Thanks once again for all the helpful comments and answers!

wkada - Give us a follow up in a week or two and let us know if you are completely happy with your purchase. Have fun!

Robb in Austin and corydude, thanks for the tips. We'll check RC and ebay both, but cannot decide if we want to buy used and pay almost as much, you know? Kind of makes more sense to me to buy new unless we're going to get a GREAT deal.

gseclipse - any savings on a group buy other than the shipping cost? Can probably find these for free or very low shipping from a number of places.

camaroracer214 - thanks for the info about the gyre circulation... I'll read more about it. That sounds like it would satisfy my goals really well, but my husband is really liking the idea of a wave effect. I know what you mean about some of the rickety stands out there, but thankfully we have a really solid one, that was actually one of the main reasons we bought this 210g tank because of the great cabinetry of the stand and hood. (Props to Ace, who made the hood, and to unknown cabinet maker on the stand?)