I've never done more than a betta fish before. Any suggestions?

at the risk of sound super dumb...what exactly is a sump? I keep reading about them, but can't figure out what they actually do?

So I don't really need a filter as long as I get a protein skimmer?
 
A sump usually has a skimmer, refugium and you can put your heater down there and the auto top off.

And you can paint the stand and top, just make sure they dry well. And i would use water resistant stuff. You might also paint the back of the tank now, it works better than trying to put a backgroup up
 
You can put heaters, protein skimmer, a refugium (place for growing macroalgae, copepods, and other good stuff), algae scrubber, uv sterilizer, phosphate reactor, carbon reactor, calcium reactor, automatic top off system, etc. ad nauseum. Do you need all those things to run a saltwater aquarium? Nope! Do people use all those things? Yup! Any and all of them are helpful to running a saltwater aquarium, but not strictly necessary (except the heaters, of course). You can choose to use some and not others.

Either way, a sump is exactly what LilFish said: a tank (usually smaller than the display) located under the display (usually; some people plumb through a wall to another room and have everything located there) that is a convenient place to put extra equipment that you don't want cluttering up the main tank.
 
What kind/how many invertabrates should we be getting? Snails, crabs, etc...and do we necessarily need snails specifically, or just a general cleaning crew? (snails creep me out a bit...)
 
also, what is the difference between a pump and a powerhead? And do I need one or the other, or both? I'm seeing a lot of contradictory info out there.
 
If you have a sump, you will need some sort of return pump so that the water that drains into the sump can be returned to the main display tank

Powerheads are placed in the tank and create flow, which keeps waste from accumulating, as well as keeps fish and corals happy
 
Ok. Good. I thought that was how it worked but just thought I'd double check...boy, I can't wait to put this sucker together...I am not very good at stuff like that! So many hoses and nozzles and whatnot.
 
I really suggest a Coral Beauty Angelfish. Mine is sweet and doesn't bother the other fish. Or a Cardinal fish.

When looking on LiveAquaria's fish make sure to look at the bottom of each individual fish description, It will say how big they will get, and I think these fish grow rapidly.

By the way, Im looking for the last fish for m 60 gallon. I liked to firefish and bicolor dottybacks but don't firefish jump out of the tank if its not covered completly?

Also, aren't foxfaces's for larger tanks? Even a small Foxface?
 
Just another think. I would buy your fish from LiveAquaria (LA). They offer a nice guarantee on your fish that Im sure you won't get at a local store. The shipping charges are a little steep but I think its worth it. They have a reputation to uphold too unlike local fish stores.
 
My tank WILL be covered as much as physically possible. I have a kitten who is MUCH too fascinated by my betta. He is getting a wall-mounted bowl in the near future so she can't get to him. We're more worried about her knocking over his 1 gallon tank than actually eating him or anything. She just likes to sit next to it and watch him...once in a while places a paw on the side, but mostly just watches if we don't take her off the table right away. I don't think we have to worry too much about her knocking over a 75 gallon tank.
 
We plan on ordering all of our fish except the first one we add from liveaquaria. The first we would actually like to bring home when we're ready, versus showing up on our doorstep whether we are ready or not.
 
I would actually go the other way. I think it is very important to support your LFS. Those guys can really help you out in a bind and most are very knowledgeable and can teach you a good amount about the hobby. That being said, I have ordered things online that I can't get at my LFS but I'm a big supporter of getting it local.
 
Our LFS (other than Petco and Petsmart, neither of which seem to take very good care of their fish), doesn't have a ton of selection usually. I've been going there for my dog and kitten needs as well (while by boyfriend spends hours by the fish, lol) for a few years now. They tend to have a lot of the same things. With our stocking list as it is right now, the only things we would be able to buy from them are the firefish and maybe the mandarin (they have them once in a while). They have never had ANY type of chromis that I can remember, and typically only carry maroon, tomato, and black clowns. I think I saw the Royal Gramma once. I'll definitely be getting live rock and things from them though. A couple parts I will be ordering online, but most of my mechanical working things and all the live rock/sand, and decorations and all that jazz will be from them. I know they are very helpful and they know you by name when you come in. Plus, they recently expanded their saltwater area!!! :)
 
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