Beginner saltwater setup for 18 gallon, help please.

[Rickenbacker28]

Finally gonna pursue the saltwater side of aquariums. I have an 18 gallon Eclipse tank, complete with bio-wheel filter,hood with actinic light, and fluval powerhead and heater.

I would like tips and opinions on what else I would need to set the tank up.
- sand / gravel?
- live rocks / coral?
- plants?

I hope im not asking for too much, it would be nice if the cost is at a minimum. I really would like to have a clownfish and an anemone, but always get discouraged at the thought of them dying on me.

thanks in advance.

 

[tkos]

IF you want to pursue a small tank like that 18 gallon for a saltwater then I suggest you head to the website www.nano-reef.com

It is a website full of articles geared towards setting up a small reef tank like you have, including which fish and inverts you will be able to use. Also which corals, though I suspect you will need a lot more light thaan what you have for some of the hard corals.

Specifically it mentions methods of filtration. You need live sand and live rock to filter and you don't need the biowheel, which will eventually become clogged up and useless.

Check out the page. I have found tons of useful info there.

 

[ReefRaff]

minimum cost? Saltwater? ha! the two don't go together.

 

[shawmutt]

I am looking into sw myself, but every time I'm about to tank the plunge I get scared away by the cost. I'm looking into diy projects and looking at classifieds for setups. I'm cheap, but I don't want to skimp on quality. Ebay would be a good place to look, just make sure the person has a good rating. Of course, with any used equipment (and diy projects if you are accident prone) comes risks, but from all that I read sw is a risk anyway.

 

[ReefRaff]

For DIY projects chk this site out.. CLICK HERE

Ebay would be a good place to look, just make sure the person has a good rating.

Ditto

 

[Rickenbacker28]

thanks ya'll for the input..