Welcome to AA Coby!
For starters, here is a listing of fish stores in the Salt Lake City area.
CLICK HERE
PetsMart isn't a bad place to pick up a tank but look online for equipment. It's generally quite a bit cheaper. My fav is
www.bigalsonline.com.
I would go with a 55 gal tank, it's a standard size and great for beginners. It gives you a little more room for error than say a 10 gal. The bigger the better when it is your first tank.
What kind of Cichlids are you interested in keeping?
The basic equipment that you will need is as follows:
Tank
Hood
Lights
Heater
Filter
Substrate
Dechlorinator
Test Kit
Air bubbler (optional)
Decor
Gravel Vac
For the heater I'd go with
250 Watt Visi Therm Stealth. They are black so they are easily hidden. It's not glass so it won't break.
For the filter I'd go with a canister. It's a little pricier up front, but much more efficient than a power filter on a tank of this size. I run a
Cascade 1000 on my 55 gal tank. The brand is entirely optional. I prefer the Cascade line because it's simple to setup and maintain. It took me about 10 minutes to completly setup and install. The hoses are black so they are easily hidden. The Fluval, Filstar, and Eheim are also good brands. For the media, skip the activated carbon. Get ceramic rings. They hold more bacteria and don't ever have to be replaced.
The substrate is entirely up to you. I prefer sand because I like a more natural look. With sand the particles sit on top so it's easy to clean. The preferred is pool filter sand (available at any pool supply store) because it's very cheap, heavier, and looks nice. The heavier the sand the less likely it is to get inside the filter. I mix mine with black Este's brand sand from the lfs. It gives a peppered look and camoflages fish waste. You do have to stir sand to ensure that gas pockets do not form but that's easy enough to do. If you go this route be sure to thoroughly clean the sand before adding to the tank. Fill a 5 gal bucket 1/3 of the way with the sand. Then stick a garden hose in the bucket and let it fill. Stir it around to kick up the dust and debris that may be inside. When the water runs clear (maybe 15 minutes or so) then dump out the water and carefully add the sand to the tank. If you go with gravel you can pour it into a strainer in the sink and rinse thoroughly.
For a dechlorinator I use
Prime. A little bit goes a LONG way. Don't bother with any additives like pH up/down or water clarifiers. The lfs will try to sell you both but don't bother, they are a waste of money and end up causing harm.
With the test kit I use the
AP Freshwater Master Test Kit. It's cheaper than test strips and a heck of a lot more accurate. Test strips get moisture inside the bottle and are useless. Plus, they are quite a bit more expensive in the long run.
An air bubbler is entirely optional. If you are using a canister I recommend you use one. But if you go for a power filter it's not necessary. It's really all for aesthetics though. Keep one on hand in case you have to treat for ich and have to raise the temp in the tank.
Decor: Entirely up to you. Whatever floats your boat.
For the gravel vac I HIGHLY recommend the
Python. Be sure to measure properly before purchasing so you ensure you get the right length. Measure from your sink to where you will have the tank. Trust me, this is THE best invention for fish tank maintenance. No buckets, spills, or heavy lifting.
After you have the tank setup and cycled (I'll give you links for info on cycling), you'll need to perform water changes as needed. I change the water on my tanks once a week at 50% per tank. Do I need to? No. I could probably go 3 or 4 weeks in between water changes because my bioloads are so small but I prefer to keep on top of it. For our 150 we have to do 75% weekly to keep the Nitrates at bay since it stocks African Cichlids and has a rather high bioload. You'll figure out what schedule is best for you. After the tank is cycled and stocked, test for Nitrates. If you have 40 ppm, do a 50% water change. That will get you back down to 20. After a weeks time if you are back up to 40 ppm, do another 50%. You'll get the hang of it and won't even need to test after a while. Periodically test to ensure that the water change schedule is suficient.
You'll also need misc supplies such as a thermometer (I use a Coralife digital because of accuracy, don't get the kind that are stickers and stick to the side of the tank, they are useless), nets, a 5 gal bucket (used ONLY for the tank), algae scraper (MagFloat is my fav), FRESHWATER aquarium salt, etc.
Here is a list of articles to get you started. If you have ANY questions, please ask.
Common mistakes with a new aquarium
Stocking guidelines
Nitrogen cycle
Fishless cycle
