Hey all!

I stumbled upon this site a little while ago by recommendation of another Austin member, and it is great so far! Much better than other national forums I have been on. So I am fairly new to the Austin area and just checked out many of the sponsor stores today. I am so glad I found this kind of community for aquarium addicts. So, Glad to be here!
Now, here is where I am at in my stages of hobby. I bought a 55 gal aquarium on craigslist when I moved here in August, and have been reading up and practicing what I've learned for a few months since then. But since it was already an established reef aquarium, I haven't had a hard time keeping fish and liverock so far. My levels (only have been testing for ammonia, ph, nitrate/ites so far) have been consistent and my fish are pretty healthy. I've got 2 clowns, 2 skunk shrimp, a hawkfish, 2 firefish, and a little yellow tang. I think they are all doing very well, especially because the YT was missing a chunk from his fin when we bought him and it has since grown back in full glory. BUT, I'd really like to make the switch to a reef aquarium. I've been doing so well on the chemistry part of it all so far, but now it is time for physics: the sump. I already bought a Euroreef RS-80 skimmer, and want to build a sump system just to house the skimmer and increas the volume of my tank. What I (think I) know so far is that I need between 20 and 30 gallons in the sump, I need an overflow box, and I need a pump that can handle at least 500 gal. Am I on the right track so far? I'd like to start this filtration system soon just to improve my water quality (working with a hanging filter and a powerhead right now) before I even delve into corals and other invertibrates, including different lighting, feeding, etc. Anyway, I am so pumped to be a part of this forum and can't wait for any advice or suggestions y'all have for me.

Lauren in Austin