Thinking of setting up my first salt tank

[Reefhawk1]

I would go with MH lighting. The appearance with corals is amazing especially when the light penetrates through a rippling current at the tank surface.

I have recently set up a 110 gallon system. This is my 6th system and the most expensive yet. I am running a coralife 150 watt HQI system with 120 lbs of live rock. I recently purchased a Asm g3 skimmer and have had it running for two days. It is amazing what a good quality skimmer can do in such a short period of time.

A drilled tank is the best way to go in my opinion. You can hide all filtration below the tank including a refugium to help with nutrient export. I also use aragonite sand in all of my past and current setups. It helps with PH levels and gives fish and inverts a place to hide. IMO a bare bottom tank looks terrible but if it floats your boat more power to ya .

The best thing for a newbie to do is research and ask questions. Save up and buy proper equipment new or used. I learned the hard way and have spent way too much $$$. Good luck with your setup.