Collecting sand and info on lighting

[Carissa]

I was wondering how many lbs of sand I need for a 33g tank setup (with 20g sump), bottom dimensions are 12" x 36". Also is there any harm in my collecting it myself from the beach? I did this in my freshwater tank and it works fine, raises KH and GH a bit. I guess I would have to bleach it first like I did before to remove any undesirables living in it.

Also, what type of bulbs should I get for my tank? It is a FO tank for now. I'm planning on two - 36" regular fluorescent bulbs, overdriven 2x. Do I want 50/50 bulbs, or maybe 1 - 10,000K and one actinic? What about bulbs with built-in reflectors, do I want that? I'm just building my own hood, actually I'm mounting the bulbs into my built-in aquarium stand, so looks don't matter (as far as how I mount the bulbs and what I use for reflectors).

 

[billdogg]

i would not take sand from the beach - who knows what is in it?????

the reason for the sand will determine how much you need. is it for looks only? if thats the case then 1" or less is your best bet.

if it is for a deep sand bed to be used for pod production or denitrification, then you will need at least 4"

the petsmart near me has aragamax sugar fine #30 for 19.99
my LFS sells it for 35.99 i guess petsmart is good for something besides dog food!

as far as bulbs go - for a FO tank whatever looks good to you - the fish don't really care so much