need help setting up my saltwater tank!!

[cms722]

I have just bought a 55 gallon tank and wanted to set it up as a saltwater tank. I am new to this so I want to make sure I do everything right before I put fish in the tank. It wasn't a very expensive tank. One of the topfin ones that I got from PetSmart. What I want to know is what I need to do to get it cycling. I have looked at alot of different things and everyone says something different. How do I know when it has gone through the cycle and is safe to add fish? I wanted to avoid putting fish into it until it was set up so that the possibility of loosing them is minimal. Is there anything such as maybe crabs or shrimp that are hardy enough to handle a new tank while it cycles to help with the cycle? I also heard that the filter pads that come with the outside hanging filters are bad. Is this true? What do I do remedy this? Sorry I have so many questions in one post. Thanks for the help! *twirlysmi

 

[zoalover34]

You need 1 to 1.5lbs of live rock for every gallon of water. That will be your main source of filtration. You need to get test kits and test your water while going threw your cycle and when your params get to 0 you are done with it..