prof

It is a 6 foot Oceanic RR. Maybe early 90's?

All is still available. The 240 needs to be completely re done.

I don't know the make or model. It is a beast. I think it still cools but probably needs electronic work.

5hp chiller. $100 210g Oceanic with stand and plumbing. $1000

I'll buy the liner, Rob can get the roll-off, who wants to pick up the salt?

I would think that the newer formulations of silicone would provide a longer life than those from 20 years ago.

Glass tanks are held together by the silicone between the glass not the silicone that is smoothed out from squeeze out during assembly. Razor blade cleaning should not affect the strength of the tank unless the person cleaning is over zealous. I would tank life would be from 10-20 years depending on the care it receives. I have setup and run multiple tanks that were built in the early 80's with no problems, so they can last much longer.

Yes, FC2 is the metal leaf and RX7/R7 are the pin type. If you have the FC2 style than you can use the old lamp holder.

wizard is correct. The 250w HQI double ended bulb is about 1 inch longer. The base should be FC2 and work for either bulb(if set to the right length). R7 and RX7 base bulbs are what you would find in a typical flood light or garage work lamp. Check out the specs here: http://www.topbulb.com/find/metal_halide_double_ended_lamps.asp

Yes, you can. The bulb will run a little hotter but you should be fine.

Still need a new name. I drill for $25 the first hole, $20 each additional.

That is my advice as well. There are so many factors to a fish tank that there is no right or wrong choice for substrate, rock, filtration, etc. That being said, you should choose the features you want in a tank and cater the rest of the equipment and inhabitants around your "must haves". If you like fine sand, you will probably want low flow. If you want bare bottom you probably want higher flow. Larger substrate, no sand sifters, small substrate, stars, cucs, gobis, etc. If you want to start with live rock, be prepared for hitch-hikers. If you start with dry rock, expect a longer startup time. Same goes for equipment. You don't need a skimmer or filter if you are willing to do daily water changes. Fish only tank?, HOB or canister filter will work. Corals, you will need light and flow. Do you want to create the full biotope of a reef tank or do you want to keep a rather sterile tank with mechanical and UV filtration? We all have our favorite methods. In the end you will have to choose the one that works for the tank you are keeping.

Moving = upgrade Any time you drain the water its time for a bigger tank.