Dillon- I started out with my 55 freshwater tank converted to salt. So we started this adventure in exactly the same place. Less than two years later I have a 125g in my living room- that I bought from another MAAST member used at a very reasonable price- and am using the 55 as the sump/fuge underneath the 125. I know it seems like a lot to think about right now, but you are doing the right thing. So many people jump in and buy right away and later regret a lot of those purchases (I'll include myself in this). First thing I would do is step back and be honest with yourselves. Is this your first attempt at the hobby? Most people that try it (especially those that make it to a board like this and care about doing it the right way as you seem to) get addicted and want to go bigger later. There are some choices you can make that will enable you to go bigger later and still use a lot of what you set up with the 55. For example, the 55 is 4 feet long, right? For lighting you could start out with one nice 250W metal halide DE pendant. Talk to Greg Houston (his screen name is 360reef) and I know for a fact he can get you a really nice one for a real fair price (I recently bought two so I know). It would be plenty of light to start out with on a 55 gal. Then later on, if/when you go to a bigger tank you can just add another pendant (or two or three, depending on how big you upgrade) and still use the old one too. That's just one example.

Also, none of us know your home situation as well as you, of course. Do you live in a house, apartment? Own vs. rent? Planning on moving soon? Where do you plan on putting it in your place? I think these questions might help you decide on just setting up your 55 for your first attempt or jumping into something bigger right away. One thing you should know about saltwater tanks is that bigger does not necessarily mean harder. In fact in most cases it is the opposite. The more water volume you have in a system, the easier it generally is to keep that system stable. The temp. and pH and salinity and things like that will "swing" less dramatically in a system with more water. I don't want to beat that point to death, but if you don't know what I mean just ask and I'll explain more. The point is that when you are new, logic would tell you to start off with something small and later when you're more expert you can get a 100+gallon setup- when in fact a 100+ gallon setup is much easier to keep your animals happy in than say a 10 or 20 gallon setup. I have never attempted something real small, I think it would be really hard for me. Of course the flip side is that the larger the tank, the more expensive all the accompanying equipment will be. Bigger pumps, more live rock, more lighting, etc. A 55 gallon is kind of right on the borderline in my opinion as far as being easy/hard to keep stable for a beginner. I think you could definitely have success with it.

Being new, I would still love to see you buy a setup from somebody on this board that is selling the whole thing (don't worry about wasting your 55. Later this can make a great sump or a great second species specific tank). I actually have two old 55's- one is my sump/fuge for my 125 the other is in my den with freshwater African Cichlids (some old habits are hard to break ). I guarantee you will save money buying a whole system that way and you'll likely buy from someone who will even give you some help setting it up- some tips and things that they were doing. I bought mine from another member- Kaiser- and he and I used to send PM's back and forth constantly when I was setting it up. But, if you decide to set up the 55, it can be great, and we'll help you out.

Hope any of this rambling helps (is it pretty obvious I've got some time off work lately ? ).