My first tank, and i need some help.

Aquacave, Marine Depot, Premium Aquatics, Championlighting, Hellolights, are some good places to start as far as online sites to look for a skimmer.
 
For testing your water, it's best to buy your own test kits. Every once in a while take a water sample to your LFS to cross reference the results.

During your cycle, you probably won't need a test kit, once you've added your live rock, take a water sample into the fish store every 2 weeks until everything has dropped to zero, at that time it'd be best to buy your test kits.
 
The 180 would be just fine, but knowing myself (and others), an upgrade somewhere down the line is almost as certain as the sun coming up tomorrow. If it were me, I'd go with the 200 becasue of that reason. Buy one now, instead of one now and one later.
 
Get a skimmer rated at 2x your water volume. So you want a skimmer that is rated to about 144g+

As for rock, since you're in florida your best and cheapest solution is to get a nice amount of limestone (what our state is comprised of), and then get as much live rock as you can afford. Just be sure to clean out the limestone as much as possible as there will be dirt and sometimes even some small plants growing in the crevices.

Most people suggest 1-2lbs of rock per gallon of water. So you're looking at between 72 and 144 pounds of rock. However, most of the live rock you buy isn't very dense, whereas our limestone is VERY dense and heavy. I'd suggest getting around 60-100lbs of limestone and 10-40lbs of live rock. Your limestone will eventually turn into live rock. My limestone is finally starting to get covered in purple coraline after about 6 months.

Here's a picture of my 55g with all the limestone.
DSCF0249.jpg


Edit: I added about 15-20lbs of live rock. The rest is limestone. I didn't weigh the limestone but I'd guess it's about 80-100lbs worth.
 
You can literally dig it out of your back yard. You can get it at construction sites. Really anywhere.

You ever notice that you can only dig about 6" to 1' here in FL and you'll hit rock? That's all limestone! :)
 
Like I said you need to rinse it out with a hose the best you can. A better option would be to use a pressure cleaner if you've got one. Normally people 'cure' their rock in a separate container, but since your tank is cycling it will just cure in the tank while it's cycling, so it works out fine.

Here's some limestone I just pulled out the other day for my friends new biocube 29g
photo-1.jpg
 
From the website you linked me:

* Footprint: 11.5" X 13.5"

Will those measurements fit in your tank? If not you can always remotely mount the skimmer and just plump it into your sump.
 
The inside of your sump.

Edit: Alright then it won't fit. Luckily you can always plumb the skimmer so that it sits next to your sump rather than in your sump. OR you can find a skimmer that will fit inside of the sump. Either way, it's up to you.
 
ok, 2 things
could you help me find a skimmer that would fit?
and do u have an email i could send u 4 pics that u cud indentify if its limestone?
(i kno im being a real pain but i thank u immensly)
 
ok i will pm you the pics of a few rocks, and i would be gratefull if u could look around for me for a good skimmer, but i cnat go over lik $350
 
Curing in the tank?

Curing in the tank?

I don't have my aquarium yet, I'm still in the research phase.

Do you recommend curing the live rock in the tank (when the tank is new)? Or should it be cured outside the tank?
 
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