30 Gallon Saltwater

[jbree13]

Okay so I'm very new to salt water! I've done lots of freshwater tanks planted ect. Im thinking about getting a 30 gallon saltwater tank up and going, I would like to get a sump set up as well.
What should my first purchases be? I only have the tank and a quad HO t5 right now!

 

[Jlsardina]

Is the tank drilled? If not you want to look into a HOB overflow and bulkheads to run plumbing to a sump. Then you need a pump that 3-400 gallons per hour as your return.

 

[Schism]

Highly suggest drilling the tank, hang on overflows an have problems and cause a big water spill on your floor.

As far as your first purchase you need to decide what you want in the tank. What corals? Softies?LPS? SPS? And stock list. This is always the starting point.

Things you will want/need:
Protien Skimmer
Return Pump
Powerheads
Heater/chiller depending on location
Live/Dry rock/sand

Also you may want to look into an Ro/Di unit, i highly suggest using it.

A good skimmer and good flow should be your main focus along with lighting for a reef tank. Skimmer and flow combined keep nutrients at a minimum allowing corals to thrive. These three things is where i suggest the most amount of money be put into. Your lights will be good for most things except things requiring intense light.

Not sure how much you have to spend.

 

[jbree13]

Okay, thank you!
I'm planning on drilling the holes this weekend! I have some friends that do salt so they're going to help me set it up! I'm in no rush so I'm going to take my time with everything!

Am I able to keep annimies with a quad t5 HO? what type of Coral or fish do you recommend?