Sorry, I've had this happen a couple of times with the posting getting hung and only the title showing up. Here is what should have been posted:

Hi,

I had a marine tank 20 years ago and it seemed like an enormous amount of work without much success. Obviously, there have been alot of improvements in equipment/techniques since then. Have things gotten easier? At the time, all I had was a fluval cannister as filtration. I bought a mini-reef sump filter but never ended up using it. Would that still be a good choice for a marine tank?

Angela

Things have gotten a bunch better.... The filtration, lights, size, etc all depend on what kind of marine tank you are wanting to set up....If you want a FO...Fish only tank...then the filtration and lighting can be different, if you want a FOWLR...with may be a few inverts, then again it could be different...If you want a full reef tank...then there are still options...by what you keep....so the first thing for me to help you is to know what kind of salt tank you are wanting.....

I think goldie tank is much easier and cheaper. Salt and fishes are too expensive.

i have four reef tanks and one very large goldfish tank

the reef tanks are 100% easier than the goldies

goldies are a pain in the buttocks

i dont have any sick reef fish, but ive had plenty of sick goldfish
all in all with all the sick goldfish in the past, all the meds to treat them, all the water changes, and the cost to replace my stock pretty much comes close to or exceeds the cost of the reef tanks.
the initial setup of a reef tank is expensive, but once everything is in balance it doesnt cost anymore than taking care of a dog.
i keep all my reef tanks upstairs and the reef "closet" is half stocked with goods
my goldfish tank is in the basement, and their "closet" is packed with medications of every kind...why because these cute lil orange balls always come down with something

its more complicated than freshwater tanks. im only 13 but my dads an oceanologist so i really know about saltwater fish.