What will i need to set up a Salt water Aquarium?

MyFishyTank

MyFishyTank

Medium Fish
#1
Apr 13, 2011
51
0
0
#1
Hey guys, i am just wondering what i will need to set up a salt water aquarium. The tank is a 17 Gallon bowfront tank.

Lighting - The lighting i was thinking to go for is the MarineLand LED 18-23inch Lighting System(if there is better and cheaper please advise me)

Filter - I was thinking a canister filter, Or will i need a little sump. (Please give me information on the both of these filters, i am also on a budget) :)

Heater - (Already Provided)

Aquarium Salt - (???)

thats about how much i know about at the moment, i would like to have all the equipment to grow corals in the future also.

Thankyou for you help and time :D
 

DclownD

DclownD

Large Fish
#2
Jul 11, 2006
477
1
0
Syracuse, Ny
#2
Filtration is provided by live rock sand and what not the filter is usually ran with chaedo, usually carbon and a light on it at least that i have read you will need some power heads a good test kit set. Sea Salt and a hydrometer. Liverock, aragonite sand. Do some studying as i am not a pro myself im about to jump into the salt water world and have done some good research. the thing i dont seem to understand is the lighting idea as i dont know the rule for led's
 

Lotus

Lotus

Ultimate Fish
Moderator
#3
Aug 26, 2003
15,115
13
38
Southern California
home.earthlink.net
#3
To be honest, saltwater isn't a great choice if you're on a tight budget. While you can do it, remember that it has a lot of ongoing costs for salt, etc.

For a fish-only tank, you'd need live rock (1 to 2 lbs. per gallon) and a couple of powerheads. Avoid canister or HOB filters, as they tend to increase nitrates. For making up salt, you need a bucket, a refractometer (much more accurate than a swing-arm hydrometer) and another powerhead. Never add dry salt to a tank that has anything alive in it (including live rock).
 

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