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I'm not starting a SW tank right now, but hopefully I will be in the future. I'm curious about how they work. How do you cycle these tank or grow live coral in them? How big should they be?
Here are very basic answers:
1. A tank cycles when waste decomposes creating ammonia which turns to nitrite then nitrate.
2. Corals grow by photosynthesis. They are not plants though. Confused? They are animals, but they have a symbiotic relationship with a microscopic algae. More info to answer your questions.
3. How big the tank depends on how big your wallet it 30 is a great starter since there are so many options. The bigger the water volume, the less concentrated your mistakes will be.