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what does all that stuff stand for?

That will depend. I suggest shopping around. When I shopped for a 125gal tank I got prices from $999 down to $300. Call every place within driving distance. I drove nearly 2 hours one way to get my tanks. A lot of stuff you can get at Walmart for a good price. Powerheads and HOB filters ar eof OK quality and will last for a good time. Powerheads go about $20 and up. HOB filters go $25 and up. Stands can be built for a fraction of the cost. Lights, well, that will depend on what you want, a FO tank will be the cheepest and can use standard lights. A FOWLR needs a little better lights. A reef can cost several hundered dollars for lightling alone. Best to work up to that. The more you can do yoru self the cheeper it will be. Example, I have 125gal tanks, a reef and a FOWLR and have perhaps $2000 invested. I built nearlly everything, stands, lights, used play sand instead of the expensive LFS sand. Bought reef bones at a $1 a pound or less instead of live rock at $4 or more a pound. Some of my rock, perhaps 1/3 is live rock. Reef bones will become live rock in a short time. I'm even building my own skimmer. I know DRO has several thousand invested in his.

Dan


Dan

um, about how much will that all cost?

I would suggest getting the biggest tank you can fit and afford. 55gal is a good place to start, but is a bit narrow for a good reef.

You will need the tank, good lights depending on the kind of tank you want, heater, powerheads, salt, substrate. Live rock is recomended, but not needed if you want a fish only tank. A skimmer is also a good idea, but again not needed at first. You will have to do more water changes without one. A HOB filter is a good idea to scrub the water.

Dan


Dan