I've been lurking for several months and finally decided to step forward. My name is Tim, and I've had freshwater aquariums off and on for the last 4 decades. Our son has had a 90 gallon reef for the last 10 years, and after watching his success, I'm finally prepared to make the leap to saltwater. If the remodelling of our house proceeds as planned, there should be a few hundred square feet of basement ready for the reef project by the end of the year. Our son has also gifted me with his leftovers, a 90 gallon tank with base and T5 lighting (currently dry). Also found a deal on a large wet/dry filter that's hopefully going to be a 20 gallon sump, along with a large-ish skimmer (I forget the make and model) So for now it's work on the remodelling, accumulate parts, research, and make plans for the system.
Professionally, I am an engineer for one of the country's largest nanotechnology research centers. My responsibilities include leading the design team for the ultrapure water system, as well as the day-to-day operation and maintenance of the system. The system produces 15,000 gallons per day of water that's purer than what is used to make computer chips. One component of the system is 19,000 gallon per day two-pass reverse osmosis system.
I may be able to help out with questions about water softening, RO, deionization, UV, ozone, water chemistry, etc, etc....