Beginner's Questions ( long)

[MartinOsirus]

I want to start a 10 gallon. I saw a beautiful 10 gallon setup here:
http://members.tripod.com/~rbrducky/10.html.

I am thinking of doing the following:
Using florida crushed coral as substrate instead of live sand
Using an emperor 280 filter stuffed with biomax ( has that biowheel!)
Filling tank with premium fiji live rock
Using a Lee's micro protein skimmer
Getting a basic "scavenger crew " and a clownfish from Liveaquaria.com
Later - getting 1 or 2 corals
Lighting: PowerQuad 96 watt SmartLite Retrofit Kit.
Would this fit over a glass top on a standard 10 gallon ?

I will cycle tank with live rock.

Can I use an eheim pump to pump water out of a 5 gallon bucket into the tank
and drain as well ? ( pump up 3-4 feet)
What about crushed coral versus live sand for substrate ?
Do I really need a mechanical filter? Is emperor 280 overkill ?
What do you think of the Lee's skimmer for this tank?
I am trying to duplicate the tank I saw on this website:
http://members.tripod.com/~rbrducky/10.html.

Appreciate any comments/suggestions from you experienced folks!
I never had a marine tank before and am limited on space and money - but would
like to try!
Many Thanks!

[Pszemol]

"MartinOsirus" > wrote in message ...
> Appreciate any comments/suggestions from you experienced folks!
> I never had a marine tank before and am limited on space and money
> - but would like to try!

My answer will be short - anything less then 30-40g will be
considered very unstable and a big challenge for an experienced.
Requires constant attention and quick reaction to bad symptoms.
These are skills all beginners, like you call yourself, lack...

If you do not have space/money to setup minimum 40g tank
better postpone this first tank for some better times...