Hi everyone im starting a 30 gallon saltwater I am going to do one predatory fish that can get along with others hopefuly and a few nice corals nothing to crazy. I was wondering what the cheapest light fixture is to keep coral. Also what kind of predatory fish could get along with a clown fish. and is there a specific way to stack live rock? also i have a 200 bio wheel filter that does 50 gallons is that sufficient enough? or i herd alot of people just have skimmers would it be okay to just get a skimmer? and last but not least lol how many powerheads should I put in a 30 gallon and where should i put it/them

There is a very complex answer here.

Lighting: Before I can recommend a light I would need to know what kind of coral you are going to try and keep. If you go with soft corals like Zoanthids you MAY be able to get away with a power compact light. But if you are going to want different types of coral(you will once you go in the store, it happens to all of us) you are going to need a more powerful lighting system. I started out with a 2 bulb Glo T5HO system on my 29gal, this did great for me in the beginning, but when I moved up to a deeper tank it was just not enough. Now I wish I would have just spent the money and got HQIs from the start.

Fish: I am not familiar with predatory saltwater fish so I will leave this for a more suitable person to answer. However I have found this very helpful in picking fish. Compatibility Chart

Stacking LR: You can stack and design you tank anyway you want. However your fish may like it better if you look into where the specific species live and try to create that environment as best you can. I have my rock stacked up the rear of my tank as high as I can get it leaving small caves and openings everywhere for the fish to swim in and out of. You can setup the tank one way and watch and see where you fish like to hang out then make minor changes so they are in view most of the time. For example my Clownfish love the back corner of my tank, and i could never see them for the longest time but I moved 2 rocks about six inches and now I can see them all day.

Filtration: Everyone has their own opinion on this. Mine is the more the merrier. I have always tried to have enough to filter a tank double of the size i have. I ran a 110gal and a 55gal filter on my 55gal freshwater, this was overkill, but i had very aggressive fish that liked to make a mess. I approach salt water the same way but you can back off some since the LR will be helping out. I think your filter should be a good match on your tank once you add 30 or so lbs of LR.

Skimmers: I would not just run a skimmer. A protein skimmer will only remove some waste from your tank(mostly proteins). They are intended to be used as the sole source of filtration, because they perform a very specific function. I won't get into how they work because that is another thread in itself, but you search on Google for a bit you will have a much better understanding of what is happening.

Powerheads: This is another one of those subjects that everyone debates about. It really depends on what you need to accomplish. If you are just wanting to keep the water moving, one 200gph pump may do just fine. But if you are trying to create the water flow the corals are use to and will need it will take a bit more. Most of the tanks i have seen have at least 10x flow. Meaning a 30gal tank would have at least 300gph of flow I don't count the filter when I figure this in my tanks. I like more flow for my corals so I am running around 20x(about 2000gph total) in my 90gal. As for placement of the powerheads, its really up to you. I have my 3 powerheads on the right side of my tank(all at different depths) firing at the back wall at about a 45 degree angle. This works great for my tank because they keep excess debris from piling up in the corners, by making the entire tank flow. One thing that can help you decide how to place powerheads is move them and watch where you fish move to. Some will like to be right near the current and some will want to hide. play around with this for awhile and you can get where you fish are always visible to you.

Sorry it got a little long. Hope this helps.

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Thanks alot that really helps the only thing i cant figure out is how to make it look like theres depth to the rocks it keeps turning into a strait wall lol

hi there,
Here's what i've learned
Fish are all different, even if you get a predatory fish that's not supposed to eat others, it still may eat them. A predatory fish in a small 30 gallon may not be the best choice, just because of the lack of space and the need/want for it to eat things. Make sure the fish is coral/reef safe or it may end up eating a 100$ coral you just bought. Be very careful with fish choices and research thuroughly.
Cheap lighting isnt good lighting for coral. If you want inexpensive at the beginning, get some t5's... if you want inexpensive in the long run, get LEDs. For a 30 gallon, you'd only need about 60 watts of LED lighting to grow most coral you will have.
Stacking live rock is fairly simple if you know what to do.. of course. You could stack it with a hangover on the back if you put some supports there (pvc tubes or something). If you can get it to stack forward with balance, then you can add some aquarium putty to hold it in place. You could also cantileaver it backwards or forwards but this will create shadowing if you go forward, so you wont be able to put some corals under it.
I wouldnt suggest using the biowheel. Bad stuff builds up on it and can actually increase nitrates and phosphates. If you want to use it for something, keep the top open with some lighting and throw some macro-algae in it to help scrub out the nitrates and phosphates.
Protein skimmers are useful when (as previously stated) they are not the primary/only filtration. they help it but should not be the only method.
I'd get two powerheads and point one from the back to the front middle (something like a 425-550gph) and a smaller one (300gph or so) halfway down the side pointing up at the water's surface. I've had good luck with this setup but it works with how i have my live rock situated... so with that, move it around and see what works best for you.

what type of depth are you looking for?
are you wanting more deep caves?

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It has become more than a hobby! My 29gal Dream Reef DIY Build