New Fish Tank Need Help Please

Question
I just bought a brand new 37 gallon fish tank,complete with filter. heater etc for a standard fresh water tank. I have not begun to set it up yet. I have wanted a salt water tank for years and finally have the ability to do so but don't quite no where to start.I am wanting to do a tank with both fish and corral. So any help/advice/hints would be greatly appreciated.

Answer
Hello Arianna,

To be really successfull with the least amount of effort requires a tank that is 'reef ready'.  this type of tank usually has an 'overflow' built into it and the plubming connects to a 'sump' under the cabinet or located elsewhere.

A coral / reef tank can be done with hang on tank and cannister filters, but those are the exception, not the rule.

There are losts of steps to be tanken when starting up a saltwater tank, the first is to figure out what you want to keep, fish only fishw with coral, which you ahve done, then to figure out how to light it.  for coral you will need high output lighting.  Usuyally done with metal halide, or T5 lighting.  (kind of expensive.)  You will also want/need a protein skimmer, (anywheres from $100-5000)

If you live in a warm area, and or your house is usually warm, you might need a 'water chiller' to keep the water temperature down.


So, basically, you need to get ready to spend, (not all at once), but in the near future.  And you will need to do some reading on starting up a tank...

(the process is something like this... Get tank, add sand, and rock, and saltwater... measure the sallinity, and the Nitrite, Nitrate, ammonia, for a while... then add fish... and keep teh parameters stable, not up and down... and when you can do that for a period of months, then add corals, slowly... and repeat...)

Please let me know if you have specific questions.


thanks


Bill