Bought my first saltwater tank

I finally bought my first saltwater tank. It's a 35 gallon tall cube. It has about 25lbs of live rock, live sand, and a 250 watt metal halide light. It didn't come with any filtration so I just have a small hob running right now. There is room underneath for a sump, so I might be looking to get one as well as some kind of skimmer. Ill try and post some pics shortly.

250 watt MH is a bit much for a 35g tank what do you plan on keeping in it?
can't wait to see pic's!!! and congrats!

I probably wont end up using the 250watt. It's going to be a reef tank. What type of lighting is best for it? The problem I have with this light is how bright it is. It lights up the entire room. I'll post some pics real quick.

awe ...J thats gonna be a sweet setup! love it! I've always liked cubes:)

Thanks! Im excited about it. What type of light would you suggest using for this tank? Aqua traders has a 20in 4 bulb t5 with moonlights for like $50.

it depends on what you want to keep, 250 watt MH will grow anything "SPS" but they need water params to be right on like Alk, Mag,Cal so it would require dosing these elements the smaller the tank the more difficult it is to keep it stable, then you have another problem if you use the 250 watt because your tank is very likely to over heat "not much water volume", you could use a chiller like I do on the pony tank but they can be pricey. now if you plan to keep Zoa's, leathers and soft corals you will do great with the 4 bulb T5 and wont have over heating issues to deal with, keeping the top open will give you good gas exchange but watch for jumpers. I know a Reefer thats sell polypropalene mesh that I get from him really cheap then I go to Lowes and get the screen frames and make it custom fit so my expensive fish can't go carpet surfing. I can hook you up if you want to get the mesh in the future:)

Sell the mh and invest in a nice little LEd fixture. Check out apolloreef leds. It doesnt have to be anything super fancy like a ecotech. Leds are the way to go.