The season of fishmas begins!... HElp me spend my money!

[rsisvixen]

On the dry rock question, there is no need to seed it with live rock, there are lots of bacterial strains you can buy and add to your tank, you can buy live zooplankton and most snails/hermits have Coraline on their shells which will spread onto your glass and rocks. Even adding some macro algae will introduce tons of critters.

I do not have a drilled tank, it is older so its tempered glass so I can't drill it even if I so wished, I use a hang on overflow and it does the job just fine.

[Aquattro]

I would always seed with live rock, nothing in a bottle will give you the diversity. Welcome to the Internet, where every answer is different Hell, I wouldn't even use dry, but many do, with some success (and challenges)

As for used, almost anything. Except heaters, I always buy new. Just in case. But gently used gear is common, and most things retain their life long enough to get value from them.

Drilled is better if you can find it, even if you plug the hole and don't use it. Better resale value. That said, I would never run a tank without a sump, and I would never use an overflow. Too much risk for floods IMO. Just my opinion though, lots do and haven't had problems. Yet.

Stand should be purpose built, if the tank is a decent size. All four sides should be level and well supported.