New 75 Gallon "To Buy List" !

Hey so ive had my nano for about 4 going on 5 months now and i absolutely love it, and for the go ahead from the parents to tackle a 75 gal! A lot is the same with a nano but what im concerned about is the sump and what else I need that's different from my nano, If you guys/gals could maybe help me with my "To Buy List" with specific good brands you already use or even a link me to a good site where I could find better deals then the LFS it would help a lot!

So far my list is
Tank
Stand - (Gonna try for my first DIY)
Live Rock - Is buying online cheaper?
Base Rock
Heater

Light - (Good site to buy it from I want one that can do day time and night, I also want coral eventually too) Ill get the measurements today

Salt - Whats a good brand? and should I just get it from my LFS cuz of weight?

Sand

SUMP (DIY)- This is the biggest one im worried about, ive tried searching for forums about this, i understand how it works, how big of a sump would I need? any good links you guys know of?

This is a lot, sorry I tried to keep it as simple as possible, any suggestions would really help!

 

As to the sump the bigger the better. ie. more water volume.

Figure out a size that a)fits in your stand and b)fits in your budjet..

Don't forget skimmer, return pump, flow pumps ie korillas..

 

the skimmer would go in the sump right? i have one now directly in my nano,

 

Correct skimmer best placed in the sump..

There are quite a few sump threads in the "I made This" and "Filteration" sections here on 3reef to skim over. pardon the pun..

 

See my notes in GREEN