If you are interested in setting up a saltwater aquarium here is a basic list of materials you should have. However, in order to have a health aquarium things such as a protein skimmer should be invested in.
1. Glass aqarium.
The brand or size is totally up to your preference. Petco sells cheap, basic aquariums. You can also get an all-in-one aquarium such as the Nano-Cube. Although these are more convienent for beginners to start, you will soon be wanting to upgrade everything that came with it. Also the water volume effects the difficulty of keeping a saltwater aquarium. The bigger the volume of water, the easier it is to keep the water chemistry constant. A bigger tank will cost more money so keep that in mind also. Weight is also an issue when choosing a tank. Calculate the weight of your tank by adding the weight of the rock, water (8-9 lbs a gallon), and the stand. Make sure that where ever you plan on putting the tank it will be fine.
2. Live Rock
The term live rock refers to the rock having organisms living on it. This rock will generally run around $8 a pound. You probably want around 1.5 lbs of live rock a gallon. A easy way to save money is to buy half live rock and half “dry” rock. The dry rock will be much cheaper and will eventually become live in your aquarium. More rock also equals more stable water parameters as the organisms that live on the rock help clean the water. Be sure to leave enough room for coral and fish.
Filtration for a beginners tank can be very basic. That said it will then require more frequent water changes to keep the water parameters at acceptable levels. I would recommend just getting a hang on the back filter that runs carbon. Change the carbon according to its instructions. You can run phosphate remover also. Both of these will help keep algae in check. However for a basic set up such as this you will need to do pretty frequent water changes. Change 10-15% of the water once a week for a clean tank.
4. Lighting
Lighting can range from very basic to very advanced, and therefore very expensive. It you are going to only keep fish you only need a floresent or compact florescent fixture. Mushrooms will do fine under a compact florescent fixture. However, if you want coral go with a T-5 fixture with individual reflectors or metal halides. Neither will be cheap, but lighting is very important for corals. Do not put a metal halide over a small tank because it can raise the temperature too much while it is running. A T-5 fixture puts out much less heat, but does not penetrate as well in deep tanks.
5. Water
The water in an aquarium is the most important part! Never use tap water in your aquarium. Either invest in a several stage reverse osmosis unit or buy your water from an aquarium store. Water that is used in your tank should have a TDS of 0 to prevent algae blooms. If you have your own reverse osmosis unit be sure to regularly check the TDS. Make sure that you use a reef salt mix such as Seachem when you mix your own salt.
Now you can get creative. Before buying livestock always do your research first. Make sure that you have enough room in your tank and the proper parameters. Fish need a certain amount of room, and not all fish will get along with eachother. Corals need specific lighting, water parameters, and feeding. Not all inverts are reef safe. Some crabs starfish will even eat your fish! If you don’t pick anything else up from this article remember this; never get a anenome in a tank under 40 gallons. NEVER. It will most likely die, decay extremely quickly, and cause everything else in your tank to die. Believe me I know from experience. If you have a tank that is 40+ gallons then make sure you let it mature for at least a year and that you can keep it stable.
Where can I find all this?
Petco
Petsmart
www.drsfostersmith.com
Local aquarium store
There will be more articles coming soon to go into more depth on setting up and running saltwater aquariums.
