Hi. I'm new to this whole saltwater aquarium thing. I know a lot about freshwater but absolutely nothing about saltwater. I just bought a 75 gallon fish tank and stand off of somebody who no longer uses it. I don't have a pump, filter, heater, etc. just the tank and stand. I need to know what to buy and how to get started. Personal experiences would help as well such as how you mix the water and whatnot. Once I'm able to set up the tank I'll feel much better! Thanks :D
Just bought a tank.. now what?
- Thread starter BlagJulie
- Start date
Northstar24
The Tang Herder
Do yourself a favor and pick up or borrow a copy of The Conscientious Marine Aquarist by Robert Fenner. It has all the information you need to keep a saltwater aquarium
Basically, your filtration consists of aragonite sand and 1-2 pounds of live rock per gallon, and I would also invest in a good protein skimmer.
You will want approximately 3-5 Watts per gallon of heater, I would split that between two smaller heaters instead of one large one, heaters are the most failure prone gear in this hobby.
You'll also want powerheads to move water in your tank, you're looking for 20x-40x tank turnover rate. Look at Maxi Jets, Koralias, or EcoTech Marine Vortechs (the Vortechs will give you random flow - but they are pricey)
The most important decision you need to make is if you will be keeping fish only, or if you want a reef tank. If you plan on a reef, you will need to look into lighting, and it will be the single most expensive purchase for your setup. You can look at T5 HO, Metal Halide, or LED's. As you do research feel free to post here with questions. There are a lot of Chinese knockoff fixtures out there, most of them will end up costing you more in the long run that buying a quality fixture
Basically, your filtration consists of aragonite sand and 1-2 pounds of live rock per gallon, and I would also invest in a good protein skimmer.
You will want approximately 3-5 Watts per gallon of heater, I would split that between two smaller heaters instead of one large one, heaters are the most failure prone gear in this hobby.
You'll also want powerheads to move water in your tank, you're looking for 20x-40x tank turnover rate. Look at Maxi Jets, Koralias, or EcoTech Marine Vortechs (the Vortechs will give you random flow - but they are pricey)
The most important decision you need to make is if you will be keeping fish only, or if you want a reef tank. If you plan on a reef, you will need to look into lighting, and it will be the single most expensive purchase for your setup. You can look at T5 HO, Metal Halide, or LED's. As you do research feel free to post here with questions. There are a lot of Chinese knockoff fixtures out there, most of them will end up costing you more in the long run that buying a quality fixture
d2mini
Reef enthusiast
Also read through the stickies at the top of this forum and the articles.
Reefkeeping Articles
Reefkeeping Articles
Smitty
Reef pro
Hello and welcome to the site...they've got you covered.
little_fish
Moderator
Hello and Welcome!
Its probably a good thing you started off with just the tank, there arent very many similarities between fresh and saltwater tanks. But the boyos have you covered!
Its probably a good thing you started off with just the tank, there arent very many similarities between fresh and saltwater tanks. But the boyos have you covered!
necat
Reefing newb
Hello! Im starting the hobby new with a 75 gallon as well. I have a build thread in the Tank Showcase section. If you have any questions about my equipment let me know and Id be happy to let you know. My tank is up and running and cycling at this point. I just recently decided to go reef instead of Fish only. I am taking a chance and just purchased 2 120w Chinese LEDS that will be here on Wed or Thurs. I read about 8 really good reviews on them. For the money Im hoping they work until I can go name brand. Ill post updates once I get them running. Enjoy the hobby and get ready to spend some money!! :)
jr7168
Artic Reefer!
i agree your very smart to start bare bones its a great thing. if not you may end up like us who do numerous upgrading because of wingin it or poor LFS advice.
jr7168
Artic Reefer!
and heed her name bifferwine is a girl. so its dudette!
FishyReef
Broke Reefer!
I found the equipment list helpful too when I was starting! One thing you should get pretty much from the beginning as well is an RO/DI unit to make your water - far cheaper than buying RO/DI water or having to deal with algae blooms from using tap water. Good luck & feel free to post any questions you have about different brands, etc.!
