Here's something very very important that I didn't learn until about 7 years into my addiction (yes reef tanks are an addiction, but that's another conversation entirely). First, don't trust your LFS (local fish store) to have your best interests at heart. They are in the business to make money and we're glad they're there, but that being said they are not always forthcoming with good or accurate council. Case in point: When I first set up my tank several years ago it was instructed to mix up the water in 5 gallon buckets and fill it up to start the cycle. That's all well and good, but they failed to advise me not to use tap water. I continued to use tap water for water changes and top off for YEARS. I went to them repeatedly about algae problems and my inability to keep even softies alive. They advised to buy Phoszorb (or whatever) to take the phosphate out of the water and do frequest water changes. Never once did they advise me to get an RO/DI unit and use only pure H2O to mix my water. It wasn't until I started doing my own research on forums that I discovered how horribly wrong I've been going about it. Yes it's my fault as well for not doing the research, but I expected my LFS to have the answers and help me to be successful so I would be in the right place to spend more money with them. That just makes sense to me (still). So my advice is research everyhting you want to do before you do it, then go buy it. Everything from substrate and rock, to all the equipment, to the stock you put in it. These forums are absolutley invaluable resources. And oh yeah, do not use tap water in your tank:)
