I told her that I might bring the 55 gal. acrylic tank I won on eBay back from my dad's place and set it up as a surprise for when she got back. She told me I am obsessing about getting a SW tank and that she would move out. BTW I just finished installing our drinking water system (ro/di system) about a hour ago. :twisted: I think she knows it's really for the fish, but it's too late now. As far as a large tank, that's out of the question. The small tank idea would have some sort of DIY auto top off. I'm pretty handy, so it shouldn't be that hard to make. The only thing I'm worried about with a 10 gal display and a 10 gal sump is getting the return and supply to the tanks to be equal and not getting a huge mess, not to mention a empty tank of dead livestock, if the power goes out. Also, what species are hardy enough to put in this system if the water specs fluctuate a little?