I am wanting to get started with a saltwater tank. I have picked up a 40g tank and need to know what I need to have to get it up and running. I have been looking into live rock, pumps to create waterflow/movement & rock for the base.
What is recommended for heat, filtration and what not....
As I am new please have patience with my lack of knowledge. Any info will be helpful!
Truth be told the list is quite long to get fish, inverts and corals in your tank. You will need the following:
1) Sand of some form (live sand is best for filtration). For your size of tank a single 40lb bag should cover it, but if you want fish that burrow you may need more.
2) Live Rock or dry rock/live rock mix. This is actually the primary filter in almost all saltwater tanks. Figure 40lbs of live rock minimum for your setup (1-1.5lbs of live rock per gallon of tank is the recommended amount)
3) 150-200 watt tank heater that specifically states it is good marine tanks. Always remember if a piece of equipment doesn't state that it is meant for marine setups, then assume it isn't.
4) Some type of seed bacteria to start the live rock cycling process
5)A good cover with good LED lights (keep in mind that some fish will jump right out of your tank without a cover).
6) For filtration for that size of tank, HOB (Hang On Back) filters would be the most cost effective. For Saltwater Tanks Canister filters often end up being expensive hassles. You could do a sump but that requires special setup of an extra 10 gallon or larger fish tank which may not be practical if space, etc. is a concern. A Fluval 75 or 110 gallon HOB filter would be a good choice for your size of tank as they give you the option to add different media bags that can be beneficial to your tank. That said outside of the stock carbon filter bags DO NOT USE ANY OTHER STOCK MEDIA BAGS THAT COME WITH THE FILTER AS THEY ARE DESIGNED FOR FRESHWATER!!!!!!!!!
7) A powerhead to simulate ocean current flow. The Hydor Koralia are probably the best bang for buck. If you want to put corals in your tank you will need a higher flow model. I have a 36 gallon bowfront and run the 3rd gen model that puts out 1950gph and it provides plenty of flow to my whole tank.
8) A Protein Skimmer. Eshoppes, Reef Octopus and others all make hang on back models that will do the job perfectly for your tank. This removes excess protein waste from the water in your tank and helps keep your water changes down and can promote good algae growth in your tank. I didn't realize how much left over crud was in my tank until I started running my Eshoppes HTK-75.
9) A Digital Thermometer to make sure your tank heater and tank water is maintained at the proper temp
10) You will either need an RO or RODI water purification system or you will need to buy RO/RODI water or pre-mix RO/RODI saltwater from your local LFS. It's not like freshwater where you can simply wait for the chlorine to evaporate from tap water and you are good to go. There are many other nasty chemicals in tap water that saltwater fish simply can't handle.
11) Some Home Depot 5 gallon buckets, you will need them for doing water changes at some point
12) A solid water testing kit (ie Red Sea) to do water quality tests (ie Nitrate, Nitrite, Ammonia, etc.)
13) A basic drainage hose with siphon pump
14) A Refractometer to test the level of salinity in your saltwater. For corals you generally want your salinity a bit higher. Around 1.025 to make both the corals and fish happy.
Have I scared you away yet? The hardest part of saltwater tanks is having the patience for the water cycle. You need to be prepared to basically leave your tank alone for 30-60 days and not have anything but live rock, live sand and water running in your tank. Remember that even if your Ammonia, Nitrates and Nitrites all show 0 on your tests that the cycle isn't over until your brown algae bloom comes in (that is the point at which you can add snails and hermit crabs to help keep the tank clean). You also DO NOT change the water until the bloom comes AND goes.