Update! I've listed some questions in bold, if you care to help me out with any of them please do!
I'm getting ready to take the plunge, but I'm still testing the waters
I've decided that if I'm going to do this, I'm going to get myself a new tank. I went to my lfs, and waited around patiently for their most knowledgeable employee.
The limiting factor for me is the length, as I really only have the space for a 48" tank, so after talking to him I'm going to go with a 75 gal. The tank is brand new, and includes a built in overflow, stand, glass canopies, and quad T5HO's (with timer), all for 600.
Does this seem like a good deal to you guys? It did to me, but maybe it's just my naivete.
Also,
he recommended that I get a wet/dry filter, rather than recommending a sump. I kind of forgot to ask him why, but
what are your thoughts on this? Specifically, he recommended this wet/dry:
Living Color 150 Gallon Wet-Dry
He also told me to
hold off on the protein skimmer, at least for now. He said it might do more harm than good at the start, but that later on it would certainly become a necessity.
Thoughts?
He also strongly recommended that I start off with a FOWLR setup, and that I not buy coral until about 4 months of getting used to working with SW, since I'm a newly converted freshie lol.
I really don't think this guy was trying to just "make a sale." He knew I was just going to gather information, and he seemed to be trying to give me the best advice he could. I also know that he's kept multiple reef tanks for years, and has some gorgeous and thriving soft and hard corals, so I'm inclined to trust him.