Starting a Saltwater tank (Costs)?

Question

What items are necessary for starting a Saltwater aquarium?



please leave out fish, live rock, gravel, etc.
I plan to have a 55 gallon tank--leave that out of the costs too.

Im looking for items such as the protein skimmer, filter(s), etc.

experience is better than links.

It would be great if u could find items that work well but are relatively low priced.

Answer 1

I won't comment on it much since you asked not to, but I do suggest you include live rock in your setup, whether or not you plan on keeping corals.

For gravel, make sure that you are getting aragonite, which you can also find labeled as crushed coral. Not too fine, at least for a beginner effort. I believe I was using a partical size of either 2 or 4 - sorry its been awhile, and at this point, I just eyeball it when I need some.

As far as hardware, you obviously want a heater.

Buy yourself a hydrometer. I rarely use mine anymore, but in the beginning you'll want to get a good feel for how to keep your salinity right.

Buy yourself a good set of test kits. PH, Ammonia, Nitrites, Nitrates, and KH to start with. In time, you won't be testing for Ammonia or Nitrites too often since, well, they darned well better be zero. A well cycled tank will be its own best friend in that regard.

Two or three water pumps (assuming you aren't looking to jump right in with some of the new fancy wave making systems) - Rio's have worked well for me. I had a couple of Rio 200's and I think a Rio 90 when I had my 55. This can vary based on your taste, and how much rockwork you have.

I recommend a Protein Skimmer. Venturi was all the rage for awhile, but I recently got an Octopus Needlewheel for my 75 on my friend's advice. He's follows the hobby far more closely than I do, and he loves his so far. Mine has not gotten switched in yet.

Lighting is a tough one. There are so many choices. At a mininum, get a twin tube flourescent with a 10,000k bulb and an actinic bulb. Thats the cheapest option, and will give you a nice look, while allowing a VERY limited selection of corals. Some of the PC and T5 systems are quite nice these days and will give you a bit more flexibility with corals, but you'll still be limited in coral stocking. A true reefkeeper will settle for nothing less than a Metal Halide system. Please do youself a favor and think carefully about what you want in your tank, and then do some legitimate research on lighting options. The twin tube I mentioned is probably in the $100 range, but prices climb rather quickly on the fancier ones.

I don't suggest running a standard power filter at all. I do own one, which I put on once a month or so to "polish" the tank. That's optional, but something you may consider in the future. I like a good 'ole Aquaclear for that.

There's plenty more, but these basics should get you through your initial setup. If you really get into it, you'll be making your own choices on the fancier stuff.

A quick note on the cycle. If you are getting alot of live rock, don't even consider putting any fish in until you ammonia and nitrites are zero. Please don't kid yourself into thinking that any number that isn't zero is "close enough". In my experience, salt water fish can be very hardy. I cycled with about 90 lbs of live rock and three yellow tailed blue damsels in 1999. One damsel did not survive the cycle. The other two are alive today. I lucked out there, but you don't need to rely on luck. Put the rock in, let the numbers come down, and then sloooowly start stocking your tank with fish and inverts.

Planning is so important with a salt water tank. Try to form in your mind a picture of what you want your tank to look like, and what you want living in there. Make sure everything you want will get along with each other, and do your best to avoid impulse buying when you see a beautiful fish that just doesn't fit into your setup.

I suggest you look into some online resources and maybe buy a book. This book by Rober Fenner was great back when I was starting. I read it cover to cover before I started up my tank.

http://www.amazon.com/Conscientious-Marine-Aquarist-Commonsense-Successful/dp/1890087033/ref=sr_1_1/103-8188579-8724640?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1180582022&sr=1-1



Oh, and make sure you have a flashlight. Once you get that tank cycled, sneak up on it every now and then in the middle of the night. You'll be amazed at all the different things you see.

Have fun!

Answer 2

Richard did a nice job of covering what you'll need. I'd also recommend the book he suggested (it's one of two I used when I first started keeping saltwater, The New Marine Aquarium was the second: http://www.amazon.com/New-Marine-Aquarium-Step-Step/dp/1890087521/ref=sr_1_2/104-3963873-2416749?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1180602212&sr=1-2 )

Richard may not be aware of this, but Bob Fenner also has a website with a forum where there are numerous articles on aquaria, ponds, and the aquatic business written by several authors and experts. You can check that out in this link: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/

Answer 3

For a 50 gallon FOWLR (Fish Only With Live Rock), permit me holiday down the fees. $three hundred for a tank and stand $two hundred-$three hundred for filtration $three hundred for are living rock (approximately $6 according to pound, 6x50=three hundred) $a hundred and fifty-$three hundred for sand, warmers, and a pair different matters Keep in brain that those are plenty of estimates and you'll be able to get plenty of these items plenty less expensive whilst you wait for offers on craigslist, different websites, and consistent income.

Answer 4

check craigslist.org for cheap setups...I've bought all my tanks off of there, you can get some really good deals