First aquarium

[Goose9423]

I got a free 55 gallon tank with a 48" x 13" fluorescent with a max wattage of 40, and a Penquin power filter 350. I'm planning on doing saltwater with live sand live rock and corals. I am currently a college student with little money to blow so my goal overall is to buy the parts I need one by one, maybe every weekend buy a part. My question is what do I need do to get started and what items should I purchase from start to finish.

 

[lightupthedarkness30]

Ive recently got my 55g saltwater up and running and I'm on a tight budget as well. As far as your lighting I would say that you'd need to upgrade if your planning on doing corals. I just did fish and live rock with t5 fluorescents. Your gonna need a heater for sure and the more filtration the better. I bought a 5 gallon bucket of salt mix first and then bought the live sand and live rock. You wanna start that off as son as you can to start the cycling process. And remembers the more live rock the better! You also are gonna want a circulation/power head. I highly recommend Craigslist, you can find all the stuff you need for super cheap! Good luck!

 

[lightupthedarkness30]

Also, building a sump is great idea if you have the time and can be done for relatively cheap depending in how nice you make them

 

[Goose9423]

Ive recently got my 55g saltwater up and running and I'm on a tight budget as well. As far as your lighting I would say that you'd need to upgrade if your planning on doing corals. I just did fish and live rock with t5 fluorescents. Your gonna need a heater for sure and the more filtration the better. I bought a 5 gallon bucket of salt mix first and then bought the live sand and live rock. You wanna start that off as son as you can to start the cycling process. And remembers the more live rock the better! You also are gonna want a circulation/power head. I highly recommend Craigslist, you can find all the stuff you need for super cheap! Good luck!

Lights seem extremely expensive, so maybe I will just stick with FOWLR. Do you think I should get purified water from my local pet store or just use my tap water? I purchased live sand already as well 40lbs. Thanks for your help

 

[Goose9423]

Also, building a sump is great idea if you have the time and can be done for relatively cheap depending in how nice you make them

I do have the time to build one just need a guide on doing it.

 

[lightupthedarkness30]

I get purified water but I've heard of people who just use the tap. It's really your call, purified water is the safest way to go for sure tho. Alot depends on the quality of your tap water too. I didn't actually build the sumo I have running on mine right now, but really all you need is a smaller tank, and you silicone piece of glass in it to make different levels. You can google millions of designs and there are plenty of experienced people on here willing to help you out with plans.

 

[Goose9423]

Ok thanks for your advice il let ya know how it goes.