Newbie here looking for suggestions in a 75gal

[bigstorm]

Complete newbie to saltwater here. Going to be taking the leap from African Cichlids to saltwater with 1 of my 75gal tanks. The little research i have done so far tells me that doing a fish only tank with some live rock is a better place to start than diving right in to a reef tank.

I do have a decnet understanding of keeping a freshwater tank in regards to cycling, filtration, water perameters and it seems like i can make this work with a little more research and help.

I will be setting up 1 of my 75gal with the following:
Rena XP3
Aqua Clear 70
(2) 200 watt heaters to keep temp steady as possible.
currently have standard single bulb light fixture (48" with 50/50 bulb)

I want to use live sand and live rock, do i need to upgrade my lights? I will be looking to purchase a skimmer also.

Can a saltwater tank be done without an RO system? My tap water is pretty much ideal for African Cichlids

I would prefer to have multiple fish rather than 1 or 2 larger fish in this tank. Any suggestions on what kind or types i can stock?

Anyone know of a good website to research specific fish? I have a few books on order, but would like to find an internet source to research the fish as well.

I'm sure i will come up with more questions, and i may add to the post later.

Any help is greatly appreciated!

[leebca]

WELCOME TO REEFLAND!

From what I can tell, most of your answers can be found in this very detailed and thorough post: Setting Up a FOWLR Aquarium

Fish don't care about lighting for the most part. So whatever appeals to you and in your eye, brings out their patterns and colors the best. Avoid strong lighting unless necessary.

Skip live sand. See the above post under SUBSTRATE.

I don't give fish recommendations. To me, the choice of fish is very personal. Remember the capacity of your system and put fish in so that when they grow, they still fit the display/system. Check this post out, too: Fish Stocking Limit - for FO and FOWLR

Fish: Search FishBase is one. Start Googling. You'll find many sites.

Ask any and all questions you have, but PLEASE do the reading first so you get a strong foundation. Your background in fresh is useful, but saltwater is much different. When you pose a question, try if you can to put into one post a single subject to keep the thread focused.