How to set up a saltwater reef tank

-Neccesities-
Appropiatley sized aquarium
substrate
Live rock
Marine Salt
Aquarium stand
Heater
Thermometer
Filtration system
Hydrometer to measure salt content
Water conditioner (unless you use water ran through reverse osmosis)
Lighting (strength of lights depend on type of coral you plan to keep)
Fish net

-Optional-
Protien Skimmer
Refugium
Sump
Buffer systems(Alkilinity,Ph,calcium)
Test kits (ph,ammonia,nitrite,nitrate,calcium,etc.)
Algae scrubber
Aquarium background

Live sand and live rock is a lot like what you see on the 3rd movie of the trilogy pirates of the Caribbean. It is sand or rocks that grow legs and move. Hahaha! Just kidding.

Live Sand is sand that has either come from the ocean or a friends fish tank so that it has the microbes necessary to break down the compounds created by fish.

DAY 1

1. Decide on the best location for your new aquarium, choose a spot where you will be able to see and appreciate the beauty of your private ocean.

2. Clean your tank using water only.

3. Place your aquarium in the decided location, and be sure that it is level. You will not want to have to move your aquarium once it is filled, because it will way about 11 lbs per gallon when full.

4. Now for the fun part. Place about 2 and 1/2" of live sand in the bottom of the tank. (if this much live sand is not available use half live sand and half crushed coral to fill the 2 1/2")

5. Fill the aquarium 1/4 of the way full with live water.

6. Place Larger pieces of live rock into the sand bed, these will serve as your base pieces you want to be sure they will be stable as you will be building the rest of your reef on top of these pieces. Also, be sure that they are placed in a manner that you will maintain good flow in the aquarium when it if full. You do not want to form any dead spots.

7. Fill the tank 3/4 of the way full with more live water or pre mixed salt water. If using premixed salt water mix it outside of the aquarium being sure that when fully dissolved the specific gravity is between 1.022-1.024.

8. Build your reef with selected pieces of Live Rock; once again being sure of the stability and that there are no dead spots. If live rock was not kept submerged be sure to remove any air bubbles by twisting it under the water.

9. Finish filling the tank.

10. Step 10 is very important to setting up a tank fast. Step 10 is the addition of macro algae, which can be given from a friend or bought from a pet store. Place the macro algae in a well lit area of the tank.

10. Install heater, pumps, filter, lights, etc.

11. Place pumps in a way to create good flow in your tank, and to cause ripples on the surface to insure that the water is aerated well.

12. Re-check that the specific gravity of the tank is between 1.022 and 1.024

13. Relax let the tank cycle for at least 24 hours, that is the end of day one.

DAY 2
Now would be a great time to add some Copepods, because it will give them time to grow and populate your tank before any fish are added. Copepods are live bugs that Saltwater Fish eat in the ocean. Not only are they nutritious, but they will eat unneeded nutrients from your tank. You can find some here, ReefCopepods.com

Day 6 Now is a good time to get some critters in the tank and see how they do. Add a few snails, and hermit crabs. I believe a good rule of thumb is one snail for every 2 gallons of water in the tank, and one crab for every 3 gallons of water; however this is a matter of opinion. The number of critters added at this point depends on your size of tank, how much live rock you have, and if algae is growing. I would start out with a few snails and hermits and see how they do, and then add more as needed.

Day 7 Add Fish!!! At this point you will not want to add a whole bunch of fish, your tank. Add only 1 or 2 fish depending on the size, these should also be healthy and hardy. Try a damsel or green chromis for the less aggresive. See how these first fish do then think of adding one or two more in a month or more.

You have done it!!!!! You have now brought the ocean into your home, watch things carefully and you will soon learn that there is a whole little world going on in your fish tank. It's amazing I know. I hope this has been helpful.

Just as a little advice, most areas have local marine aquarium clubs; I would find one and join it. Many of the people in them are willing to sell you thing for a very low price, some will even give you them. I would also recommend looking in the classifieds for used equipment, eBay, or buying things from online merchants. Here is a link to the club I am in wasatch marine aquarium society

I found this online merchant to save me alot of money, because they have reasonable shipping and take great care of there fish. Everything that I have ordered from them has always arrived healthy. They also have weekly deals that a FANTASTIC!

If you would like to check out my aqurium go to my other squidoo lens My Aquarium