newbe

[ghostking010]

Hi Iv always wanted to start a salt water tank but I herd it was hard to do I can't afford all that crazy filtration I do have a 80 gallon tank with the hang on the back filter a air pump and heater can some one help get me started a cheap way lol thanxs

 

[tonedogz]

Well you have most of the stuff you need. Now you need salt, hydrometer to test salinity, an ro/di water filter, maybe a protein skimmer but you can hold off on that for awhile if money is tight. Also is the hangon big enough for the tank, buckets for mixing, some test kit (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, ph ). Maybe some other can think of things I missed

 

[Sniperhank]

Ok, take out the hydrometer and replace it with a refractometer. They are actually accurate where hydrometers can screw you over with their inconsistencies. When starting a tank, you will need 1-1.5 lbs of live rock and 1 lbs of sand per gallon. This is where the bacteria will grow as you cycle your tank prior to adding livestock. It is a biological filter that will consume ammonia and nitrite, in the end producing nitrate.

Other than a master test kid, refractometer, salt, ro/di water (this will prevent algae issues later on), and a large bucket for mixing water for water changes I wouldn't worry about anything else until you are cycled. During that time, you can figure out if you want to be a fish only or a reef tank. This will define everything else you will need for your setup.

 

[ghostking010]

Well I'm going for a mix I want the natrual look I'm tierd of the boring cichlid tanks I've had and done it all lol I still have love for them but time for a change