list of saltwater aquarium supplies???

Question

i need a complete list of the supplies required to set up a saltwater aquarium. also, i will need some suggestions on which item brands are best to use...

I already have the tank, and stand, i just need to know what all i will need to keep it running propperly.

also, could someone explain to me what the difference is between a REEF tank, and a fish only tank? thanks much!

~CD~

Answer 1

I'll start with your last question, since that's a much shorter answer. A fish only (FO) is just that - you only have fish and substrate, maybe some decorations and caves for them to hide in. A reef tank has fish, substrate, corals, anemones, shrimp, snails, etc. - it's meant to be a replica of a ocean reef. There's a third type which you don't mention, called fish-only with live rock. Live rock is carbonate rock or coral fragments that have colonies of saltwater bacteria used to help cycle your fishes' wastes from toxic substances to ones that are less toxic. The live rock is collected from the ocean, and in addition to the bacteria, you may get all sorts of other neat critters on it, but since the fish in these tanks aren't usually considered "reef safe", mosy of the snails, shrimp, crabs, sponges, etc. will be eaten. That's not to say you can't start with a fish-only, then add other items to the same tank as you get some experience and want to try more organisms.

Obviously, you'll need a tank, and the larger of a tank you can use, the better - saltwater fish tend to be larger and more territorial/aggressive than traditional freshwater "community" fishes and more like cichlids in their behavior, so some planning is necessary on just what you can keep together. The larger the tank you have, the more options that are open to you. I typically suggest starting with something in the 29-55 gallon range at least.

As far as the stand, this should be made of solid wood. The particleboard stands won't hold up if they get wet and the glue separates, and the iron/metal stands will corrode if any salt gets on them. If what you've already bought is one of these, just use a flannel-backed tablecloth under the tank to protect the stand from splashed water).

Some of the other items you'll need:

FILTER: You'll want to get one that's properly sized (filters 5x-10x the tank volume per hour - check the gallons per hour rating). There are lots of choices, and what you'll need will really depend on budget, what you're trying to keep, and personal preference. I'd consider the best type to be a refugium or wet/dry trickle filter. Next best would be a canister (Fluval, Ehiem), followed by a biowheel (Marineland), then a standard hang-on-tank (Aquaclear). Unless you're using a fine sand or oolite substrate, you can also use an undergravel filter to supplement filtration, but I'd suggest powering it with a reversible powerhead to blow the water up through the substrate (prevents stuff from building up under the filter and clogging it).

POWERHEAD(S): To provide more water circulation in hard to get to places. This also helps circulate dissolved oxygen to the bottom of the tank. Have at least two for a larger tank. I like the Hagen Aquaclear.

HEATERS: For a saltwater tank 30 gallons or larger, I'd suggest getting 2 and putting one on each end. This will provide more even heating, and your tank has a back-up if one heater gives out. Figure the correct size as 5 watts per gallon (for a single heater) divided by 2 (if using 2 heaters). If you need to heat the water more than 10 degrees above the room temperature, go one wattage size higher. There are several good brands, but I would recommend something that is completely submersible, and that you can set the temperature (not factory set). I use mostly Visitherm.

LIGHTING: If you never want anything but fish, you can use the standard lighting and hood made for your tank. You might want to upgrade the lamps to a 10,000K tube or a 50/50 actinic. If you're going to try corals, anemones, etc., go with a compact fluorescent, metal halide, or combo system - these will provide more intense light that they'll need for photosynthesis. Some good brands here are Coralife and Orbit.

SUBSTRATE - you want something made of aragonite to help keep the pH from changing, I like the smaller shell material that Carib-Sea puts out - it doesn't have to be live sand, either. Some folks like crushed coral, but the particle size is bigger than I like, and it tends to have a lot of dust that never rinses completely out. Another very fine grained material is oolitic aragonite (looks like small white balls) and aragonite sand. Here's an idea of the materials available: http://www.caribsea.com/pages/products/dry_aragonite.html While it's possible to keep a marine tank with regular aquarium gravel or no substrate, the aragonite will keep the pH from falling below 7.8 (it should be 8.2-8.4).

SALT MIX: If you're only keeping fish, you can go with one of the less expensive brands of synthetic sea salt (Instant Ocean is available almost everywhere). If you get any invertebrates (shrimp, snails, crabs, corals, anemones, etc.), switch to a better quality mix before you add them. These cost a little more, but you won't need to be using additives for the trace elements they need either.

HYDROMETER: This measures the amount of salt that's dissolved inwater. There are two kinds you can get, one made of glass that floats on the surface (more accurate, but easy to break) and a plastic container that has a needle that rises and falls as the amount of salt changes (less accurate, bubbles attaching to the needle gives false readings). For fish only, you want the specific gravity to read 1.020 - 1.026. If you're keeping inverts, you want it to be 1.024 - 1.026.

WATER TESTING KIT: minimum of pH, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate. I use the API saltwater master kit, which has all these tests.

CLEANING SUPPLIES: elbow length gloves, gravel vacuum, 5 gallon bucket, large plastic container and powerhead for mixing the salt (to be done well ahead of water changes), algae scraper, razor blades (for coraline algae and diatoms that like to attach to the glass).

WATER CONDITIONER: for removing chlorine or chloramine from your tap water (unless you plan to use a reverse osmosis filter or buy RO water, which is preferred for a reef tank).

The following are optional, but strongly suggested:

PROTEIN SKIMMER: This removes dissloved and small organic materials that would normally contribute to the ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate in your tank. Not 100% necessary for fish-only tanks, but will be handy if you have inverts to keep up good water quality by removing organic materials that become nutrients for algae.

GLASS COVER: This reduces evaporation and keeps the fish inside the tank (some are jumpers), although with a metal halide lighting system, it can overheat your tank.

LIVE ROCK: This give the tank a more natural appearance, provides hiding places for the fish and inverts, and increases the biological filtration. Not to mention, you get all kinds of cool critters that hitchhike into your tank (shrimp, snails, sea urchins, sea cucumbers, sea stars, etc.).

CHILLER: If you use metal halide lighting, or the water temperature regularly gets above 85o (for corals or anemones, fish can take a little more heat), you may need to invest in a chiller to keep the tank cool. The water temperature should run 76-80oF.

There may be additional items that you could need, such as kalkwasser to raise your pH if you can't get it to 8.2, but you won't know these until you get the tank set up and running, and test your water.

You may decide that you want to use a UV sterilizer, but in my opinion, these are unnecessary. They don't necessarily kill all the parasites and disease-causing organisms, and they only affect free-floating algae, not any that's attached to your glass, rock, or substrate. The bulbs also need to be replaced yearly. Rather than pay the high price for one of these, you'd do better to buy an inexpensive 10 gallon setup kit and a heater and use these as a quarantine tank.

You can look at these items and compare prices and models for your sized tank at this link: http://www.thatpetplace.com/ although I would suggest that you buy anything for your tank through your local pet stores - this will save you the cost of shipping, and if your store doesn't carry something, they should be able to special-order it for you.

Some websites you might find helpful are listed below:
http://www.peteducation.com/index.cfm?cls=16
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/

I would also suggest you get a good reference book on saltwater - I suggest either The New Marine Aquarium by Michael S. Paletta. Microcosm Ltd. ISBN 1-890087-52-1 or The Conscientious Marine Aquarist by Robert M. Fenner. Microcosm Ltd. ISBN 1-890087-02-5

Answer 2

Saltwater Aquarium Supplies List

Answer 3

My 55 gallon has cost me well over 1000$ already and I don't even have some of the things I need, and I'm limited to smaller fish. Tank, stand, protein skimmer, powerheads, heaters, thermometer, live rock, sand, good lighting (t5ho, reef capable leds or metal halides), test kits (ph, Alkalinity, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, phosphate, calcium, magnesium), RODI water filter, reef salt, magnet scrubber, I usually like to keep a few supplements for calcium, magnesium, iodine, trace elements, zooplankton, and phytoplankton, a gravel vacuum, nets, coral putty or glue, blade to scrape coraline algae off the front glass, I keep airline tubing and an air gang valve for drip acclimating fish. Also, start with a cleanup crew (shrimp, snails, crabs), then whatever livestock and corals. The key to saltwater is patience and lots of research.

Answer 4

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