[Integracer]

Live sand will help your tank cycle faster (so you can add fish sooner). If you mail order rock, definatly try to get live sand locally. If you get rock locally, then live sand is not as necesarry. Eventually dead sand will become live. If you have a friend with a reef(or a fish store), get a pound or two of their sand and mix it with dead sand for a cheap alternative. You should try to do about 1 lb/gal of rock. I have 1.8 lbs/gal. You could get away with 1/2 lb/gal but don't add to many fish. More rock means you can add more fish and do fewer water changes. You can always add more rock in the future, but you must make sure it is cured!!(meaning you get it from a running reef and put it in your in a matter of an hour or two)

Try to do at least 3-4 wtts/gal. I have 6.5 watts/gal and my soft corals grow quite fast. Hard corals seem to do ok closer to lights. PowerCompact lights are usually the way to go. Check Ebay for them.

As for the Blenny, they usually eat little live criters that live in your tank called amphipods and copepods. The critters take months to populate the tank, so you could try the Blenny in 8 months. In a 12 gallon, there is a chance the Blenny would eat all the critters in a short period of time, so a refuge would probably be nesesary. If you find one that eats prepared food, your all set. Make sure the store feeds him infront of you.

Check out Nano-reef.com!!! Look for me (Integracer)