thanks for the warm welcome, have been lurking on a number os sites and am shocked with the amount of new technology in regards to saltwater aquariums and reef keeping. 18 years ago or so i used to have a number of aquariums fresh and salt, and am going to get back into the hobby. been looking at this set up to start with. JBJ 28 Gallon Nano Cube Quad PowerCompact Bulb w/ Cabinet Stand and Arctica MINI Chiller and contemplating adding a small mangrove tree running out of the back since they are readily available on the island. i'm in no rush to buy tho, i'm in iraq right now on my 3rd deployment for the gwot, so i have 7 months or so to finalize my decision and purchases. as far as the hawaiian biotope goes, the state does not allow the taking of corals and live rock from local waters. you can however get a slurp gun and get all the aquarium fish you like for your own tank. as far as water goes for whatever tank i get i will be using saltwater from the coast, i have a 26ft fishing boat that i chase marlin and tuna in, so i can easily procure 5 gallon water jugs of sw for water changes.