SAL****ER HELP

Ok, you ready..this is long.

Dont forget all the test kits for all those different things like ammonia,ph,nitrate,nitrite, and depending on whether you plan on adding corals, you will need calcium, magnesium and alkalinity test kits to say the least. i am just starting to get my 55 gallon up and running and have realized that there is a lot of testing involved. Also, if you are planning on adding corals and that type of stuff, you have to be prepared with the supplements like calcium/magnesium supplements to keep it in the right range. its also helpful to have an ICH treatment handy just in case (especially if you dont have a quarantine tank). One thing i will say that you can read a lot about online and i have now figured out with first hand experience is that you have to use RO/DI water for your tank, not tap water. I have been fighting algae in my tank since i set it up and finally gave in and purchased an RO/DI unit. Im so excited to see the difference its gonna make. But, if you are gonna use tap water, you may want to purchase a few Poly Pad Filters..they take the bad stuff like chlorine, phosphates, and metals out of the water. Oh yeah, another thing..if you do use tap water..get a good de-chlorinator for to treat it prior to putting it into your tank. One last word of advice...make sure you get a good salt..like Instant Ocean...and try not to purchase any foods that contain phosphates. I hope this helps and i didnt tell you too much that you already knew. I am far from an expert but i sure wish i knew all this stuff when i started my journey in this awesome hobby. Im not sure where you live, but check the prices in your LFS (local fish store) and compare them to online places. One of my favorites is www.thatpetplace.com they have extremely competitive prices. I try and get a big enough order together of all the stuff i need and purchase all my stuff from there and i actually drove from NYC to where they are located..Pennsylvania..bc it was worth the amount of money i saved as opposed to purchasing it here at my LFS. I hope this helped and keep up on this message board, it has done wonders for my knowledge base of the hobby.
Good Luck!
BLONDIE!!!!

Originally Posted by Bill

Hello,

I will be setting up a sal****er tank with a combination of fish and live
rock. I have been reading several books to try and help. I am starting to
realize this is going to be a pretty expensive hobby. The help I need.
Please let me know if I am missing anything. Here goes. Stand, Canopy,
Tank, Wet/Dry filter with pump, protein skimmer w/ pump, heater, overflow
plumbing kit, salt, sand and coral, LIGHTS any suggestions on this would be
GREAT. If anyone can give me any sal****er advice or let me know if I am
missing anything I would really appreciate it. My math is at $1500.00 on
these supplies. That's before adding any live rock or fish. THANKS for any
help BILL