Originally Posted by harpua2002

I'd start by picking up a copy of Robert Fenner's "The Conscientious Marine Aquarist" and getting more familiar with marine tanks. Maybe your mom would like to take a look at it too. Jumping into it without a ton of research will probably lead to disappointment and frustration, and that's no fun for you or your mom. Plus, keeping a marine tank is a lot more expensive than a FW tank, and researching equipment before you buy will save you a lot of money- there is lot of junk out there that you'll want to avoid. If you want to save even more money, I'd suggest asking your parents' permission to join a reef club in your area. Here, a lot of LFS's offer discounts to club members, and you can find a lot of nice equipment used. I recently saved over $100 on a light strip by buying it used from a club member. Plus, you can learn a lot by going to club meetings.

Finally, I don't want to disappoint you, but I don't think that seahorses are the way to go for someone new to SW. They are not easy to keep and often require target feeding several times a day with live food. I've been keeping SW for about 2.5 years and I still wouldn't feel comfortable trying seahorses. That's not to say you couldn't do it with a ton of research and planning, but I just wanted you to be prepared that it's a ton of work.

If you're serious about keeping a marine tank, take a look at this list of beginner fish and see if there's anything you and your mom would like. If you see something cool, we can help point you in the right direction with what tank setup you'll need to keep it.

Originally Posted by harpua2002

Hmmm, I did a Google search for you and turned up a couple of names but no websites. There is a marine aquarium club in your area it seems, but its forum is on reefcentral.com in the regional forums section. Reef Central is not as family-oriented as FishLore, so be sure to ask your parents for permission to join if you are interested in checking it out.

As far as starting out in SW, I would encourage you to get the largest tank you can. Just like FW, it is easier to maintain stable water quality in a larger tank, but IMO it's even more important for SW. 30 gallons or more would be a good size, and I would not recommend starting with less than 20 gallons.

Are you interested in keeping fish and corals, or fish only? If you want a reef tank with corals, your lighting is going to be a big part of your expense. At a minimum, you will need multiple power compact bulbs. High output T5's run cooler and put out more light, so I'd pick those over power compacts. Metal halide lighting is another option, but it is more expensive than PC or T5, consumes a lot more power, and runs a lot hotter. The upside is that MH lighting gives you the most choices for corals out of any type of lighting. If you aren't interested in corals right now, you can use normal output flourescent lighting like what you probably already have. You can start with fish only and upgrade your lighting later if you change your mind and want corals.

Some people keep tanks with just fish and no live rock, but I'd recommend getting some live rock for sure. It provides the biological filtration for your tank with the organisms that live on it and in it. Live rock can be expensive. Around here it is $7-8 per pound at the LFS's. You'll want roughly 1-1.5 pounds per gallon, as a very general guideline. Look for live rock that is light and porous. That gives beneficial organisms lots of surface area to grow on. You can order live rock online if you'd rather do that. When it ships to you, there will be die-off, but the organisms will come back over time. The die-off can cycle your tank for you. I bought cured live rock from the LFS, but cycled with a raw shrimp anyway just to be sure. If your rock is cured (meaning there is a lot of beneficial organisms living on/in it and very little die-off), it is possible to cycle very quickly. My tank cycled in less than 2 weeks because the rock was cured. Remember, it is still important to take things very slowly after the tank cycles. SW tanks mature much more slowly than FW.

You'll also need to buy some substrate, unless you want a bare bottom tank. I use CaribSea fiji pink aragonite sand. Crushed coral isn't really recommended because it can trap waste and lead to water quality issues. You don't need to buy the expensive live sand. Any sand you buy will become live with time.

For water, it is highly recommended that you use RO/DI. Some people use tap water, but there are so many unknowns and variables in water quality that it isn't really a good idea IMO. Tap water can lead to algae problems, and that's really frustrating. There are RO/DI units on eBay that cost $100-150. You'll need to mix your own SW with salt mix, and also keep some fresh RO/DI water around to top off your tank as the water evaporates. You will have to keep an eye on your specific gravity/salinity. To do that, you can buy a hydrometer (cheap, but not very accurate) or, preferably, a refractometer (more expensive, but much more accurate). You can get one for about $40 on eBay. I keep my tank at 1.025-1.026 for corals. If you're keeping fish only, you can keep SG a little lower.

Another thing to think about is a protein skimmer. You don't have to use one, but it helps to keep the water cleaner.

You'll need to decide if you want to use a sump. Some benefits to a sump include more water volume in your system (helps with stability), being able to add more live rock (helps with bio filtration), being able to use a refugium (macro algae grows and uses up nutrients, can help with nuisance algae and nitrate) and being able to hide a lot of your equipment so you don't have to look at it in the display tank. Take a look at www.melevsreef.com for some examples of sumps, because I know this doesn't make much sense if you've never seen one, LOL. If you use a sump, you'll need a drilled tank OR hang on back overflow, plumbing, and a return pump. You don't have to use a sump, though.

SW tanks need a lot more flow than FW tanks, so you'll need some powerheads in there. I use Hydor Koralias and would recommend them to anyone. They are totally worth the money. You'll also need a good quality heater. Ebo Jagers and Stealths are nice.

I'm sure I've forgotten some stuff here but I hope it's been helpful. I can't give you any exact recommendations for equipment without knowing what your plans are for tank size, fish only or reef, etc., so talk it over with your mom and see what you can come up with. If you have specific questions, I'll try to come up with specific answers.

Good luck!