Way too new!

[zoboo2]

My husband and I just starting to research getting a salt water tank. We would like to do 75 gallons and will do a fish only tank for now. There are not alot of aquarium places around here with good knowledge. What equiptment am I going to need besides the tank and stand? If there is anyone who has recently set up this size and type of tank, what kind of $$ are we talking? Thanks for the help! Can't wait to get started!

 

[uberlink]

Start by buying Fenner's "Conscientious Marine Aquarist." It will tell you pretty much everything you need to buy and need to know.
In addition, plan on at least the folowing:
Protein Skimmer--maybe an AquaC Remora Pro (about $220)
Filter--maybe an emporer 400 ($50, give or take...plus filters at a few bucks each)
Light--if it's for fish only, this doesn't have to be too fancy. Maybe $100 or less. If you later want to add corals, etc, you'll need to upgrade to something stronger, that can run $500 or so.
Water test kits. Maybe $30-40 for a pretty complete setup. You'll also want some way of measuring salinity--either a float hydrometer for about $7, which are inaccurate, or a refractometer for about $30-150, which are very accurate.
Salt. This can be had for $20 or so for a 20 pound bag, good for a heck of a lot of saltwater.
Water: You'll need a source of filtered water. You can use tapwater unfiltered if you chemically treat it, but it's not a great idea. You'll get lots of algae blooms. Better to use reverse osmosis/deionized water, which you can either buy for about 30-50 cents per gallon, or make yourself with the use of a $100-250 filter.
Sand and rock. Depending on what you choose, you can spend quite a bit. I'd strongly recommend live sand and live rock. These are spendy, but will save a lot of trouble in the long run. Live rock can run $5 a pound; good base rock is around $2 a pound. I'd say do about 50 pounds of base rock and 50 pounds of live rock to start. Not sure how much sand for a tank that size.
Four good powerheads to circulate water inside the tank would be wise. You can get these for about $15 each.
Then you'll need fish and food.
I may have left something off, and beyond that it gets more optional. You can consider second tanks for quarantine, refuge, or as a 'sump' (which goes below or near your main tank and provides a place to hang all your filters, etc. out of sight). All kinds of other more expensive filters, etc.
But start with the Fenner book. VERY helpful, and it will save you a lot of money in the longer run.
Hope this is helpful!

 

[zoboo2]

Wow! Thanks so much! What you said actually made sense, the guy at the petstore was so vague. This helps alot and this message board is wonderful!

 

[uberlink]

No problem! I've just been through the whole process of setting up a new tank, and it's pretty fresh in my mind and pocketbook. Shoot me an email at uberlink5@mac.com and I can give you some tips on places to find what you'll need much more cheaply. I have no relation to these...just had luck to find a few.

 

[hawthorn]

dont forget a heater which are inexpensive

 

[celacanthr]

I agree with everything above except...
IME you don't need a filter, IF you get LR. I have about 25 pounds of DIYLR (Do It Yourself Live Rock ~ a great way to shave off a good amount of money, especially on large tanks, just be prepared, that depending on the type of sand you get, you may have to battle serious diatoms), and I have had 0-5 nitrates since my cycle has finished. Now, that bieng said, I DO have a filter on my tank... but I just put it on a week ago, so that I could cycle the bio-media in the filter, so that I can put it on my new QT (IMO, a QT [quarintine tank] is ESSENTIAL especially since you are doing FO, just think about one fish with ick that you didn't quarintine, then all of your fish could easily get ich from that one un-quarintined fish!).
*I would also like to add, so that there is no confusion about how much LR you should use, that the rule IS 1.5 - 2 pounds of LR, for every gallon of water. In my tank though, I have also incorperated several other nitrate exportation systems, which means that I do not need as much LR (but LR is definantly a KEY part that is needed for the system to work)as most poeple do. I would also like to add that that all of these "nitrate exportation systems" (as I like to call em) require you to usually settup the aquarium different than you usually would. So basicly what I am trying to say through this whole babbling thing is to make sure that your system (whatever it may be) can handle the bio load! *

 

[uberlink]

I think the filter/no filter thing is a subject worthy of debate. I'd say either is fine, though I like to run a filter just to pull out whatever nasties it can pick up and to keep the water clear. I agree, though, that it isn't 100% necessary. My only thought is that it's incredibly cheap next to the other equipment, and if it has even a marginal benefit, I think it's worthwhile. If you think it's detrimental, however, then do tell!
On another point, I say the best way to do live rock (and I think this is what you're suggesting) is as I said to do a mix of live rock and non-live rock. Cheaper, and it all turns into live rock in time, anyway.

 

[celacanthr]

Yeah, that is kinda like what I was saying. I have some LR, and some DIYLR, but I don't follow the 1.5-2 pounds per gallon rule, because I have other ways of geting rid of the nitrates.
Also, The thing with the filter for me is that I already spend so much money on my tank, that the extra money that I would have spent on the filter I could have used for fish food, or meds, or corals, or more LR, but I see what you are saying to. The only possible detrimental thing that i could see with a filter is that the filter floss, if not rinsed often enough, may trap detritus, allowing them to become nitrates. But I agree that it is a great discussion topic!