ALL of the saltwater tank requirements?

Question

Im looking into making a saltwater tank and I am reading pamphlets and books but it doesnt give me just a list of all the things i need, just gives me scattered information about them through the entire thing, so i was wondering if you guys could basically make me a shopping list for when i go to pet co tomorrow xD. Thanks

P.S. Dont add the tank sizes into it, depending on my budget i will decide on my tank size tomorrow.

Answer 1

Take my advice this is going to be a very very costly hobby, and I would not even start on it until I had read everything i possibly could, and completely understood everything about the proccess..I'm telling you from experience that everything has to be done exactly right, because one little mistake will no doubt cost you about a hundred bucks to fix..I would call around different petstores also to see if you can find one that may specialize more in saltwater fish.. They will be more helpful in helping you make the right descisions..My first 30 gal setup probably cost me over a 1000$ once it was all said and done with, and i had it for about 3 years and lost the whole thing to an ice storm that kept our power out for over a week..its not a hobby just to jump into..good luck

Answer 2

Oh, dear. Please, if you're going into the saltwater hobby don't listen to us idiots on Yahoo Answers! Here are some excellent marine forums; for the future I beg you to direct your questions there:

http://www.fishtankforums.com/

http://www.reefcentral.com/

I can't stress the importance of this. Store clerks have an agenda; books outdate quickly in a growing hobby like this; the internet is fairly reliable. You’ll have a lot of questions, which is desirable; you’ll be keeping a lot of delicate specimens in a comparatively small glass box and such a feat should not be attempted by a layman. I recommend just starting a board in "New to the Hobby" of one of the forums, where you introduce yourself and direct most of your future questions.

You certainly seem enthusiastic, which is excellent--hopefully the challenges that the saltwater hobby presents to you will inspire rather than discourage you. I'm afraid I'm going to overwhelm you with what I'm about to tell you, but it really is possible if you do what I say, specifically the first thing I said, about joining forums.  If this hobby really appeals to you you'll find it immensely rewarding.

Most importantly, do not listen to the Petco people. You'll occasionally come across an employee who knows what he or she is talking about; this is rare and you must not depend on them for your tank's health. Even if you did, you wouldn't be able to find a quarter of the quality items that are so important to the hobby in a chain store like Petsmart or Petco. Look in your yellow pages for aquarium stores that specialize in fishkeeping, preferably in marine tanks.

This is an incredibly slow-going hobby; you're going to end up spending a lot more than you're thinking about if you're serious. I'd put off the trip to the fish store for now, until you're sure of what you want. Patience is required from a biological and financial standpoint; biological, because a lot happens in your tank that you simply can not rush, and financial for the obvious reason that acquiring funds can be very slow-going.

I know you'd think that the smaller the aquarium the cheaper, but this is appallingly far from reality; a smaller aquarium is only more susceptible to rapid fluctuations in water chemistry which can be damaging to its inhabitants, especially for a beginner. A smaller aquarium can be more expensive in the long run as you struggle to find quality equipment small enough to fit in the tank, keep the water at a constant quality, replace dying stock, and so on.

You'll want to have something like a 75 gallon tank, 55 at the least, but the bigger really is the better. If you're concerned about expense you may be able to strike up deals on Craigslist or one of the fish forums I listed (this is preferred), but I wouldn't do this until you make sure you know enough to get a good deal.

You need to figure out the kind of tank that you want; the equipment you buy is directly dependent on this. You haven't specified, but since you're presumably new to it you'll just want to keep saltwater fish, and not bother with corals or anything messy like that, which will be much easier on you financially and mentally.

(I'm about to use a lot of "fish terms," so reader beware! It will benefit you to look up these terms, though, which is why I'm not taking pity on you.)

Get a protein skimmer if you're a beginner. A protein skimmer should not be cheap if you're buying at retail--nothing less than $200, I should say. See what the folks at reefcentral recommend, and then go to www.marinedepot.com to find it. Do the same thing for anything else you buy; you'll find great deals and know you're buying from a reputable dealer. I think you'll want to buy live rock and live sand--again, ask the people on reefcentral for a good dealer, unless you can find a fish store near you that offers these things.

To be sure, I’d wait until you’ve saved up anywhere from $500-1000. This seems like a lot—hopefully it will be—but it will ensure your tank’s safety (it is infinitely more expensive to constantly buy the wrong cheap equipment than once buy the correct, expensive piece) and will force you to take the time to research. And, here--please--go here:

http://www.reefcentral.com/modules.php?s...

Best of luck, my friend! Smite the sounding furrows and so on.

Answer 3

Aquarium

Stand

Lighting hood

Filtration

1-2 pounds of live/base rock per gallon of tank

3-4 inches of aragonite sand

Protein Skimmer

power heads

Refractometer or a hydrometer if you are willing to sacrifice accuracy.

Saltwater Master Liquid Test Kit or comparable

Reef Master Test Kit if you want to keep corals

Heater

Reverse Osmosis water or a Reverse Osmosis filter.

Instant Ocean salt mix or comparable

thermometer

nets

a couple of five gallon buckets

Magnetic glass cleaner

Siphon for water changes