Came into possession of a big(ish) tank... won't set up til next fall...

[SF2K4]

Well, one of my parent's friends had been holding onto what appears to be a 75g tank and stand (should've measured but it looked like 75g) as well as some older equipment that he was going to end up throwing away until he heard I was into the hobby so I jumped on it (free is good). The tank looks like it's still in great shape (obviously I'll water/leak test it) and the stand just needs a new coat of varnish. The hardware looks like it's been sitting for a while so I'll end up replacing all of that as well as redoing the plumbing.

 

Anyway, I've NEVER done a big tank (I'm currently running a 9g SW, 3g SW, and a 29g FW) and I really don't know where to start... I've started reading things here and there about the big tank scene so I just wanted to see what the links or other notable facts most of you keep in the "holster" for beginners like me

 

I have PLENTY of time to prepared and amass things, so, the most important things I want to know right now are:

 

What all equipment do I need?

For that equipment, which brands come highly recommended?

What's the best lighting option? (I was thinking MH and T5?)

 

I figure after I have all the necessary hardware and get it all plumbed up I can worry about... whatever comes next

 

Thanks guys!

[eddie29]

you may want to start with what you have in mind of doing (lps, sps, softies, etc...) and we can better suggest flow, lighting, etc.

 

 

eddie

[SF2K4]

Well all I'm familiar with coral wise is softies at the moment... though I'd love to try some SPS (figure take them one step at a time, right?).

 

I'm looking at keeping a lot of coral and a good variety of fish... what would be considered some good 75g fish? The three fish I want the most would be:

 

Clownfish (unsure of which yet... sweet on Picasso clowns at the moment)

Rabbitfish

Hawkfish