[QUOTE]Originally posted by jtpassat
what equipment do you already have? i.e. protein skimmer, wet/dry filter, lights?

 

you will definetly need a protein skimmer if you have any invertebrates. I prefer a skimmer as the first line of defense in filtering a tank. You don't have to wait for the fish crap to go through the whole degratiion process. This means there will be less nitrites, nitrates to worry about. you will stress your ecosystem and your fish less with a skimmer.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by MDXLuvr
you will definetly need a protein skimmer if you have any invertebrates.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by John David

 

it's not overkill, a good one that i've had success with is the red sea prism protein skimmer. it hangs off the back of the tank. you should find one for less than 80 bucks.

 

I second s2kfanatics advice, go to reefcentral.com, reefs.org, reefkeeping.com, advancedaquarist.com, wetwebmedia.com and do plenty of reading and planning before you even begin adding any fish or inverts to the tank. Its an amazing hobby!

Here's a picture of one of my tanks:

 

I have a 125 gallon tank and have had it for a long time. i am having trouble with some kind of parasite right now but ill have someone post pics for me when it gets fixed.

 

And dont get impatient, let the tank go through it's cycle with some damsels in it before you add cool fish.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by MR294

 

Also chat with these folks.

http://www.saltwaterfish.com/vb/index.php