally see in saltwater tanks. 6x 54w should be more than sufficient for a 50g tank. Just don't put it TOO high above the tank. If it has legs, that's even better! ^_^

[RobbyF]

Thanks for the reply. The sump and return pump are our next purchase. I've seen where lots of people have made their own, and I am trying to find a good set of plans. The new light does have legs to mount on the tank, we are waiting to get it to build our canopy. We also have purchased 2 Coralife blue-moon-glow LED's.
Thanks,
Robby

[RobbyF]

Sumps with a return pump, skimmer, and refugium are what you will generally see in saltwater tanks. 6x 54w should be more than sufficient for a 50g tank. Just don't put it TOO high above the tank. If it has legs, that's even better! ^_^

Do you have any recommendations about the pump/skimmer/refugium setup, ie. brands/models/or DIY examples?

[Agent Jones]

Do you have any recommendations about the pump/skimmer/refugium setup, ie. brands/models/or DIY examples?

im in the same boat as you with wanting to make my own. if you look up "pressure locking baffles" on google you can find a DIY sump that shouldnt cost more than 50 total.

$20 tank
$20 in acrylic
$10 in weatherstripping and sealing materials.

I have a 72 gal tank and im about to make a 20gal Long sump.

[ballardjr2000]

Might sound funny but youtube search sumps and you will see all kinds of DIY plans and how they did it. its pretty simple once you get the hang of it. yeah your lights are FINE IMO. also your ive rock will work as a bio filter for some filtration there hence the 1 to 2 pds per gallon you read about. but defently get the sump and fudge. also your PWR use them for circulation since you always read you want to turn over 10 to 20 times your water volume.

[SABOB]

Would toss the holey rock if native to Texas.Probably not the best choice for a saltwater tank.

[ballardjr2000]

Yeah i have been seeing a lot of "holey" rock in tanks and people using them, i will stick to the strickly live rock

[serazol]

Would toss the holey rock if native to Texas.Probably not the best choice for a saltwater tank.

+1
Use with caution. It may leech uncontrollable levels of metals into your saltwater.

[Firstman]

Use what is natural. live rock is the best choice.