Hi I am 14. I would like to setup a 55 gallon fowlr tank. ( At lowest cost possible) The Tank and Stand we're giving to me by a friend for free. What else would a need and what is good to have? How much is setup cost and how much will it be for monthly maintenance? Thanks in Advance!!
First research,research,research this is a good place to start:
Saltwater - Aquarium Advice and there are some good books on Amazon.com and in the library.YouTube is a good resource too.
2nd don't rush it because that is when mistakes are made and money is spent needlessly.
Now to answer you question unfortunately its not going to be inexpensive to start up.The good news is you have the tank and stand which is a good start.
1.test kits this is to make sure the water is safe for the fish
2.an ammonia source(uncooked shrimp or pure ammonia) to start the nitrogen cycle to establish biological filtration
3. lights(if they didn't come with the tank).
4. 2 100 watt heaters (2 to 3 watts per gallon) which will help to evenly heat the tank.
5. power heads for water movement but again what type of tank will determine what power heads you will need.
6. either base rock or a combination of base and live rock. You will need to shop around to get good pricing.
7. Sand for this you need to decide what type of fish because some fish require a small grained sand like sand sifting gobies.
8 A smaller tank( 10 or 20 gallon) for quarantine for new fish. Which includes a heater,some type of filtration not live rock, PVC pipe for the fish to have a place of comfort.
Hope this helps
Good luck!