Cross-post n00b Day 4

Hi all- I'm new-ish to this after years of FW and taking care of a friend's FO 120 while he was on vacation. A few days ago I made the jump (impulse buy) and I already feel like I've gotten it all wrong! (no pad under, too small lights/pump, too much or not enough sand, tap water w/ conditioner, etc) I apologize for the lengthy post-

The specs: Eclipse3 all-in-one package
29 gal glass 30"
unknown GPH pump Marineland pr3082
BIO-Wheel wet/dry
2 18w 24" NO bulbs
Single clip on heater
Instant Ocean salts

It's day 4, and so far I've "stocked" 60# live sand, 1 lava rock, 1 tufa, 1 live rock, each about 5# max. I added a bag of bacteria the LFS suggested on Day 2.

The chemistry day 1:
Spec grav: 1.022
Ph: 8.0
NH3: 0
Nitrates: 0 (low)
Nitrites: 0

The chemistry day 4:
Spec grav: 1.024
Ph: 8.0
NH3: 0
Nitrates: 0.6 (low), 2 (high)
Nitrites: 10

The questions:
1) Am I crazy?
2) Can I keep 6-7" of fish and a few anemones- maybe a brain coral in this setup?
3) Does anyone know a good LFS in the SF Bay? Not sure I trust the conflicting info from the one I went to.
4) Should I keep this as a QT and get a decent setup? I'm only out about $300 so far.
5) Should I be seeing the nitre levels fluctuating more for the cycle?
6) Having trouble measuring alkalinity with my test kit (marineland)
7) Am I crazy?


TIA!

 

i may be wrong but i believe i have been told that lava rock is a bad idea in a SW tank as it will leach iron(?) into the tank. like i said i may be wrong.


wow 60lbs of sand in a 29g. i have 60 lbs in my 72 g that has got to be one deep sand bed.