Hi and Thanks!

[Delphinus]

WELCOME to CANREEF! 8)

As for the bulkheads ... I would use silicone, but I don't think it's an absolute requirement. I feel better using it on my bulkheads. I also once tried to set up a 20g, and instead of using silicone I cranked on the bulkhead real tight, and I cracked the bottom glass. Ooops. From that point on I always siliconed instead. To be fair, this was a 20g with very thin glass. I think it would be pretty hard to crack 1/2" or 3/8" glass in the same manner.

You're in luck, we have a "resident expert" here on basement sumps, Canadian_Man.

And as for the salt to water ... I find it's "roughly" one cup of salt for every two gallons. I should mention that my salt scoop is a yogurt cup, and I don't know how close that is to a "real" cup as a unit of measurement.

Glad to have you aboard!