Hi there, I really need some advice and help. I'm sure to you guys I'm going to sound like I completely don't know what I'm doing and it certainly feels like it to me. :) I've had a 75 gal saltwater tank now for about 2 years now. I have always loved the ocean and had always wanted a saltwater tank but had been discouraged due to costs, time etc. So finally a friend help me get it started. We would travel about 2 hours every other weekend and started purchasing live rock and adding it slowly. There are just not any stores that specialize in saltwater fish or supplies near me at all, they are all about 2 hours away. It was going well at first. Little did I know that water changes were so important and was not told that so you can imagine. After a while everything I bought for the reef died. At first it was beautiful, but never lasted more than a couple months or so. Same with the fish. I have a protein skimmer in the bottom. After about 8 or so months it just sat there looking pitiful. Then I found a couple that locally went around to dr.'s office etc and would maintain their tanks. I asked them to help me with mine. The began coming about once a month and making water changes etc. The pink coral etc. began to come back on the rocks with the water changes. But I watched them wheel that 55 gallon bucket around, siphoning out the water, then putting it back into the bucket, adding salt and declorinator, slapping it back into the tank and charging about $100 a pop. Is this the only way to do it with that huge bucket? I'm not sure I could handle that thing. Anyway, I have only two sets of strip lighting which I know is nothing. I expressed the desire to the experts who were tending it to have more lighting since I had been reading up on it and knew it was required for certain corals, etc. They discouraged me from doing so saying I didn't really need it, my tank could still look good with low lighting reef polyps etc. And besides they said, higher lighting would only make algae grow faster. Mostly they talked about their kids, cats and dogs while here, not the tank, lol. Most of what they brought me died before long. Then they began lagging in visits and wouldn't show for over a month sometimes. I finally stopped calling them and figured I was waisting my money. Anyway, my tank sits here, I don't want to give it up, I have the time to put into it and some money. The ocean has always been a passion and to have a little piece in my home would be heaven. I have a coral beauty, a cleaner shrimp and some live rock, about half a tank full, but the pink sponge is dying off slowly. Can you guys give me some guidance to get started again? Thank you.