New Tank

[shagtimepons]

I am thinking of starting up a fish and invert tank. The size will be 75 gal. I have some experience in freshwater, and tried salt back in the old days when things were quite different. What kind of lighting is needed for this kind of tank? How much live rock and sand? Is a skimmer important?
Thank you
Jerry

 

[coxy101]

The easiest thing to do is look up specific questions using the search feature. There are so many threads like this, so it's probably easiest to search for answers to specific questions like lighting: Metal Halide (MH) vs. Power Compacts (PC) vs. Very High Output (VHO) vs. Standard Flourescents. Before you start to look up specifics like that, you need to know if you're interested in fish only with live rock aquarium (FOWLR), reef, fish only, etc. This post would go on and on forever. A lot of people recommend the book "The Conscietious Marine Aquarist" by Fenner. Member 007 has some "101" posts. Check them out: Saltwater Aquariums 101: Setting up the tank and Saltwater Aquariums 101: The Cycle
Hope this gives you a start...

 

[razoreqx]

A skimmer is very important for removing excess waste from the display tank and reducing the work for your bio load. It also helps keep your phosphate and Nitrate levels lower in the long run..
As for a fish only setup and lighting, you can get by with as little as a 6500k display light (Most tanks come with one). But I would recommend the new PC lights with moonlight for the fish.. Really does a good job of simulating dawn and dusk with the mix of 10k and actintics...
If your going to use LR for bio filtration your going to need at least 110 lbs of it. If its for looks, add as much or little as you like.. just leave room for the fish to swim
get a book .. YOu'll need something to read before you start out buying equipment and you'll definately need something to read during the six weeks of down time during your cycle period. This is a good starter book I really liked.
https://www.saltwaterfish.com/