Brand New to Saltwater World

[xontle]

Hello All,
We have a 40 gallon tank and we would like to know how to start up a tank. We are very much interested in live sand and rock. Basically we just have the tank and we would like to know what supplies are needed to start. Also what are good beginner fish. Thanks for all your help and advice.

 

[gregzbobo]

swf.com has a nice selection of reading material. I personally have Natural Reef Aquariums by John Tullock, The Marine Reef Aquarium Handbook by Dr. Robert J. Goldstein, Both of Martin Moes books, and about 3 years worth of FAMA and MANY issues of TFH. Mr Moes books are starting to look fairly dated, but still pretty informative. Tullocks book is my favorite. Very informative, well illustrated, and has several setups described within. As for equipment, you have a good start with the tank! I'd go ahead and set it up in its permanent location and make sure its level, then fill it with tapwater and let it sit for a few days, to make sure it doesn't leak. Equipment choices are nearly endless, but a sump, a good quality return pump, quality lighting, a powerhead or two for supplemental circulation, a heater in the range of 150-200 watts in your case, 40-60 pounds of live rock, and a 4-6 inch deep sand bed seems to be the "norm" that I have observed and intend to follow myself in my work in progress/tank. Good luck, and welcome to the hobby.

 

[ilove2ride]

Another good book is the New Marine Aquarium by Micheal Palleta ( i think) it is new with LR (live rock) information, too.

 

[xontle]

We would like some fish and certainly want the LR and LS. The only bad thing where we live there is not a lot of choices for pet stores. We are looking into some books and to read up and we need to start buying pumps and stuff just not sure where to start. Thanks again for the help.

 

[jumpfrog]

Welcome to the board. Asking questions is a great way to start. You may want to look around the board and see some of the other tanks and read about their setups. That way you can get a feel for what you want to keep. There are significant differences in requirements between the setup types. Reef, Fish Only. Fish Only with Live Rock, Aggressive setups. Once you know what you want let us know and we'll help you set up in the right direction.
Another great read is the Conscientious Marine Aquarist by Robert Fuller. Goes over the various options in good detail.
Good Luck!

 

[jim672]

I agree with Jumpfrog......"The Conscientious Marine Aquarist " is a great book, for beginners and experienced aquarists.
The author's last name, though, is "Fenner".
Welcome and good luck!!
Jim

 

[majakarot]

save yourself some money, most libraries can interloan books from other libraries, i've read hundreds of dollars of marine books for free... The New Marine Aquarium is one of the easiest to understand and follow books, make sure you read this one, then read the more advanced ones

 

[debbers]

I just got a book today that's great for beginners, like me! It's brand new (published in 2002) and has great info. It's called "The Simple Guide to Marine Aquariums" by Jeffrey Kurtz. I got it at my LFS and have seen it popping up all over the place.