r0ss0

Hey guys im looking into either buying a new tank for Saltwater - Not sure what i want to put in it yet. Prob fish and life rock with sand.

I have a 20g tank which is bare and empty with no parts apart from the light. I dont want a huge overstocked tank just a pretty rocks one or two corals and some nemos!! once i get the hang of it then i may consider going larger. I just want a tidy size FW (34g) and a tidy size SW. I got a FW and its so much fun . But i really want a piece of the beach in the house. could someone Help me on some basic equipment needed?

Thanks i know the question has been asked a thousand times but its to take in and decide what is best. I dont wanna overspend on items that i wont need . or perhaps qoute me on an "easier" setup likefish only or summit.

Thanks guys

sgould

Protein skimmer - $80-100...you can find them for less, but don't bother with them.
I have been using coralife superskimmers on both my tanks, and like
them.
Light fixture - If you are selective with the corals you put in, you can go with a
compact flourescent fixture...say $60-100. If you are wanting some of
the more light hungry corals, you will need to consider T5s ($150-200), or
metal halide ($400 and up). NOTE - if you are not adding corals right
away, you can stick with a cheap standard flourescent fixture (the type
many tanks come with).
Powerheads - get a couple...$10-15 each. Maxijets are good ones.
Heater - I like the visitherm stealth models...for your tank, 75 watts at $15-20.
Hydrometer or refractometer - measures your specific gravity/salinity...$8-100. If you
are keeping things simple, go with the hydrometer ($8)...not as accurate,
but close enough.
Salt water test kit - API master kit runs around $20. As you start in on corals, you will
need to expand your testing into calcium, kH, gH, etc, but for initial
FO or FOWLR, the master kit is sufficient.
Salt mix - Plenty of good ones out there...instant ocean, kent, red sea, etc. Figure
$10-15 per bag (50 gallons) or $25-30 per bucket (approx 150 gallons).

Prices are based on online ordering. Expect to pay considerably more if you buy at a shop, particularly on the light and skimmer.

r0ss0

Protein skimmer a filter?
This is what confuse's me or is the live rock a filter ?

sgould

Live rock provides for biological filtration...it has lots of surface area for bacteria to grow on to keep ammonia and nitrite under control. A protein skimmer removes organic material from the water before it ever has a chance to start breaking down to form ammonia and nitrite. So the 2 kind of complement each other.

NirvanaandTool

Completely agree with sgould's list. That pretty much covers your basic equipment and essentials for a starter s/w tank. One thing i would add would be Substrate, either sand or crushed coral - maybe $20-30 bucks for 20-25 lbs worth if i remember right.

For a protein skimmer - dont get a Red Sea Prizm Deluxe, spend the extra money on something else cause i really dont like my prizm.

For powerheads, you could consider 1 larger pump rather than having 3 small pumps. For a 20-30 gal, a Koralia 2 or a Tunze 6025 would do just fine pumping a large amount of water without introducing alot of heat into the water like multiple MaxiJet powerheads would.

Just remember that s/w is never cheap. biggest lesson i learned when i started. kicking myself for cheaping out on the prizm protein skimmer and a small maxijet powerhead on my 35gal. Thats why i have 2 tunze 6025's and 1 Koralia 2 coming in today!

papap

I bought the Red Sea Prizm last week at the local pet shop. The shop told me it worked great. Well my 36 gallon tank is only 2 weeks old. Maybe it just does not have any protein in it but all it makes is bubbles now. If you open it to much it makes lots of wet foam and fills the cup. I wanted to buy a Aqua C but they did not have one and they told me the prizm worked great. Wish I would have waited and search the web before buying. good luck.

r0ss0

From what ive heard its best to wait a month or so to get a skimmer - (depending on tank setup of course) and let it mature before adding a skimmer to get best results.. Perhaps that could be your problem papap?

papap

thanks r0ss0

NirvanaandTool

i bought mine knowing that it was a barely mediocre skimmer. just couldnt afford a Remora at the time.
mine does about the same and my tank is about 2 months old. barely any gunk in it. i have mine skimming dry foam so i dont waste tons of water.
im just going to throw my prizm on my 35 gal damsel tank and buy a remora for my main tank.