What you need to get started

[paintballer1]

I'm new to the saltwater aquarium world and from what I've seen online it looks like a scary place full of confusion. I was wondering if someone can help me and all the newcomers by making a checklist of what you need and maybe include some links. Thanks to all replies.

 

[Squishie89]

A book that was ahuge help for me (and has checklists) is The New Marine Aquarium by Michael Paletta. I suggest picking that up and giving it a read. Any idea what kind of tank you want to do and what size?

 

[Scribe]

Agree on the new marine aquarist. Start simple and build. I was told not to do anything below a 55gal when I started. I'm stubborn and started with a 10 gallon with 15lbs of live rock and some crappy skimmer....like real crappy. Livestock was a yellow tailed damsel and a three stripe damsel, and some mushrooms. The three stripe just died this year.....I started in 95'. The mushrooms I was trying to get rid of because they did so well. I got most of my coral back in the day from trading mushrooms....the coral....not the other. Water changes was the best I could do with my limited income at the time. I was running pc's from ahsupply...and they were enough...traded mushrooms for my first mh ballast. I don't know if this helps, but read lots....don't get greedy....and watch your tank....you can tell if something is wrong just by looking at it. Any questions feel free to hit me up or the boards.

 

[glb]

Definitely do a lot of reading first! As far as beginner equipment, it depends on your budget. You want to be able to afford good equipment for the size tank you buy. Bigger tanks are easier to keep in balance but more expensive to setup and run. Smaller tanks are harder to keep stable but are more affordable. I've had freshwater tanks for years but started with a 12g nano for saltwater due to my budget. It worked for me but most people say buy the biggest tank you can afford. You'll need a tank, a protein skimmer, good lights, a good pump and live rock to get started. Also you'll need a good test kit and some supplements such as calcium and magnesium. I'm relatively new to saltwater so I'm by no means an expert, so I hope others will add to this list!

 

[paintballer1]

I was thinking of getting like a 60 g tank to start with. Sound good?

 

[Scribe]

60 gallon would be a good start...as long as you can get good flow in there and a good skimmer..lots of live rock for filtration. What do you want to keep? Just fish? Corals? Forgot to mention test kits....that should be a definite. At least salinity, Alk, calcium, and magnesium, and ph. Keep those in check and you be off to a good start. Try not to go cheap. Take your time and build. Look for used equipment if money is an issue. In my experience we (referees) are always looking to upgrade....so there is stuff out there that will be perfect for you, that someone else may have moved up from.

 

[paintballer1]

I want a good balance of fish and coral. What kind of fish are low maintenance?

 

[Scribe]

Damsels are considered good starter fish....like I said though my 3 striped live for a long time....and they get nasty. It terrorized anything else I put in my tank. He had the run of my 90 to himself for at least 7 years. I would say green chromic. A little more peaceful. Maybe clowns. I'm sure a search for good starter fish will turn up something you will like.

 

[paintballer1]

Thanks

 

[Zero Nitrates]

Reading and researching is a must.
You can start with tank, stand, return pump, plumbing, powerheads, heater, source of good water, saltwater mix, live rock, sand, protein skimmer, lights, test kits. There is also many other items you can get for your tank.
Have fun reefing!

 

[Reefing Madness]

Help Starting a New Tank
There ya go.

 

[paintballer1]

Thanks

 

[ReeferBob]

There really is no such thing as a "starter" fish. You should consider what you want in the tank and stock it accordingly. Damsels are cheap and aggressive. This could limit your choices of what else you have down the road. Do I need to say that you should never use a fish to cycle the tank?

 

[robbrouse]

Don't forget money. I thought I could do this on the cheap and ended up buying crap and need to replace it. Not saying you need 10K, but research the equipment and buy something that's not bottom of the line, you will be happier in the long run.

 

[glb]

Don't forget money. I thought I could do this on the cheap and ended up buying crap and need to replace it. Not saying you need 10K, but research the equipment and buy something that's not bottom of the line, you will be happier in the long run.

This is so true. It's a trade-off. Smaller is cheaper but harder to take care of. Larger is expensive but much easier to maintain. I also agree that you should buy good equipment. You don't want to be replacing things within a few years or become so frustrated with bad performance that you don't enjoy your tank.